PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. -- Despite hundreds of people gathering at a Shawnee Mission School Board meeting Monday, a popular teacher's firing was upheld.

Many at the meeting said they wanted to bring back Ryan Haraughty, who they said was one of the most popular teachers at the school.

Some of the comments from students speaking to the school board were:

"Mission Valley likes Mr. Haraughty. Mission Valley needs to keep Mr. Haraughty."

"He challenges us and inspires us."

Haraughty is a longtime teacher at Mission Valley Middle School and was recently terminated because of a comment he made in class that offended someone. His former colleagues say it was a slip of the tongue that's bound to happen if you teach long enough.

And while no one was willing to say exactly what the comment was, it wasn't enough to keep hundreds of supporters away. The supporters filled the boardroom and an overflow room.

Haraughty wiped tears from his eyes as he listened to each speaker -- former students and colleagues -- inspired enough by what he did in his time at the school to stand up and ask for more.

Several people say Haraughty's termination was the direct result of a personality conflict with the principal at the school, Susie Ostmeyer. Ostmeyer did not attend Monday's meeting.