EDUCATION

Baraboo Police are investigating numerous threats from people responding to the Nazi salute photo

Annysa Johnson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Twitter post of Baraboo High School students.

The Baraboo Police Department said it is investigating numerous threats and incidents of harassment against students, school staff, city employees and local businesses following the widespread distribution of a photo showing Baraboo High School students in what appears to be a Nazi salute.

In addition, it said, it will consider charging individuals who shared the photo if it determines "there are any violations of criminal or civil law that are under our purview for enforcement."

"The scope of the investigation that could have police involvement are not the First Amendment right of free speech, but in the realm of harassment," the department said in a statement issued Thursday.

Baraboo Police Capt. Rob Sinden declined to speculate about the kind of post that could warrant a charge — whether, for example, it would need to include an overt threat or message inciting others to violence.

"I can assure you that we are well aware of the law and work closely with the Sauk County District Attorney’s office when referring appropriate charges," he said in an email Friday to the Journal Sentinel. "Our staff is also very conscious of the Constitution as when we accepted the position of Police Officer; we swore to uphold it; and we do so daily."

Some parents kept their students home from school on Friday after a rumor circulated online Thursday about a potential threat at the school.

Baraboo issued a statement on its Facebook page saying the threat was unsubstantiated.

Baraboo School District officials alerted parents Friday morning, saying the threat was unsubstantiated, but that it "continues to be in direct communication with local law enforcement."

District Administrator Lori Mueller said Friday that she did not yet know how many students were absent. She declined to discuss the controversy further, saying she would speak publicly at a community meeting Monday evening.

The photograph drew international condemnation this week after it went viral on social media.

The image, taken by a professional photographer and parent of one of the students, shows about 60 young men standing on the steps of the Sauk County Courthouse before the prom. About 30 appear to be giving the Nazi salute and one, in the front row, is flashing a the three-fingered OK sign many have come to associate with white power movements.

Various explanations have emerged, including an assertion by the photographer that he had told the boys to wave to their parents.

Mueller issued a public apology on behalf of the district on Wednesday, calling the image "hateful, frightening and disappointing."

In the wake of the controversy, some students and parents have described the Baraboo district as an environment in which racist comments and attitudes are commonplace and administrators do little to address them. In 2012, parents complained that students were flying Confederate flags from their trucks in the school parking lot.

The incident comes amid a rise in white nationalist rhetoric and organizations. Late last month, residents in Baraboo and other Sauk County communities found white nationalist propaganda in their mailboxes, prompting some to mobilize against hate in their communities.