Future Criminals In Paterson?
04/03/2011
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A first grade teacher in Paterson, New Jersey, (Chris Christie's state) has been suspended for complaining about the terrible discipline problems in her classroom. One thing that particularly seems to rankle is that she referred to her young charges as "future criminals."
NJ 1st-grade teacher suspended over Facebook posts By Associated Press Friday, April 1, 2011 -

PATERSON, N.J. - A New Jersey school district suspended a first-grade teacher after parents complained that she had posted derogatory comments about her students on her Facebook page.

The Record newspaper reports that the teacher wrote about feeling like "a warden" and referred to her 6- and 7-year-old students as future criminals.

The teacher, whose name was not disclosed, was removed from the classroom this week after several parents who saw the posts came to Paterson School 21 and asked that their children be removed from her class.

Superintendent Donnie Evans confirmed the suspension on Friday and said the district was investigating. He declined further comment because it was a personnel matter.

Board of Education President Theodore Best told the newspaper that the teacher was suspended "because the incident created serious problems at the school that impeded the functioning of the building."

He added: "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."[More]

If you're wondering why a teacher might suspect her kids of being future criminals, check out City Police Called to Public Schools 362 Times over a Four-Week Period,[by  Joe Malinconico,The Paterson Press, March 28, 2011] in which the same Theodore Best is quoted as saying “That number seems a little high to me”.  He went on to say “As we begin to build a better security force, the reliance on police officers will become less and less.” If Mr. Best loses his job at the board, he has a great future as a Defense Department spokesman.

Mr. Best is African-American. All members of the Paterson, NJ. Board of Education are either black or Hispanic. [See photo gallery.]

Which brings us to the question that springs immediately to the mind of anyone but a reporter for the Associated Press—what are the demographics of Paterson School 21? The answer is 50-50 African-American and Hispanic, with a very small minority of Asian immigrants stuck in the middle.

Student Ethnicity Information about this data

Source: NCES, 2008-2009
Ethnicity This School State Average
Black, not Hispanic 50% 17%
Hispanic 49% 20%
Asian/Pacific Islander <1% 8%
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