Rochana blog

New Jersey Teacher Suspended for Facebook Status Update

a significant number" of parents who saw the Facebook post showed up at the school, clamoring for her removal.

"The reason why she was suspended was because the incident created serious problems at the school that impeded the functioning of the building," school board president Theodore BestNorth Jersey's The Record. "You can't simply fire someone for what they have on a Facebook page; but if that spills over and affects the classroom then you can take action."

The teacher in question has not spoken publicly, but her lawyer, Nancy Oxfeld, made a statement on her behalf.

"My feeling is that if you're concerned about children, you're concerned about what goes on in the classroom, not about policing your employee's private comments to others," Oxfeld said.

Oxfeld would not give her client's name, the Times said.

The Times also noted that the Paterson school district is one of the most troubled in the state. It has 28,000 students and 2,425 teachers, and it was taken over by the state of New Jersey 10 years ago due to "fiscal mismanagement and poor academic performance."

Terry Corallo, a spokesperson for the district, told the Times that "this matter is a a personnel issue that is under investigation" and the teacher is on "paid administrative leave."