Community calls for action after West Hartford teacher allegedly uses racial slur in classroom

Parents and community members are calling for action amid accusations that a teacher used a racial slur in a classroom in West Hartford.

The school board met at West Hartford Town Hall on Tuesday and while the issue was not on the agenda, community members still wanted to send a message.

"My questions is when will it stop? Because it shouldn't matter the color of our skin," a community member said.

A parent told NBC Connecticut that the teacher used a hateful word during a discussion with her son about the policy on profanity.

"I am here tonight in support of the family and in particular, in support of the young eighth grade student who has to continue to go to school every day," Abby Williamson, of West Hartford, said.

We're told it allegedly happened at Sedgwick Middle School earlier this month. Among those who spoke was the child's grandmother.

"This should have never happened. I don't know what the teacher was thinking when she did use the racial slur," Lee Thomas-Morton, of Hartford, said.

The superintendent previously said the teacher was removed from the classroom with an investigation underway, and that racial slurs “have no place in our schools and work against our mission to develop a sense of community and belonging.”

The teachers union said the teacher made a “poor choice” to use a racial slur as an example and the teacher quickly acknowledged their mistake.

At a rally before the board meeting, some called for the teacher to be fired.

“I don’t think that is someone who should be working with students of color. That is not someone I believe should be working with students at this time," Ivelisse Correa of BLM 860 said.

NBC Connecticut has reached out to the superintendent for an update but has not yet heard back.