BAD CALL

Mayor Under Fire for Allegedly Telling Student of Color She Doesn’t ‘Talk Like a White Person’

Nicole LaChapelle was supposed to be motivating students of color during a high school visit.

A Massachusetts school district has launched an investigation into the town mayor after she made inappropriate comments to a student during a civics class. Earlier in April, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle allegedly made a racist comment when she told a high school student that she didn’t “talk like a white person.” LaChapelle said she was at the school that day to help students of color to prepare for an upcoming competition, but apparently her plan didn’t work out that well. The student’s mother posted about the incident on Facebook, saying that LaChapelle made “racist remarks” and directed profanity at her daughter in front of the class. The president of the Easthampton Education Association, who also happened to be a teacher at the school, called for an investigation. After being alerted that she offended the student, LaChapelle admitted that she made a mistake. “I cannot stress enough that I want to be an ally for students of color. I did not mean to offend the student, but I did. I take ownership of that mistake and, as an ally, pledge to do better,” she said.