document: Facebook comments prompt parents to remove children from teacher 's class Paterson parents converged on an elementary school this week demanding that their children be pulled from a class taught by a teacher who allegedly described herself as a '' `` warden '' '' overseeing '' `` future criminals '' '' on her Facebook page . District officials suspended the first-grade teacher at School 21 in an attempt to quell outrage that nonetheless continued Friday . District officials confirmed the teacher , identified by several sources as Jennifer Schmid O'Brien , has been suspended with pay and that an investigation into the comments is under way . Theodore Best , the school board president , said a '' `` significant '' '' number of parents , having seen the posts Wednesday , arrived at the school to remove their children from her class . On Friday , parents retrieving children at dismissal said they were dumbfounded , angered and disheartened by the comments , and believed the teacher was unfit to remain in the classroom . Some children exiting the school did n't believe it and thought it was an April Fools ' joke . Vickie L. White-Franklin , who said Friday that her daughter , Cha'Rashje Franklin , 7 , is in O'Brien 's class , heard the news earlier in the week . '' `` Our children were disturbed by those comments , '' '' she said . '' `` They will grow up thinking they 've already been labeled as a criminal . '' '' '' `` Heartbreaking '' '' Parents called the alleged comments shocking , unprofessional , hurtful and racist . Some said she should teach elsewhere if she 's unhappy , while others recommended she be fired and her teaching certificate revoked . '' `` It 's heartbreaking , '' '' said Angela Elliott , a parent . '' `` It makes me sad because I put trust in these teachers . They 're a part of my kids ' future . '' '' Kesha Hopkins , who went to School 21 and grew up nearby , was dropping a cake off at the school Friday for her third-grade son 's birthday party . While there are worse parts of the city , she said , '' `` a person like that should n't be teaching in this area - an urban area . '' '' Best said the teacher was suspended because reaction to the comments '' `` created serious problems at the school that impeded the functioning of the building . '' '' The board president and other board members were informed of the incident in an emergency executive session Thursday . '' `` You ca n'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 , '' '' he said . Darlene Morris , who runs a women 's group that works with school parents , said she was in '' `` disbelief '' '' when a parent showed her a printout of the Facebook comments before they were removed . She identified the teacher as O'Brien . O'Brien was a technology coordinator until this year when she was moved into the classroom as part of a staff reshuffling due to last year 's layoffs , district officials said . Her annual salary is $ 60,513 , according to the district . '' `` I do n't think of it as a white thing or a black thing . Six-year-old children do n't have rational minds ; they do n't always do what we tell them to do , '' '' Morris said . '' `` If you have that kind of attitude toward a child , you 're in the wrong place , because you ca n't help someone you do n't like . '' '' Best said he received several text messages from clergy and associates of the NAACP citing the Facebook posts . '' `` This is not the first time I 've heard something like this from a teacher , '' '' Best said . '' `` Overall , I think we have really good teachers . But there 's also a significant population of teachers here to collect the paycheck and do n't have the best interests of the students in mind . '' '' District investigating When asked about the suspension , Superintendent Donnie Evans said : '' `` It 's a personnel matter and we 've taken action . There is an investigation under way . '' '' Some community activists worry that such derogatory comments could damage the reputation of a neighborhood already plagued with poverty , crime and single-parent households . But one local pastor called the controversy an isolated incident and praised the elementary school overall for showing '' `` nothing but love for the children . '' '' '' `` There might be others -LSB- who share the sentiments expressed in the online remarks -RSB- but all I 've dealt with have shown no signs like that , '' '' said the Rev. Barry Graham , assistant pastor at Canaan Baptist Church on 22nd Street , a block from the school . Graham , whose congregation works closely with the school and recently lauded 130 honor roll students there , recognized that '' `` any one of us on a bad day could lash out . '' '' But , he said , '' `` we ca n't have anyone with that attitude teaching our children . '' '' Peter Tirri , president of the local teachers union , said he could n't comment because he has not yet confirmed the Facebook postings . But , he added , '' `` I ca n't imagine anybody has gone so far as to criticize 3,000 teachers because of allegations against one . '' '' New Jersey Education Association , the statewide teachers union , is providing the Paterson teacher with an attorney , a spokesman said . Trouble elsewhere Online postings have gotten teachers in trouble elsewhere . In August , a high school math and science supervisor in Massachusetts was forced to resign because of her Facebook comments describing students as '' `` germ bags '' '' and parents as '' `` snobby '' '' and '' `` arrogant . '' '' And in February , a high school English teacher in Bucks County , Pa. , was suspended with pay , and could lose her job , because she called her students '' `` lazy whiners '' '' in a blog with only a handful of followers . Annamaria Olmedo , who has three children in School 21 , said on Friday that many parents are using Facebook to tell other parents about the incident . Some parents felt the suspension was too light and that she should not teach again . '' `` Kids are going to be kids , '' '' said Robin Smith , aunt of School 21 student Yakira Robertson , 11 . '' `` She should 've kept comments like that to herself . '' '' Staff Writers Patricia Alex and Andrea Alexander contributed to this article .
extractive_keyphrases: singleparent parent nearby comments elementary disturbed sad because thing dismissal population dumbfounded school problems incident mind labeled suspended technology sixyearold action investigation functioning interests 60513 attitude toward teach revoked postings neighborhood facebook disheartened remove children unhappy executive community suspension confirmed criminal attorney reshuffling reaction allegedly described overseeing thirdgrade parents pulled lazy whiners building demanding taught classroom wrong
abstractive_keyphrases: women's teacher's dumbfounded angered technology coordinator shocking unprofessional