An MBTA supervisor fired for allowing an employee to wear a noose as a Halloween costume cited ignorance of racist symbols as the cause of a misunderstanding leading to his termination.

On Oct. 31, 2006, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority temporary employee Jaime Germendia wore a dark suit, pale makeup and a noose around his neck to work, according to commuter rail chief transportation officer Robert Stoetzel.

Stoetzel, Germendia’s supervisor at the time, said he received a letter of termination from the MBTA earlier this month. It cited his approval of the noose costume as the reason for his firing.

Germendia had been hired as an official employee and was not working under Stoetzel when he wore the noose costume again last October. A customer service supervisor called the costume racially insensitive and Germendia was put on a five-day suspension.

Stoetzel said Germendia told the MBTA that he had not said anything to him about the costume when he wore it in 2006.

Stoetzel said Germendia told him he wore the costume in celebration of the Dia De Los Muertos holiday, which honors deceased relatives and friends with feasts, costumes and altars, and follows Halloween

When Stoetzel asked coworkers if they were uncomfortable with the fact that Germendia wore the costume, they said they had no problems with it, he said.

“I’m in shock that I was terminated,” Stoetzel said. “I did what I thought was a good job.”

Stoetzel said because he was raised in the Northeast, he was never aware of the symbolism of the noose. The MBTA failed to educate its employees on racial tolerance in the workplace, he said.

The MBTA called Stoetzel in for questioning about the incident last October, he said, and told him he would probably be required to attend racial tolerance meetings. No further disciplinary action was discussed at the time, he said.

“Other than the fact that I’m now unemployed there has been no positive action,” Stoetzel said. “There’s a lot to be done in regards to education about racial sensitivity.”

Stoetzel said he is considering suing the MBTA for his job back, but said the legal process would be expensive and time-consuming.

In December, the House passed a bill endorsed by the NAACP and other racial-equality advocacy groups criminalizing the hanging of nooses to intimidate others.

United to End Racism representative Dvora Slavin said the MBTA situation was “tricky,” but people should be more sensitive to possible interpretations.

“The swastika has a lot of different meanings, but in this society it is unacceptable and a symbol of racial hatred,” she said.

Slavin said the situation seemed like it was more of an education issue rather than a blatant racism issue.

Center for Equal Opportunity President and general counsel Roger Clegg said the MBTA should first determine if Germendia was wearing the costume out of racial hate or because he was unaware of the social significance the noose holds.

Clegg said the symbol carries more significance to different groups and said some Americans may not be as aware of how offensive nooses are.

“Certainly among African Americans, there is greater awareness of the lynching history of this country,” Clegg said.

The MBTA did not respond to multiple voicemail messages seeking comment.