School Secretary Resigns After Yelling Racial Slurs and Spitting at a Black Couple in a Grocery Store

Hamden, CT — Corrine Terrone, a public school employee in Connecticut, recently resigned after being caught in a video threatening, yelling curses and racial slurs, and spitting at a Black couple in a ShopRite grocery store on Friday evening. Many people, including state officials, who’ve seen the video denounced her rude behavior.

In the video, Terrone can be heard repeatedly yelling “n—-r” and “motherf—-r” to a Black man who was off-camera. Other shoppers at the grocery were muttering their disapproval and others tried to intervene, but Terrone continued ranting even though the man wasn’t doing or saying anything insulting to her in return.

“Put your hands on me, come on,” Terrone, at one point, attempted to provoke the man who apparently went near her after hearing her yell the slur. The man, who was with another Black woman who was heard trying to calm him off-camera, didn’t take any further action. Terrone then spat at the couple twice before leaving while still yelling curses and racial slurs.

Terrone, who was a former secretary at Hamden Public Schools, was with her two small children for most of the altercation.

Shortly after being aware of the incident, school officials arranged a meeting with Terrone. She filed a resignation and the school confirmed she “has been separated from employment effective immediately.” They also filed a report with the Department of Children and Families as her two young daughters witnessed the disturbing scene.

“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,” Hamden Public Schools said in a statement.

Terrone has not been charged in the altercation, but East Haven police are urging the victims to reach out to them to further investigate on the incident.

Moreover, Hamden Mayor Curt Leng expressed his disappointment with the woman’s behavior and acknowledgment to the school’s immediate action. He said in a statement, “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.”

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