N.J. Teacher Speaks After Suspension for Having Third Graders Write 'Get Well' Letters to Convicted Cop-Killer

An Orange school teacher who was suspended last week after having her third grade students write “Get Well” letters to a convicted cop killer spoke out during Tuesday night’s Orange school board meeting.

Marylin Zuniga, third grade teacher at Forest Street Elementary School in Orange, was suspended for having her students write the letters to Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former death row inmate and convicted cop-killer. She spoke in front of the Orange school board with dozens of supporters from the community who demanded she be allowed to speak.

Zuniga spoke, reading from a written statement, for the first time publicly since the controversy first gained attention last week, according to a report from NJ.com.

“The most important fact to highlight in this entire matter is my love for and commitment to my students,” Zuniga said in her statement. “I have always put my children first and I have never and would never put their safety at risk.”

Zuniga said her love for her students, their families and the community of Orange remains her first priority, the report said. “There is nothing I want more than to remain teaching at Forest Street Elementary School,” she said. “I made a mistake, but I have learned from that.”

“Given my record, I do not believe this one episode justifies my termination,” Zuniga continued. “However, if the board has decided to terminate me, then I am prepared to submit my resignation to avoid the consequences to my career that would follow from termination.”

After finishing her statement, Zuniga’s supporters began chanting “Let her teach!”, the report said. The Orange school board, however, did not make a decision regarding Zuniga’s employment status. The board returned to say it decided to table the matter, but said Zuniga would remain suspended with pay, NJ.com reported.

Last week, Zuniga was suspended by the Orange Public Schools district and criticized by State Troopers Fraternal Association of New Jersey President Chris Burgos, who has accused her of brainwashing her students.

Abu Jamal, 60, is serving a life sentence after being convicted in the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Abu Jamal now goes by the name Wesley Cook.

In a tweet from Zuniga on April 5, she posted about having her students write letter to Abu Jamal, using the hash tag “#freemumia”, according to the report.

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

— Marylin (@Marylin_Zuniga) April 5, 2015

In the tweet, Zuniga mentioned Johanna Fernández, a professor at Baruch College in New York. Fernandez is a an advocate for Abu Jamal’s innocence, the report said

The Orange Public School District said it had no prior knowledge of the letters being written.

For more information or to watch clips from the Orange school board meeting, visit NJ.com