Protest Planned Over WeHA Teacher Racial Slur Incident: Reports

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The West Hartford Board of Education is expected to meet tonight (Sept. 19), but the events prior to the meeting may supplant whatever happens by school policymakers.

That's because, prior to the meeting, according to multiple reports, a rally/protest is expected outside regarding a teacher allegedly speaking a racial slur before other schoolchildren at a local middle school.

School board members are slated to meet at 7 p.m. at West Hartford Town Hall, 50 S. Main St.

But at 6 p.m., according to CT Insider, a group of protesters are expected to gather to protest the use of a slur by a Sedgwick Middle School teacher shortly after the start of the new year.

WFSB Channel 3 reports the protest is being led by a local Black Lives Matter chapter.

At the school board's Sept. 5 meeting, board members and administrators confirmed they are investigating the incident, offering no specific details about what happened.

The incident didn't draw significant comments that night from the community, other than one woman who protested what happened and called for that teacher to be fired.

It is not listed on the agenda for tonight's meeting, which is relatively light, though public communications are the second item listed.

But that situation will likely be a test of a controversial, new policy approved by the Democrat-controlled school board limiting public comment to non-agenda items.

According to that policy, approved last June, comments on non-agenda items are allowed only during the first meeting of the month.

Tonight's school board meeting is the second meeting of September and, with the situation not on the agenda, the board, according to its policy, could not allow comments on the investigation.

Board members, however, have the right to suspend that policy on a case-by-case basis, so there's a chance school board members could allow comments on the slur incident if they choose.

For the agenda of the Sept. 19 West Hartford Board of Education meeting, click on this link.

From Sept. 7: 'WeHa Schools Probe Allegation Staffer Used Slur In Front Of Pupils'

From June 13: 'Controversial BoE Comment Policy Approved In WeHa, Divisions Remain'

For the full, CT Insider report, click on this link.

For the full, WFSB Channel 3 report, click on this link.