A student from an Orange County Catholic high school, who was in a photo with other teenagers raising their arms in a Nazi salute next to plastic cups arranged in the shape of a swastika, is now a "former student.”
Officials from JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano sent a letter to parents stating the unnamed student no longer attends.
It’s unclear at this point if it was an expulsion or if they withdrew.
A disturbing picture of some students from Newport Harbor High School has sparked a big turnout for a public meeting on campus to discuss the issue.
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District hosted a community meeting in response to mounting concerns over a photo of some Newport Harbor High School students making a Nazi salute while gathered around red plastic cups arranged to form a swastika.
The speakers at Monday night's meeting included a student who attended the party and was really upset by what he saw:
"It saddened me a little is that one of the people at the party who reached out to me and was defending them and threatening me. His excuse was that he was Jewish. That just goes to show you how this anti-Semitism ingrained in our society goes to brainwash someone who has that as part of their identity," the student said.
The meeting was also attended by local Jewish leaders and some Holocaust survivors who were applauded by the crowd.
"While these actions did not occur on any school campus or school function, we condemn all acts of anti-Semitism and hate in all their forms," according to the district.
District officials said they will hold two community meetings this week to "discuss this matter." The first will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at Newport Harbor High School, 600 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach. The second meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at Corona del Mar High School, 2101 Eastbluff Drive, Newport Beach.
School officials, Orange County politicians and a Muslim civil rights organization have condemned the photo.
Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, wrote on Twitter, "I condemn this display of a hateful, anti-Semitic symbol and call on parents and community leaders to redouble our efforts to educate young people about the history of violence against Jewish people worldwide. This has no place in Orange County."
Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley issued a statement Monday saying, "There is no place for hateful symbols of swastikas and Nazi salutes in our community. Glorifying or even joking about these symbols contradicts the values we share as a diverse community. Normalizing these symbols as a joke is dangerous."
Foley says she wants to discourage vilification of the teens who posed for the picture.
"Instead, we need to seriously address why teens in our community might think these types of hateful symbols are acceptable or funny and worthy of selfies."
The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also condemned the picture.
"We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and all other targeted minorities and against the actions of bigots who violate our nation's long-standing principles of religious tolerance and inclusion," CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said. "These young adults are expressing hatred that has been handed down from an older generation."
Ayloush encouraged the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to educate students about "the harm of bigotry."
Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon and Mayor Pro Tem Will O'Neill issued a joint statement saying they were "appalled and saddened" by the photo.
"That behavior is not acceptable and not reflective of our community's collective character," they said. "We can and we must expect better. We pledge to work together to demonstrate that tolerance, mutual respect and dignity define this community. ...
This behavior is not learned in our schools. But once learned -- wherever and however it is -- anti-Semitism can and must be unlearned through education and dialogue."
According to the school district, the photo was being investigated by law enforcement, with the district's cooperation.