An employee for Hamden Public Schools in Hamden, Conn., has resigned after video emerged of her targeting an African-American couple in a racist tirade at an East Haven grocery store last week.
Hamden school officials called Corinne Terrone’s behavior “completely unacceptable and in conflict with the values of Hamden Public Schools.” (Photo: Facebook / Tatiana Winn)
The video, posted by Facebook user Tatiana Winn on Friday, shows the woman, identified by a school district spokesperson as Corrine Terrone, repeatedly hurling racial epithets at the man and his female partner inside a ShopRite supermarket. It’s unclear what sparked the hostile encounter.
“The video also appears to show the Hamden employee spitting at the aforementioned African-American male as he was walking away from the employee,” officials said in a statement posted to the district’s website. “It also appears that the employee’s children witnessed her conduct.”
According to the statement, Terrone has since resigned from her job as a clerk at Hamden Public High School. District officials said they scheduled an investigatory meeting with the former staffer upon learning of the racist video. Administrators also filed a report with the Department of Children and Families because Terrone’s two kids were present during the incident.
“Shortly after final arrangements were made today for the investigatory meeting, the employee tendered her resignation effective immediately,” Superintendent Jody Goeler said. “The employee is separated from service, and we hope that her children will receive the support they need after witnessing such a traumatic event.”
In the minute-long video, Terrone is heard shouting the n-word and other expletives at the Black man as other supermarket-goers watch in horror. The man suddenly makes a beeline for the school worker after she calls him a “f—–g n—-r,” prompting his female partner to step between them.
“Don’t do it! Don’t do it!” fellow shoppers plead, urging the man to calm down.
Meanwhile, Terrone carries on with her tirade and pulls out her cellphone to record the incident. The man quickly smacks the phone out of her hand before walking away, which only seemed to aggravate the school secretary more.
“Put your hands on me, come on!” Terrone shouts at him. “You motherf—-r! That’s right, you’re a n—-r in East Haven. F–k you, n—-r.” She then runs up behind the man and spits at him.
District officials condemned Terrone’s actions in a statement, calling her behavior “completely unacceptable and in conflict with the values of Hamden Public Schools.”
“Someone who will use that sort of language in any setting, whether public or private, is not someone we want anywhere near our children,” it continued.
East Haven Police are now investigating the incident and have asked anyone involved to please contact the department. So far, police said no reports about the incident have been filed.
“We are in touch with ShopRite and are looking to get a better understanding of what took place [Friday] night,” Police Lt. Joseph Murgo said in a statement announcing the department was “aware of the disturbing video and the hate speech contained in it.
“We have a lot of avenues to go down if somebody were to reach out to us,” Murgo added. “We want somebody to come forward … if they were present [Friday] night.”
If charged, authorities would base charges against Terrone on the complainant’s statement, according to the lieutenant. The former clerk could face several possible charges including breach of peace and assault for the spitting
Watch more in the clip below.
