D49 Board member quotes Hitler in social media post about student’s education

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- An elected board member for an El Paso County school district is under fire after quoting Adolf Hitler on her private social media page. Now, that district is responding to the outcry over what she said.

District 49 School Board Member Ivy Liu is being condemned by the Board President after she posted a quote this week from the 20th-century German dictator. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there is no specific number of people who died under the Nazi regime, but it's estimated to be in the millions, with at least 6 million Jewish men, women, and children.

Liu wrote, “'He alone, WHO OWNS THE YOUTH, gains the future.' Adolf Hitler." 

According to the Guardian, the quote was made by Hitler in 1935 as he encouraged young Germans to join the Nazi movement.

In the Facebook post to her private page, Liu went on to write “PARENTS!! GET INVOLVED AND FIGHT LIKE YOUR CHILDREN’S LIVES DEPEND ON IT, BECAUSE IT DOES!”

Liu then called on parents to fight back against Critical Race Theory or CRT. She claimed that those concepts are hidden in children’s education programs.

Falcon School District 49 Board President John Graham posted a statement to D49’s Facebook page about Liu’s controversial post. 

Friday, November 4, 2022 – The following statement is created by, and posted on behalf of, John Graham, President, D49 Board of Education:

Dear D49 Family and community,

Recently, a member of the BOE posted a comment on social media, which some in our community have interpreted as an attack on our teachers and staff. This social media site is not affiliated with nor endorsed by D49.

Individual board members, acting outside of a BOE meeting, do not speak for the district. They are acting as individuals. Likewise, elected officials do not forfeit their 1st Amendment rights when elected to public office.

Furthermore, individual Directors of this BOE and this Administration have the highest regards and respect for our teachers and staff. They are the highest caliber of professional educators in our region. We recognize they work hard to educate and look after the wellbeing of the students in their charge. You all work hard to prepare the students entrusted to us for adult life. Our parents and community do appreciate and respect your efforts. You hold yourselves to a higher and professional standard and that is recognized.

D49 highly regards all of our Constitutional rights and our individual personal responsibility. We respect diversity of thought and experiences to include religion. We respect the hard learned lessons that history has taught us about intolerance and force over others. We respect an individual's right to free speech, even when we may disagree with what they say. Liberty over force.

That being said, a majority of the board find the individual quoted, and the quote that was used egregious, not in line with our cultural compass, and wholly unacceptable. I have implored the poster to retract the post or clarify it.

We always encourage spirited debate within the community. We encourage staff and our community to communicate in many ways with us. We further encourage members of the Board of Education and members of our community to be thoughtful in their comments and responses.

Think before we speak. Model the behavior we seek in each other at all levels. Treat others the way we want to be treated.

We recognize that as elected officials, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard and be careful that what we say may be construed as reflective of those we represent.

D49 BOE President, John Graham

You can see the original Facebook post below:

Graham told 13 Investigates via email that D49 has “a policy overseeing employee social media content, but not one that governs BOE Director content as they are elected officials.” 

“I like the part of the policy where it says ‘when in doubt, don't post.’ It should apply to everyone,” Graham said. 

13 Investigates reached out to Liu for comment about the post and the D49 board member said she is willing to speak on the record Friday afternoon. 

When asked why she chose to use that quote, Liu said she felt it was necessary but said, "I am strictly referring to the fact that he- part of his success and also strategy is to train up young people. To adopt the ideologies which is very horrible that. He targeted children."

She went on to say, "The whole idea behind that one sentence was not there was nothing you could not say that I was trying to glorify Hitler because of the sentence that immediately followed it, which is, 'Parents, do not let this happen. Do not let the indoctrination of our youth happens, because that is all it takes.'"

13 Investigates asked who she is accusing of trying to "indoctrinate" students, she said she wasn't referring to educators. A clear answer was not given during the interview.

Liu did refer to Social Emotional Learning programs. According to Liu, websites she and others looked at claimed SEL were creating "social justice warriors" and creating "classes." Liu said she and others created a master document of their findings and presented them to the board and administration, however, she said it was ignored.

13 Investigates has reached out to Liu for a copy of that master document. At the time of this article, the Community Care/Social/Emotional Learning Resources webpage on the D49 website is no longer available.

Liu told 13 Investigates that she's been attacked since she was elected to the board. However, she said those who oppose her won't deter her.

"I'm not quitting. They have assaulted my character, my integrity, my intent, you name it," said Liu. "And this is from fellow board members."

She went on to say she had those attacks in writing.

13 Investigates asked if she'd like to comment on the post Graham made on the D49 Facebook page.

"First of all, he alone cannot speak for the board," Liu said. "He reminds each of us over and over again that one person does not speak for the board."

Liu doubled down on her original post.

"I don't need to retract it. I didn't say anything that is against anybody's moral values, the political values. I am informing parents that these SEL programs factually by the claims of the manufacturer or writers or whatever you call it, owners of these programs are advertising. It's not my opinion, of course. I obviously have my opinion of what this sale program is for, but we are actually just quoting the exact website content. And I'm basically saying we cannot let this happen."