A group of Baraboo High School students who appeared to give a Nazi salute in a viral photo last week will not be punished for their actions, the school district said.
In a letter sent to parents Wednesday, Baraboo School District Administrator Lori Mueller said the students were protected from punishment by free speech.
The letter, which was obtained by the Baraboo News Republic, confirmed the district had finished their investigation into the photo and found nothing to confirm the students had made the gesture in a purposefully anti-Semitic manner.
“As previously stated, we cannot know the intentions in the hearts of those who were involved,” Mueller said in the letter. “Moreover, because of students’ First Amendment rights, the district is not in a position to punish the students for their actions.”
Mueller previously stated the district would “pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address.” The Baraboo Police Department later confirmed they were investigating the photo separately from the school district.
The decision was widely criticized on Twitter, where the photo originally appeared and gained attention.
“Teachers have 0 problem giving detentions to young women who show their shoulders,” Parkland shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg wrote on Twitter. “Meanwhile, young men give the Nazi salute and nothing happens.”
Teachers have 0 problem giving detentions to young women who show their shoulders.
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) November 25, 2018
Meanwhile, young men give the Nazi salute and nothing happens. https://t.co/tG0OrBA8ju
