A Wisconsin school district is rehiring a black security guard who was fired last week for repeating a racial slur while telling a student not to use it, a union official said.

Marlon Anderson said he was responding to a call on 9 October about a disruptive student when the student, who is black, called him obscenities including the N-word. Anderson told the student not to call him that, repeating the slur.

The school district has said it has a zero-tolerance policy on employees using racial slurs. The school fired Anderson on Wednesday, but the Boys & Girls Club of Dane county hired him and he started on Monday.

Doug Keillor, executive director of Madison Teachers, said the union was contacted by school officials the saying interim superintendent, Jane Belmore, decided to rescind the firing of Anderson.

Anderson, 48, said in a Facebook post on Monday afternoon: “I’m back!!” He said he learned of his rehiring while at his new job.

“Thank you to the 1,000-plus students for allowing your voices to be heard and to all the people from across the globe for reaching out to my family,” Anderson said.

Anderson told WMTV-TV he had not had time to be upset because of support he has received. He said people have stopped him on the street to hug him. Students from Madison West high school staged a walkout on Friday in support.

“I didn’t have an opportunity to be mad, scared, worried or anything,” Anderson said. “I just got hit with a busload of love.

Keillor said Anderson will be on paid leave as he works with the district on a transition plan back to the school.

“We are very pleased,” Keillor said.

In a statement to staff, Belmore said she was “prepared to take appropriate steps in the current situation, and I will begin to work with our administrative team to ensure that we mitigate any harm that was caused and begin the healing process and give the board time to review our practice.

“Our commitment to anti-racism and to use the input from community, especially our students is unwavering.”

Earlier, the Madison school board president, Gloria Reyes, said she asked the superintendent to rescind Anderson’s termination and to review the use of racial slurs in school.

“As we experienced a series of racial slurs last school year, we had to take a stand – that we would unequivocally protect students from harm. That we would never excuse the deep pain of this hateful, violent language, regardless of intent,” Reyes said.

But she added: “It is important that we do not harm those that we are trying to protect.”

It was unclear if Reyes was speaking for herself or the entire school board. She did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Reyes had said last week she wanted the district to resolve a grievance over Anderson’s firing as quickly as possible.