Niagara Falls, N.Y. (WBEN) - A teacher at Gaskill Prep has been placed on leave after claims from students the teacher told a racist joke.
Niagara Falls City Schools superintendent Mark Laurrie says the incident happened last Friday.
"A teacher at Gaskill Prep school made a very, very inappropriate, disrespectful joke to a seventh grade student," said Laurrie in an interview with WBEN. "At that time, the student became along with another student, became very upset upon hearing it, reported it to the assistant principal, reported it to me. We immediately placed the teacher out on leave with pay pending a further investigation."
Laurrie says something like this rarely, if ever, happens.
"Shock, disgust, and, you know, unbelievable were the first two feelings and thought that came to my mind when I heard this. It really saddens me that that this was something that was uttered to a student," he said.
Laurrie adds the district does a lot of preparation and staff development and communication around these kind of things.
"There's no reason for it. No call for it. No excuse for it. And we're going to act swiftly and decisively and move forward and then make sure that we do everything we can to a support student and make sure that this kind of behavior is known as not acceptable, and training is provided where necessary," Laurrie said.
The teacher in question is a second-year teacher, non-tenured. An investigation is expected to be finished by the end of this week.