A group of students from Brooklyn were forced to leave the Sept. 11 memorial after throwing garbage into its reflecting pools, according to a published report.



The students from Junior High School 292 in East New York were visiting the site on a class trip Thursday when witnesses said they threw baseballs, empty plastic soda bottles and other trash into the water, reports the Daily News.



An investigation into the incident has been launched by the Department of Education, the News reports.



“It really is so sad that anyone would disrespect the souls that were lost in the terrorist attacks back on 9/11,” Al Hagan, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, told the News.



One student on the trip who denied being involved in the trash-throwing told the paper it didn't seem like a big deal at the time.

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