Was graphic graffiti a Lynbrook High School prank?

Was it just a senior prank, or something more sinister?

That’s what police and school officials are trying to figure out as they investigate graphic graffiti markings that were discovered on the wall of Lynbrook High School on June 8 — the last day of regular classes.

According to a Lynbrook Police Department report, the school’s brick walls and asphalt path were spray-painted white, and anti-Semitic words, “563,” “Smokey Joe,” “hi” and cartoonish drawings of genitals were painted on both the wall and pathway.

Despite widespread rumors that the district’s prom was in jeopardy of being canceled if the miscreants did not turn themselves in, Superintendent Dr. Santo Barbarino said, “As of press time, there are no plans by the administration to cancel the prom.”

Chief of Police Joseph Neve said that the exterior wall of the cafeteria and the asphalt path behind the baseball fields leading to Etta Place were spray-painted. He added that the incident was referred to the Nassau County Police Department’s Bias Unit, although Lynbrook police are still involved. “We know the locals, and they don’t,” Neve said.

Barbarino posted a statement on the school district’s website on June 9, informing residents about the incident. When district officials discovered the markings, he wrote, they immediately contacted the Police Department, which launched an investigation.

“The district supplied law enforcement officials with surveillance video obtained from the school's security cameras and is conducting its own internal investigation,” Barbarino said.

Asked about the rumor that one of the perpetrators may have spray-painted a surveillance camera, he said he believes someone shined a light into the camera during the incident, which would make it impossible for it to capture any images of people.

“There are names that have surfaced,” Barbarino said, “and those names are being shared with the police.” He would not say whether they were students at the high school.

Neve said that a motive had yet to be determined, and added that there is no way to know whether it was a senior prank. “We’re not going to know that unless we catch the persons that did it and they tell us why,” he said.

Barbarino urged residents who have any information about the incident to contact the Police Department or Lynbrook High Principal Joseph Rainis. They can also log onto report-it.com, using “lhsowls” as the username and password to report what they know.

“We are continuing to conduct a very intensive investigation, and everyone is being totally cooperative, including the local merchants,” Barbarino said. “We are hopeful that we will resolve this very soon.”

The Police Department did not release photos of the graffiti.