Celebs slam Immaculata High School teacher's anti-gay Facebook post

This story was published online March 11, 2015, and updated March 12, 2015, to include a response from Immaculata High School.

SOMERVILLE – An anti-gay rant by a religion teacher at Immaculata High School is drawing the ire of alumni across the country, including a former "Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast member, and even grabbing the attention of New Jersey-raised Susan Sarandon.

On her now-deleted Facebook profile earlier this week, the veteran private Catholic school teacher said gays or gay activists "want to reengineer western civ (sic) into a slow extinction" as part of their "agenda."

"We need healthy families with a mother and a father for the sake of the children and humanity!!!!!" she wrote, adding that the argument that gays are protected under the 14th Amendment is "bologna."

The school has since forced the teacher, Patricia Jannuzzi, to take down her Facebook page, which was no longer visible Wednesday evening, but not before others took screenshots of the rant and shared it on social media.

Immaculata principal Jean Kline on Wednesday distanced her school from Jannuzzi's comments and said that "through an 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."

In her statement, which Kline shared with MyCentralJersey.com Thursday morning, the administator says the school "takes this situation very seriously."

"We are dedicated to creating a school environment that promotes mutual respect and provides a challenging academic program, rooted in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ."

PRINCIPAL'S FULL STATEMENT is posted at the end of this story.

It remains to be seen whether the school's response will allay reaction by alumni, some of whom remember losing a gay classmate to suicide.

Former RHONJ cast member Greg Bennett, who graduated from Immaculata in 2004 and who had Jannuzzi as a teacher his senior year, shared the screenshot of Jannuzzi's on his Twitter account, asking his 165,000 followers to sign a petition addressed to school administrators calling"for action to be taken and hate speech to stop at Immaculata.

"I don't think that she should influence the minds of students on a daily basis," Bennett said Wednesday evening in an interview with MyCentralJersey.com, calling attention to other posts by Jannuzzi on her Facebook page that called for "closing the borders."

Earlier on Wednesday, Sarandon, who graduated from Edison High School, shared a letter written by her nephew, Scott Lyons, to Jannuzzi, his former teacher at the high school.

"You have a responsibility as a teacher to lead by example and the words that you have been throwing out there are detrimental to the well being and health of the youth that you inspire," Lyons, who has an adopted son with his husband, writes. "I am certain that the pope himself would take issue with your extreme point of view on homosexuality."

"High school is a tough time anyway," Sarandon says in a Facebook post with more than 3,000 likes. "Students don't need teachers making it even more difficult."

The online petition had more than 420 signatures Wednesday evening with comments from alumni such as Susan Keith of New York, who recalled one of her classmates at Immaculata committing suicide because he was teased for being gay.

"I left this school after being told in religion class I must live a celibate single life if I had gay 'feelings,'" writes Doug Bednarczyk of Marlton. "Around the same time, a gay classmate committed suicide."

Lucas Bernardo, of Philadelphia, says he was 16 when he took a class taught by Jannuzzi.

"I didn't feel comfortable in her class with the negative messages about gay and lesbian people she was preaching to us," he writes. "I remember arguing with her about such topics and being in total disbelief that such blatant hate could be taught in a religion class."

Bennett, who now lives in San Francisco, said he has mostly positive memories of Immaculata. While he remembers Jannuzzi being "obsessed" with Mel Gibson in "The Passion of the Christ," he doesn't recall her ever making anti-gay remarks.

Bennett said he came out as gay in college and is no longer a practicing Catholic.

"Kids today are brought up with 'Glee' and gay characters everywhere. I didn't really have that," he said. "It could be that her students would see through this and think she is just a crazy person. Either way, I wouldn't feel comfortable going into a class taught by someone who so blatantly thinks who I am is defective in some way."

The petition, which is addressed to Principal Jean Kline, Assistant Principal Sister Anne Brigid Gallagher, Director of Alumni Relations John Hack, and Immaculate Conception parish pastor Seamus Brennan, calls the teacher's postings "unacceptable and reprehensible."

"This kind of behavior needs to be stopped. There is a line between believing in God and professing anti-homosexual sentiment to the public. We should be preaching the good word of the Lord, not creating a hostile and combative environment."

Kline said the school is reviewing its social media policy for employees.

"It is the policy of the school that all faculty and staff demonstrate respect and sensitivity to all people at all times and to avoid offending any individuals or groups," Kline said.

The statement does not say whether the teacher will be reprimanded.

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Staff Writer Sergio Bichao: 908-243-6615; sbichao@mycentraljersey.com