A Melrose School Committee member abruptly resigned Tuesday, contending that the board has failed to respond adequately to a federal finding that the district violated US civil rights law in 2014.

Carrie Kourkoumelis also called for the resignation of Superintendent Cyndy S. Taymore in a statement on Wednesday.

“Even as the lone dissenting voice, I did not feel I could in good conscience continue to be part of a body that I believe was not acting according to the best interests of children,’’ Kourkoumelis, who had held her seat since 2010, said in an interview.

The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found that the district violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in connection with an April 2014 incident at the Memorial Middle School.

The report determined that an African-American student suffered harassment when a teacher made derogatory comments to him about his race. It said the harassment “created a racially hostile environment for the student; and, the district failed to take adequate action to redress that environment.’’

In an agreement reached in December resolving the case, the district pledged to take steps to prevent discrimination and to properly investigate future complaints.

In her statement to the committee, Kourkoumelis said: “I had expected this School Committee to demonstrate leadership in holding those responsible accountable. Instead, I consider the responses of this School Committee to be inadequate and inconsistent with an ethical course of action.

“The self-congratulatory culture of this School Committee perpetuates harm, shields those responsible, and impedes necessary change,’’ she charged.

“As a matter of conscience I cannot continue to countenance these actions of my peers and must register a vote of no confidence in this School Committee,’’ said Kourkoumelis, calling on Taymore to resign as a “necessary first step for Melrose.’’

In a statement, Taymore said “While we did not see eye to eye on every issue, I respect her intelligence and skills, and I believe that she had the best interests of our students in mind.’’

School Committee chairwoman Margaret Driscoll said: “A constructive dialogue is needed because we face many challenges, and we look forward to welcoming a new member to our committee to work in collaboration with Superintendent Taymore, whom we support.’’

John Laidler can be reached at laidler@globe.com.