A Georgia school staffer removed student's 'Gay is OK' artwork and compared it to a Nazi flag: report

• A Georgia school staffer removed artwork celebrating the LGBTQ community and likened it to a Nazi flag, NBC affiliate WXIA-TV reported.
• The artwork was created by a student attending Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School in Georgia.

A school administrator in Georgia removed a student's artwork featuring a rainbow with the words "Gay is OK" and compared it to a Nazi flag − prompting an investigation by the local school district.

The artwork was created by a student at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School in Athens, Georgia. Parents told WXIA-TV, a local NBC News television station, on Wednesday that the artwork was taken down last week after the school administrator said hanging LGBTQ content up was akin to posting Nazi symbolism.

The school district said in a January 25 statement it is investigating the incident and acknowledged that it's "caused a great deal of anger and frustration in our community."

"To be clear, we condemn this comparison and discrimination in all its forms," said Brannon Gaskins, the district's acting superintendent, in a statement. "The Clarke County School District embraces diversity and inclusion for all students and staff. We stand with our LGBTQIA+ community and are dedicated to proving our commitment to diversity and inclusion."

Teachers and parents at the school told WXIA-TV that they felt hurt after learning of the incident.

One teacher sent an anonymous statement to the station, saying the incident has caused a divide in the community and called on the school district to do more.

"This does not represent why we chose this profession, and it does not represent the feelings, beliefs, values, and attributes our amazing school family has within these four walls," the teacher's statement said.

Parents expressed similar sentiments. "Nothing has been done and that is part of the problem and that is why we are finally at a place like this. Enough is enough," parent Jemelleh Coes told WXIA-TV.

Gee Campbell, a nonbinary parent with two children attending Oglethorpe, said the teachers at the school have generally been supportive of LGBTQ issues, but this incident was personally wounding.

"My experiences with the teachers in regards to my transitioning have always been positive and respectful," Campbell told the station. "My daughter is in this classroom and my immediate thought was 'What message does this give my daughter about her family?'"