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Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted of killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981, leaves a Philadelphia court July 12, 1995. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner)

ORANGE — A city elementary school teacher is being criticized for reportedly having her students write letters to controversial former death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.



UPDATE: Teacher suspended

Marylin Zuniga, a third-grade teacher at Forest Street School in Orange, posted a Sunday tweet saying she had the children's letters delivered to the prisoner, according to Fox News.



Abu-Jamal, 60, is serving a life sentence for killing a Philadelphia police officer in 1981. He has been suffering from complications related to diabetes, according to reports.

Former Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President Richard Costello took to Fox News Thursday to discuss the letters, blasting Zuniga for what he said was her indoctrination of her students.

"They're being used as tools in somebody's twisted agenda," he said.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

In addition to Zuniga, the segment also referenced a batch of letters to Abu-Jamal from Philadelphia students delivered by Hiram Rivera, the leader of a city student union group.

The station said it had reached out to Orange school officials regarding Zuniga's tweet, but had not received a response.

A federal appeals court upheld Abu-Jamal's conviction in 2008 but ordered that he receive a new sentence. He was later removed from death row, and is serving life without the possibility of parole.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.