A suspended New Jersey teacher has apologized for instructing her third-graders to write get-well cards to former Black Panther and convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal in prison.
Marylin Zuniga told the school board in Orange that she doesn’t believe the episode justifies her termination.
“I made a mistake but I have learned from that,” she told the board Tuesday. She apologized for not telling parents in advance about the assignment, but didn’t specifically say the assignment itself was a mistake.
The school district suspended Ms. Zuniga, a first-year teacher, with pay after she had the children send get-well cards to Abu-Jamal, who was recovering in prison from diabetes complications. The assignment caused a furor in the community.
Ms. Zuniga said that in February, she assigned her class to write about this Abu-Jamal quote: “So long as one just person is silenced, there is no justice.”
In April, she said, she “mentioned” to her students that Abu-Jamal was ill. She said the children wanted to write cards to him.
“I was very proud of my students work and I shared this on social media,” the teacher said. “I do apologize to parents, students and community members for having done that.”
The cards were delivered to Abu-Jamal, who was said to have been “touched” by their correspondence. A high school class in Philadelphia also sent notes to him.
Abu-Jamal originally was sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. After years of appeals, his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment.
The school board could decide Ms. Zuniga’s fate at its next meeting on May 12.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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