"Floored by lack of empathy for the Jewish": Jones College Prep Halloween costume video scandal explained as principal is suspended in wake of outrage

Joseph Powers, the principal of Jones College Prep High School, has been suspended after a student wore a German soldier’s uniform to school on Halloween.

An investigation into the same has since been launched by Pedro Martinez, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Netizens have been outraged by the incident after a video of the same went viral. A Twitter user took to the platform to say that she was "floored by the lack of empathy for the Jewish children."

Netizen reacts to Jones College Prep Halloween costume controversy (Image via Twitter)

A concerning video of a Jones College Prep student wearing a costume of what seems to be a Nazi soldier has gone viral on social media. Other students went on to boo him as he stood in the Halloween parade.

The principal later attempted to defend the student. On Monday, October 31, 2022, Powers explained in a note to the staff that the boy was wearing a Communist-Era East German soldier costume. Powers wrote that he tried explaining to other students the "context and time period of the uniform." However, the student wearing the uniform had "apparently" told people that it was from the 1940s.

“I tried to explain the context and time period of the uniform to the students who spoke with me, but apparently the student who wore the uniform may have told people it was from the 1940s.”

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Netizens react to Jones College Prep Nazi costume controversy

Internet users were outraged by the incident. Many slammed the student and the principal as well for defending the youngster. Others also commented on the school culture of Jones College Prep.

Several others noted that the educational institution is highly selective over the students they admit in the school and that the school should have done a better job at selecting an eligible student.

A few tweets said that the whole incident was "disgusting," a sentiment many others echoed.

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Joseph Powers releases statement after matter goes viral online

On Thursday, November 3, 2022, the Jones College Prep principal sent an email to parents noting that the situation should have been handled differently. He wrote:

“As more information has come to light, including additional video of the incident and through conversations with our staff and students, we realize that this has greatly impacted our community and acknowledge that we should have handled the incident with greater care and communicated more clearly with the school community about the nature of the incident”

Powers also noted that the incident caused “harm” to the Jones College Prep students and that the faculty and student body identified the situation as “an act of antisemitism.”

Powers also announced that “special support staff” would be available for the students “to process the harm they’ve experienced.”

Since then, the Chicago Teachers Union has demanded that Powers must step down from his role. The student body has also scheduled a walkout on Monday to protest the handling of racial and ethnic discrimination at the educational institution.

On Friday, October 4, 2022, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez announced Powers’ immediate removal as the district’s investigation into the matter continues. They added that the incident was "completely inconsistent with our values as a school district." They continued:

“It also comes at a time when hateful speech and hateful attacks are on the rise, especially against Jewish Americans.”

This is not the first time Powers has found himself in hot waters. The principal was almost ousted earlier this year by the Local School Council. Powers was accused of ignoring problematic teachers and for doing almost nothing to take care of the culture of racial and gender-based discrimination at the school.