NAUGATUCK, Conn. — During Naugatuck's Board of Education meeting Thursday evening, education leaders addressed the incident in which the police chief’s daughter was accused of sending racist Snapchat posts two years ago.
“We’ve heard from numerous folks, especially our students of color, black and brown students, that having a voice and being heard is something we need to improve upon,” Superintendent Chris Montini said.
Leaders said they are trying to learn from the incident and help dismantle systemic racism in various ways, such as adding Black and Latino history classes and hiring a more diverse staff.
“We should have been diverse from the start no matter the incident, there should have always been black history taught,” resident Elijah Loucks said.
Community members planning to speak out during the public meeting were not happy they were only able to make comments through the virtual meeting’s chat room. The board stated it would not permit in public session any expression of a personal complaint against school personnel or any person connected with the school system.
“I couldn't see what other members of the community were saying which was defeating the purpose; it felt super controlled,” resident Valerie Doty said.
Some residents say they would like to see town leaders address the incident head-on considering it involves Naugatuck Police Chief Steven Hunt and his wife, who is a vice-principal in the district.
“I know what’s best for my community and I know what’s going on is completely wrong and should not be going on matter where we live,” Loucks said.
“The girl who made these violent comments, both her parents have positions of power in Naugatuck, the fact that nobody is talking about what we all know is really disappointing,” Doty said.
The Hunt couple did release a statement in January saying:
“While we fully intend to hold our daughter accountable for her mistakes, we will continue to offer her the same unconditional love any parent would show a child who has erred but showed remorse."
Currently, the Naugatuck police chief remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation.