2 Mass. town employees resign, 1 reinstated after racist language used at high school graduation, town says

Two Lynnfield town employees resigned after they were recorded using “inappropriate and racist words” during a conversation before the town’s high school graduation, town leaders said.

A third employee who was also involved in the conversation was reinstated after it was determined that they did not make any inappropriate statements and “attempted to defuse the conversation,” according to a town statement on Facebook.

The three employees were overheard June 6 during a live video and audio feed for the town’s high school graduation ceremony, according to Town Administrator Robert Dolan and Assistant Town Administrator Robert Curtin. They were placed on administrative leave later that day pending an investigation, Dolan and Curtin wrote in a statement on Facebook.

Town officials confirmed that the review of the incident was complete. The reinstated employee was instructed to “report similar future incidents or comments to their supervisor as soon as possible,” according to the statement.

“As stated at the outset, the Town of Lynnfield leaders stand together in outrage over what occurred and continue to state emphatically that racist language and behavior has no place in our town, will not be tolerated, and will be dealt with immediately,” the statement said.

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