Westwood High Students Get Zoom-Bombed With Hitler Images

WESTWOOD, MA — The second day of one virtual class at Westwood High School was cut short when a Zoom bomber spammed the class with images of Hitler and obscene language on Tuesday morning.

In an email to parents, Superintendent Emily Parks said the person used a fake name and typed obscenities into the chat feature on Zoom along with the images, first of a cat, and then of Hitler, as their virtual background. The school is working to change the zoom settings for its account and make sure users have to be authenticated before posting in a chat.

"Even with best preventative measures in place, we rely on our teachers' quick judgment and quick action to handle unforeseen situations like this one," Parks said in a statement to Patch.

The teacher was able to quickly shut down the Zoom session — the teacher and Dean of Students are investigating the incident.

"We want our classrooms, both in-person and virtual, to be safe and free from discrimination and hateful speech in all its forms," Parks said in a letter to parents.

Since the incident, the district has locked the settings on the district’s Zoom account to require the waiting room feature on all Zoom calls. Staff have also been instructed to not let anyone in from the waiting room without first verifying their identity.