Pittsfield Teacher on Leave for Allegedly Repeating Slurs
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Herberg Middle School teacher was put on leave after allegedly repeating homophobic and racial slurs used by a student.
The teacher was reportedly describing a classroom incident when the slurs were repeated. On Wednesday, the Pittsfield Public Schools Human Resources department confirmed that an 8th-grade teacher at the middle school was placed on leave this week.
The complaint was publicly made last week by parent Brett Random, who is the executive director of Berkshire County Head Start.
On her personal Facebook page, she said her daughter reported that her math teacher, "used extremely offensive language including both a racial slur (N word) and a homophobic slur (F word) and then reportedly tried to push other students to repeat those words later in the day when students were questioning her on her behavior."
"While I appreciate that school administrators have begun addressing the situation, this is bigger than one incident. It raises serious questions about the culture within our schools and what students may be experiencing from adults they're supposed to trust," Random wrote.
"This moment should be used to take a hard look at how we're supporting responsive teaching, anti-racism, respect and creating truly inclusive classroom environments."
Her original post was made on April 30. On May 2, she reported that interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips and School Committee members Ciara Batory and Sarah Muil promptly responded and recognized the seriousness of the situation.
"We are aware of allegations involving a staff member at Herberg Middle School and take concerns about derogatory and discriminatory language very seriously," Phillips wrote in an email to iBerkshires. "We recognize the impact this type of language has on students and families, and our priority is maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment while we conduct a fair and thorough review. Because this is a personnel matter, we cannot share additional details at this time."
The Berkshire Eagle, which first reported on the incident, identified the teacher as Rebecca Nitsche, and the teacher told the paper over the phone, "All I can tell you is it's not how it appears." Nitsche told the paper she repeated the words a student used while reporting the incident to another teacher because officials needed to know it happened.
The schools have been dealing with accusations of inappropriate behavior, with Pittsfield High School at the center of an investigation last year on allegations of staff misconduct. Batory has been a leading voice calling to release the May 2025 investigative report commissioned by the School Committee.
Batory, on Facebook, is encouraging residents to attend the May 13 meeting of the School Committee to "demand transparency, communication, and accountability in our schools."
Tags: Pittsfield Public Schools, Reid Middle School,
