"Like Hitler Did" - Secret Recordings Reveal Controversial Statements at Montana Educators Conference

Audio recordings in our possession (see further down in the article) from an educators conference in Montana reveal how teachers spoke behind closed doors about handling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs - and drew comparisons that are revealing. In several recordings, educators can be heard comparing parental concerns to Nazi censorship practices and discussing strategies for reintroducing previously banned books into school libraries - despite intense political pressure from the Trump administration, which seeks to cut federal funding to schools that maintain DEI programs.

Comparison with Nazi Censorship and "Degenerate Art"

In one recording from a workshop on art education, a teacher speaks openly about how mechanisms of censorship in the present show parallels to those of the 1930s. She states verbatim: "I think about the movement of 'degenerate art' and what happens when governments take control over art and cultural expression - that is a very dangerous development." She refers to the case of the American photographer Sally Mann, whose works - depictions of her own children - were removed from exhibitions because of nudity.

"Teachers should look at censorship and at the Nazi regime - and at what Hitler did with abstraction," the teacher says in the recording. "That was deemed inappropriate, repulsive, and 'degenerate'." The recording comes from a session officially devoted to questions of cultural sensitivity in art education but which repeatedly veered into political themes and parental influence in the educational debate.

Reintroduction of a Banned Book

Another recording in our possession, not yet released, comes from a library and law training session. A middle school librarian describes her "personal victory": she had quietly reintroduced a book with explicit passages - one that had previously been removed by a colleague - back into the school’s inventory. "About four years ago, I had a book in my library that my colleague removed without consulting me," she says. "I had to wait until I could order it again." The book, she says, was intended for eighth graders, "and the fifth volume is particularly explicit." According to our information, the book in question is the widely discussed graphic novel series Heartstopper, which has been removed from school libraries in several U.S. states since 2021 - including Florida, Oregon, and Mississippi.

The librarian described the original removal as "censorship" and the reintroduction as her "little censorship success story." The Heartstopper series, which tells a love story between two British teenage boys, is recommended by publisher Scholastic for readers aged 14 and up.

Discussions on Resisting Parental Protests

Additional fragments from the same sessions show teachers openly discussing how DEI and equality programs could be continued even when parents object. Legal gray areas are also discussed - such as how far teachers can go in their lesson content without violating state directives or new federal guidelines. One of the sessions focuses on "Microaggressions in the Workplace." It discusses examples of racial, gender, and sexual microaggressions and introduces methods for identifying and addressing such situations - even against resistance from colleagues or parents.

The recordings date from a period when U.S. education policy is under heavy pressure. The Trump administration had instructed schools earlier this year to certify by April 24 that they were not engaging in "illegal DEI practices" in order to continue receiving federal funds. At the same time, several federal courts suspended parts of the order, creating significant uncertainty in educational institutions. By the end of April, 21 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico had submitted the required certification, while other states - including Montana - refused. In August, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a coalition of 22 states asking the Supreme Court to "restore parental rights in schools."

Revealing Insights into a Divided Educational Nation

The recordings expose a widening divide between teachers, parents, and politics - at a time when education has become the central battleground of American domestic policy. They document how deep the mistrust runs on all sides: between educational self-perception, parental influence, and a government attempting to politically regulate cultural content. We are currently reviewing additional recordings for editorial verification. Parts of them are being transcribed and prepared for further analysis.