Georgia school superintendent Geye Hamby (pictured) has been placed on administrative leave after a lawsuit produced what it alleges is a secret recording of him using the N-word eight times

A Georgia schools superintendent accused of using the N-word eight times and saying he wanted to kill black construction workers has been placed on administrative leave.

Superintendent Geye Hamby was placed on leave by the Buford City School District Tuesday, following the allegations that emerged as part of a federal racial discrimination lawsuit, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

'The [school] board anticipates further action on this matter at a specially called meeting in the next several days,' the school system said in a statement.

'The district will continue to focus on the mission of empowering our students to reach their full potential.'

The lawsuit brought by Mary Ingram, 66, alleged racial discrimination against both Hamby and the school districr, related to her being fired in 2017.

Hamby told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution by email that he’d been instructed by counsel 'not to comment', saying only that 'this is a personnel and legal matter pertaining to a disgruntled employee'.

School board attorney Walt Britt says the recordings' authenticity hasn't been determined.

The recordings were revealed in Mary Ingram's (pictured) racial discrimination lawsuit, brought against Hamby and the Buford City School District related to her firing

The audio recordings emerged amid a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by Ingram, who worked for the district for nearly two decades before she was fired in 2017.

The lawsuit alleges she was discriminated against for speaking up for the black community at school board meetings.

The horrific audio begins with a voice, allegedly belonging to Hamby, discussing workers from a temp agency.

'How much are they charging us for?' he can be heard asking. 'Can you show me our general conditions, how many of these damn deadbeat n*****s'.

Ingram (pictured) worked for Buford City School District for two decades before she was fired in 2017, she says due to racial discrimination and retaliation

'They said they're from a temp service, so I guess...have you got more of these big n*****s than the ones from the temp service?'

Hamby then allegedly begins complaining about one man, who he calls a 'deadbeat n****r' that was on his cell phone.

'He said he worked for the temp service and he didn't have to do what the f**k we tell him to do. F**k that n****r,' Hamby allegedly says in the recording.

'I kill these damn - shoot that n****r - if they let me.'

He then tells the person on the other end of the line: 'Well, check out what's going on with all the n*****s down here. Thank you.'

In the second recording, the voice allegedly belonging to Hamby can once again be heard complaining about the workers and saying they have a 'damn attitude'.

'I know Phillip told two of the n*****s to get off the damn job site,' he tells someone.

'Send us a park-quality person. Don't send us a deadbeat n****r from a temp service. S**t, we can find you some kids around here that want a damn job.

'We've got young kids right here that put in the work. They can do more than the damn deadbeat n*****s – but I mean it's too late on this damn job. Find out why in the hell we still have them. Bye.'

It remains unclear when the remarks were made, who Hamby was allegedly speaking to, and where the recordings came from.

Ingram filed a federal lawsuit against Hamby and the Buford school district (a building from which is shown here) in June in US District Court in Atlanta, claiming she was the victim of racial discrimination and retaliation, that revealed the recordings

The former Buford City School District employee alleges that issues began with Hamby when she asked him why the color gold wasn't included in the district's emblem, when gold represented the city's black school district before Buford was integrated in 1969; A map of Georgia showing where Buford is located is shown here

Ingram filed her lawsuit that revealed the recordings against Hamby and the Buford school district in June in US District Court in Atlanta, claiming she was the victim of racial discrimination and retaliation.

The former city school district employee alleges that issues began with Hamby when she asked him why the color gold wasn't included in the district's emblem.

Gold represented the city's black school district before Buford was integrated in 1969.

'I was afraid we were about to lose our heritage,' Ingram said. 'I wanted them to know it was important to the community.'

Ingram presented a petition to include gold in the emblem to the school board in 2014 and brought up the issue at City Hall meetings.

Weeks after she questioned Hamby about the emblem, she said she bumped into the superintendent in a hallway.

When she asked Hamby why she hadn't heard from him, she claims he replied: 'I didn't speak to you and I don't have to and probably would never speak to you again.'

Ingram said the superintendent later called her into a meeting and said he wanted to be told in advance what she planned to say at school board and city commission meetings.

She refused, saying it was a violation of her First Amendment rights.

Following that alleged interaction, the lawsuit states, Ingram began to get written up frequently at work despite more than a decade of 'glowing evaluations' within the district.

She alleges that she was even told to stop encouraging children to smile after they got off the bus in the morning before school, according to the lawsuit.

After two years, Ingram was fired and told she was 'perceived as being disrespectful, argumentative, unfriendly, and not a good fit in a school environment'.

Ingram said she 'couldn't move' when she heard the news.

'I just froze,' she added. 'My legs felt weak. Before this happened, I looked forward every morning to getting up and going to work to do things for the children.'

But Ingram said she didn't decide to sue Hamby until she heard the audio recordings.

'This is the man who is over our children,' she said.

The district said that Ingram was 'terminated for cause and neglect of her duties', a claim that her attorney, Ed Buckley, disputes.

'She was well thought of by principals and children and very dedicated to what she did,' Buckley said.

'It's disgraceful that she would be fired because of her race and the race of her constituents for whom she stood up in public meetings during the exercise of her First Amendment rights.'

Supporters of Ingram shared messages of solidarity on social media, with some using her image and the hashtag '#IStandWithMary' as their profile photo

Burr Montana wrote: 'If Mrs.MaryJane EVER helped you cross that road , in school, on and off that bus helped give you some type of SCHOLARSHIP, monetary support, homework help, ANYTHING y’all needa be BEHIND her ALL THE WAY!!! #ISTANDWITHMARY [dark-complected skin raised fist emoji] [yellow heart emoji]'

Others, like DeAndre Force, focused on the alleged actions of Hamby, calling the current news 'a slap in the face'

Supporters of Ingram shared messages of solidarity on social media, with some using her image and the hashtag '#IStandWithMary' as their profile photo.

Burr Montana wrote:

'If Mrs.MaryJane EVER helped you cross that road , in school, on and off that bus helped give you some type of SCHOLARSHIP, monetary support, homework help, ANYTHING y’all needa be BEHIND her ALL THE WAY!!! #ISTANDWITHMARY [dark-complected skin raised fist emoji] [yellow heart emoji]'

Others, like DeAndre Force, focused on the alleged actions of Hamby.

''As a future educator, it angers me to read the current news concerning my Alma mater's superintendent,' Force wrote.

'It is a slap in the face to those teachers and staff that go in everyday and give 1,000 percent to their students, to parents, and to the community to be represented by such and individual!'

Walt Britt, who is representing the school board, claims it has been unable to determine the 'veracity and authenticity' of the recordings.

Britt also claims that Ingram has 'failed or refused to produce the original recordings for testing or provide any information concerning the background or foundation of the recording'.

Buckley denied Britt's claims, saying he hired an expert to analyze the audio and that the district has the recordings as they are 'embedded in the complaint'.