The Baraboo School District is investigating a photo released on social media showing dozens of its high school students giving what appears to be a Nazi salute on the steps of the Sauk County Courthouse.
The photo, supposedly taken before last semester’s junior prom, received national attention after it was posted to Twitter Sunday evening. About 50 boys in suits are pictured, though not everyone in the photo is giving the salute.
Baraboo School District Administrator Lori Mueller took to Twitter Monday morning to denounce the photo. “The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo,” she said. “The District will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address.”
The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo. The District will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address.
— Lori M. Mueller (@LoriMMueller) November 12, 2018
The district later released a statement similar to Mueller’s tweet, calling the gesture “extremely inappropriate” and confirming they would pursue legal action to address the issue. Baraboo Police confirmed they are assisting the school district with the investigation.
“The District has confirmed at this time that the photo was not taken on school property or at a school-sponsored event,” the statement said. “We want to be very clear: the Baraboo School District is a hate-free environment where all people, regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, are respected and celebrated.”
Pete Gust, the photographer who took the picture, issued an apology on his website.
“It is too bad that there are those in society who can and do take the time to be jerks; knowingly and willingly to be jerks!” he said. “To anyone that was hurt I sincerely apologize.”
State Senator Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, whose district includes Baraboo, took the opportunity to relate the photo to President Trump, who has been accused of defending neo-Nazi groups.
“There is no place for hatred, intolerance and racism in our society,” Erpenbach said in a statement. “Unfortunately, based on what these students see coming from the White House, some of them may believe what they have done is acceptable. It is absolutely not. Leaders, from the President on down, need to condemn racism in all its forms and work toward a world where we learn from the mistakes of history.”
State Representative Dave Considine, D-Baraboo, similarly connected the photo with the president.
“The actions of these students are informed by the attitudes they see every day in the adults around them — from their fellow citizens all the way up to their President and other leaders,” he said. “I hope we use this incident as an opportunity to take a serious, critical look at the differences between our stated values and the behaviors we see in our community.”
Considine, a former teacher at a Baraboo middle school, called the photo “a slap in the face” and pledged to help eliminate racism in the community.
“This photo is a clear reminder of the racism that is still present in our Baraboo community and in our country,” he said. “Having worked in the Baraboo School District and lived in this area for many years, I am extremely disappointed and I believe we can all do better than this, including our young people.”
Following the picture’s spread on Twitter, the Auschwitz Museum in Poland issued a response.
“It is so hard to find words...” they said. “This is why every single day we work hard to educate. We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising. Auschwitz with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred.”
It is so hard to find words...
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) November 12, 2018
This is why every single day we work hard to educate. We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising. Auschwitz with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred. https://t.co/13AzZaMGJR
