Hartford school nurse on administrative leave after “inappropriate” comments surface online

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) - A Hartford school nurse was put on administrative leave after comments about LGBTQ+ students surfaced on social media.

On Monday, Hartford Public Schools announced a school nurse is on administrative leave after they saw comments that were made on the nurse’s personal social media account.

According to Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Hartford’s superintendent of schools, the comments made were “inappropriate” and were directed towards LGBTQ+ Hartford students.

The Superintendent details that the comments were made in a Facebook group and described private and personal details about a specific student. According to a statement released on Monday, the comments were made on the nurse’s personal social media account, but the comments they shared did not reflect the school’s values.

She says, “HPS does not tolerate any language that could be harmful to our community.”

She continues, saying she is on administrative leave while the school district investigates the situation.

Superintendent Rodrigues states that the student’s safety, mental well-being, and social-emotional development is the school’s responsibility.

In her statement, she writes, “We not only support the differences and individuality of every member of our school community, but we celebrate them and recognize their value in making our school system enriching, diverse, welcoming, and inclusive.”

Due to privacy concerns, the superintendent is not releasing the name of the school nurse.

Superintendent Rodrigues says anyone who has questions or concerns regarding this issue can contact her at superintendent@hartfordschools.org.

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