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LI Parents Outraged Over Photo Of Boy As Hitler Posted On Facebook Page

GREAT NECK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Parents of students at a Long Island high school are outraged over an anti-Semitic photo that was posted to Facebook.

The picture, which showed a young boy with a drawn-on Hitler mustache and a swastika armband, was posted to a private Facebook group page for freshmen at Great Neck South High School, the New York Observer first reported.

The photo caption read, "I'd rather be gassing Jews right now."

Click here to see the photo.

"My daughter saw the post and friends of hers saw the post and right away brought it to myself and my wife's attention, as did the other kids to their parents," parent Alan Mindel told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera. "The picture, as we've come to learn, is actually of students in the school system."

LI Parents Outraged Over Anti-Semitic Photo Posted On Facebook Page

Mindel said he and other parents are worried the person who posted the image is not just a prankster.

"Are they thinking of gassing Jews and other people? You know," Mindel said.

A parent notified school officials of the post Sunday afternoon.

LI Parents Outraged Over Photo Of Boy As Hitler Posted On Facebook Page

In a statement, Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Dolan called it "reprehensible" and said police were notified and the image has since been removed.

The post was made by a student at another school and officials there are taking appropriate action, Dolan said.

The school district plans to launch a program for students and parents to discuss issues regarding anti-Semitism, racism and social media in an attempt to "end this hate and foster greater understanding," Dolan said.

"Small cruelties that are allowed to exist, or are tolerated, do not go away. Rather, they manifest themselves into larger cruelties and more offensive actions that spread and are replicated," Dolan said. "We will continue to do our part in our schools and in our community to raise an awareness of acceptance of one another and to reject acceptance of the attitudes that we saw demonstrated this weekend."

The Facebook page is "not a school sponsored or supported page," Dolan said.

 

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