A Virginia school district superintendent apologized Wednesday for a logo that some thought resembled a swastika.
The logo was intended to represent four hands and arms grasping together, Hanover County Superintendent of Schools Michael Gill said in a statement.
“We are deeply sorry for this mistake and for the emotions that the logo has evoked by its semblance to a swastika and, by extension, to the atrocities that were committed under its banner,” Gill wrote.
The logo was designed by a teacher and had been used in a professional learning conference.
Gill said the logo was designed to represent unity, and nothing more, and that the district is confident there was no ill intent. It stopped distributing T-shirts with the logo and was working to remove it from the conference, Gill said.
Hanover County is north of Richmond and the school district has around 17,000 students.
The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond said in a statement that they appreciated the superintendent’s swift response to the issue.
