NEW YORK — New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday criticized comments made by a Union Township, N.J. high school teacher who posted an anti-gay rant on Facebook last week.
In her Facebook post, Vicki Knox — a special-education teacher with more than 20 years of experience — described homosexuality as “perverted” and a “sin” that “breeds like cancer.”
Appearing on WABC Radio’s Joe Crummey Show, Christie (R), said, “I think that kind of example is not a positive one at all to be setting for folks who have such an important and influential position in our society. I’m really concerned about those kinds of statements being made.”
“I would like to see an examination of how that teacher conducts herself in the classroom because I think that’s extraordinarily important too,” Christie added.
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Christie said he found the comments Knox made disturbing and then he renewed his call to overhaul teacher evaluations along with the state ‘s current tenure system.
Christie is advocating that a review process be implemented which would include in-classroom evaluations and standardized testing establishing a standard of re-certification for New Jersey’s teachers every three years instead of the current life-time tenure system that is in place.
The New Jersey Star-Ledger has reported that the uproar over Knox began two weeks ago when she posted comments on her public Facebook page critical of a LGBT History Month display at Union High School.
The district launched an investigation last week to determine whether Knox’s conduct violated any school policies. Knox has retained an attorney Friday through her union, the New Jersey Education Association.
In an earlier post, Knox had called on students in her Seekers Fellowship Bible study group to pray.
“Well, the enemy is making it clear and plain as day what Seekers Fellowship needs to pray about/against,” Knox wrote beneath a photo of the display.
