N.J. Teacher Suspended After Third Grade Students Write 'Get Well' Notes To Convicted Cop Killer

ORANGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A teacher in New Jersey who assigned her third-grade class to write "get well'' letters to a sick inmate convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer was suspended Friday, the school superintendent said.

Orange School Superintendent Ronald Lee said in a statement that school administrators "vehemently deny'' any knowledge of Forest Street Elementary School teacher Marilyn Zuniga's assignment. Preliminary inquiries found that Zuniga did not seek approval from administrators, nor were parents notified, Lee said.

The letters were delivered to Mumia Abu-Jamal in prison following his hospitalization last month for what his family said was treatment for complications from diabetes.

"Just dropped off these letters to comrade Johanna Fernandez. My 3rd graders wrote to Mumia to lift up his spirits as he is ill. #freemumia," read a tweet posted Sunday on Zuniga's Twitter account, which has since been taken down.

Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther, is serving life behind bars for the 1981 murder of white Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner. His conviction was upheld through years of appeals, but he has gained international support for his claim that he is the victim of a racist justice system.

"The incident reported is in no way condoned, nor does it reflect curriculum, program or activities approved by the district,'' Lee said in a statement.

Fernandez, a supporter and history professor at Baruch College, brought Abu-Jamal the letters while she visited him Monday.

She posted on her Facebook page that "he chuckled as he read excerpts from these touching letters."

Fernandez defended Zuniga from what she called attempts to demonize and bully her, saying Abu-Jamal has received many letters from children over the years.

"Quite frankly, I'm more concerned about 8-year-olds witnessing a police officer kill an innocent man in South Carolina than I am about a teacher sending letters her children wrote to one of the most important black public intellectuals of our time, who happens to be very ill,'' said Fernandez, referring to last week's weekend shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer.

Abu-Jamal was released from a hospital in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on April 1, and returned to the prison, she said.

Orange resident Gale Jackson told CBS2's Christine Sloan she didn't agree with the teacher's assignment.

"I don't think it's appropriate for a teacher to coerce her student to do that," Jackson said.

The school district was closed for spring break and the superintendent said a full investigation would begin when classes resume on Monday.

Zuniga will remain suspended with pay until the investigation is completed, the superintendent said. Additional action could be taken by the school board once the investigation is finished.

Neither Zuniga nor officials with the Philadelphia police union immediately returned emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.

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