A posed prom photo of dozens of high school boys raising their arms in what appears to be a Nazi salute has spread quickly online, sparking outrage from educators and even provoking a response from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland.
Baraboo district administrators, in Wisconsin, pledged to take action, and the city’s police department said it was assisting in an investigation. The district also addressed the incident in a letter to parents.
The image of white students from Baraboo High School was first shared by an account called GoBaraboo.
The photo appeared to be taken off school grounds. The photographer told Madison365.com that it was being taken out of context and that he had told the boys to “wave goodbye,” not to salute. A student in the photo disputed that account.
Baraboo High enrolls about 1,000 students, federal data show, a large majority of whom are white.
