Somerset County School Teacher Suspended After Anti-Gay Rant Reinstated

The Catholic school teacher suspended for anti-gay comments made over Facebook, inciting controversy among alumni and celebrities, has been reinstated.

Patricia Jannuzzi was reinstated to her job after the pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Monsignor Seamus Brennan, cited her “otherwise good reputation as an educator over her 30 years at Immaculata.”

Jannuzzi was made to remove the anti-gay comments from her Facebook and asked to disable her account. She was then placed on administrative leave, according to a report from the Daily Record. The high school teacher’s comments drew outrage from celebrities, including Susan Sarandon and former “Real Housewives Of New Jersey” cast member Greg Bennett.

The Catholic school distanced itself from Jannuzzi, releasing a statement from Principal Jean Kline saying the school “takes this situation very seriously,” and “through investigation, we have determined that the information posted on this social media page has not been reflected in the curriculum content of the classes she teaches.”

Fearful she would lose her job, Jannuzzi’s family created a YouCaring.com fundraising page to raise money for the teacher. According to the Daily Record, Jannuzzi’s attorney said all of the contributions would be returned. As of April 13, the fundraiser does not have any contributions.

In since-deleted Facebook posts, Jannuzzi, a religion teacher at the school, said that gays or gay activists “want to reengineer western civ into a slow extinction,” according to the Daily Record.

She continued saying that the argument that gays are protected under the 14th Amendment is “bologna” and added, “We need healthy families with a mother and father for the sake of the children and humanity!!!!”, the report said.

In his letter addressing the situation, Brennan stated, the “school’s position that a Catholic school teacher must always communicate the faith in a way that is positive and never hurtful.”

Brennan continued, “Tone and choice of words matter and I trust Mrs. Jannuzzi’s stated promise to strive always to teach in a spirit of truth and charity.”

Brennan added that the situation was always a “personnel and not a theological issue.” He continued to say “we are now and always have been united in our understanding and commitment to the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

For more information, visit the Daily Record.

(Photo a screen capture of the YouCaring.com fundraising page)