Danbury Teacher Accused of Racial Slurs Has Resigned

DANBURY, CT — The health and physical education teacher at Danbury High School accused of making a racial slur online has resigned, the superintendent said at a Board of Education meeting on Wednesday.

Superintendent Sal Pascarella referred to the behavior of Joe Hanna as "terribly inappropriate, unprofessional, demeaning to our student body and the whole community," without mentioning the health and physical education teacher by name.

Hanna, who taught at Abbot Technical High School in the city prior to DHS, used the "n-word," advocated building a wall at the Mexican border, and shared a meme about vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, according to a report in the News-Times on Sept. 2.

Hanna posted an expletive-laced video defending his actions, and lambasting his critics, online which had taken down but has since been reposted on another Facebook user's account.

"I don't want to ruin people's families and livelihoods," Hanna said in the video. "I know you tried to ruin mine, and you think you ruined it, but you didn't, 'cause I'm in bed with some powerful people, and some brilliant people and multiple disciplines, and we are very smart. And we're just trying to get better, and we're trying to save the f****** planet so stay the f*** out of our way or I will f****** expose you and bully the s*** out of you online so bad you'll f****** wish you never messed with Joseph J. Hanna."