Hartford (AP) — A Hartford area activist and critic of his employer, the Department of Children and Families, has been fired.

The agency confirmed Thursday for The Associated Press that Cornell Lewis, a youth service officer for six years at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, was terminated July 3 after "a serious incident in October 2012 in which he failed to supervise youth under his care."

The agency says a youth was seriously injured when Lewis and two officers were looking at non-work computer content.

Lewis contends "the incident is being used because of my free speech use" criticizing his employer and the school.

Lewis, who is black, is participating in a discrimination lawsuit against the agency. He waged a hunger strike in 2011 to protest what he called racism at the school.