MADISON, Alabama – A teacher who allegedly made a joke about having sex with a student’s classmate has been suspended and will be investigated by the Alabama Department of Education.

A school district spokesperson said the district received a complaint about the teacher last month, and has been in contact with the district’s office of community relations.

“The district is taking appropriate actions, including the termination of the teacher, the referral of the matter to the state’s Department of Human Rights, and the referral to the attorney general’s office for potential criminal prosecution,” according to a statement from the Madison School District.

“In addition, the district will be reviewing its policies and procedures regarding the handling of sexual harassment and assault allegations, and will evaluate and take appropriate action as necessary.”

The incident, which was caught on camera by a student and posted online, took place at the Madison High School on June 16.

It is believed the teacher made the comment as a joke.

The school district did not specify how many students were in the class.

A spokesperson for the Madison Police Department said they were notified of the incident in early July.

“Police received a report of an incident at Madison High school last Tuesday,” the spokesperson said.

“When we arrived on scene, officers discovered the teacher was being approached by several students and had engaged in a conversation with one of them.

When police spoke with the teacher and the students, he admitted he had made a sexual comment to the student.”

The district said it will continue to monitor the situation.

The video has been shared thousands of times on social media.

“There is no excuse for what happened at Madison,” the district said in a statement.

“This type of conduct is not tolerated in our schools.

The Madison Police department and Madison County Schools have launched an internal investigation into the situation and will conduct a thorough review and action when appropriate.”