School Employee Resigns After Racist, 'Disturbing' Video Appears

EAST HAVEN/HAMDEN, CT — The story of a Hamden school employee who resigned under fire after a viral video shows her using the N-word at an East Haven grocery story has gone national. The story has been picked up by hundreds of newspapers across the country including the nation's largest, The USA Today.

On Friday night, a video surfaced that showed a woman, who was with two small children, using the N-word on more than one occasion while shopping. The video also reportedly shows the woman spitting at an African-American man. As of Monday evening, no criminal charges have been filed. East Haven Police say a victim has not yet come forward to press charges, according to media reports.

Also on Monday afternoon, 911 calls were released by police to the media, which show Corinne Magoveny-Terrone, who is the now former Hamden school employee, told a police dispatcher that a person at the store called her a vulgar term and that she in turn called the man the N-word, according to the New Haven Register.

Magoveny-Terrone said she wanted to press charges after she was "verbally assaulted" at ShopRite in East Haven, the Register reports.

Hamden school officials moved swiftly in removing Magoveny-Terrone from her school job, which was as a clerk in central office. On Saturday morning, Hamden Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler released a lengthy statement condemning the actions seen on the video.

"We have become aware of video footage that appears to show an employee in our district engaged in abhorrent conduct. Specifically, the video appears to show the employee repeatedly calling an African-American man the N-word in a supermarket in East Haven.

"The video also appears to show the Hamden employee spitting at the aforementioned African-American male as he was walking away from the employee. It also appears that the employee’s children witnessed her conduct. Because her children were present, school administrators filed a DCF report.

"While it appears as though this happened after work hours on Friday evening, the Human Resource Director contacted the employee and arranged an investigatory meeting with her. Shortly after final arrangements were made for the investigatory meeting, the employee rendered her resignation effective immediately.

"The language the employee used in the video is in conflict with the values of the Hamden Public School System. Someone who will use that sort of language in any setting, whether public or private, is not someone we want anywhere near our children. The employee is separated from service, and we hope that her children will receive the support they need after witnessing such a traumatic event."

WTNH News 8 Reporter Mario Boone received a statement from the East Haven Police Department, which condemns the actions on the video calling it "disturbing" and "hate speech."

Mayor Curt Balzano Leng released a statement concerning the video. "What I saw was vile and shocking. While I am disgusted and disheartened seeing such hateful behavior, wildly unacceptable anywhere, I am thankful for the swift and effective actions taken by our school system to address this head on and make clear that hate and violence will not be tolerated."

>>>Click here to listen to the 911 tapes via the New Haven Register here.