Queens Catholic School Terminates Teacher For Creating 'Burn And Rot In Hell' Website

St. Francis Prep School in Queens has become a hotbed of controversy after the school recently suspended a teacher for starting her own personal website -- titled "Burn and Rot in Hell!" But as myfoxny.com reports, Elizabeth Cucinotta, who taught at the prep school for four years before being let go for starting the site, is not going out without a fight.

"That this school would do something like that to me? I'm appalled," she said.

The school was especially upset by the "bad teachers" and "bad students" categories on the site.

"They just suggested I take them down today, which I'm not going to do." said Cucinotta.

Cucinotta started the site, with its subhead "I vent, therefore I am," as a way for people to rant on a variety of topics -- from exes to politics to "bad teachers" and "bad students." Sort-of an "angry Facebook," as she dubbed it.

The school issued this statement on the issue to Fox 5:

"Miss Cucinotta has been suspended pending an investigation for a potential violation of the school's mission and the teacher's obligation to fulfill that mission."

Though initially just suspended, Cucinotta said Friday that her bosses at St. Francis told her she'll be receiving a letter of termination in the mail.

WATCH:

Catholic School Suspends Teacher for Angry Website: MyFoxNY.com

Comments

[dalestaines]

03:03 PM on 03/31/2011

I wonder what this person teaches. Most hard working teachers I know wouldn't have the time create and maintain a site like this. She must have a passion for hatred that drives her to keep up something like that.

[Miss Muffett]

12:41 PM on 03/30/2011

So what's the big deal? She got fired - she should have. Case closed.
 
Wasn't that easy, now?

[beyondthelonesome]

11:28 PM on 03/28/2011

What a depressing, hate-filled website. :-(

[Marcusarilius]

11:17 PM on 03/28/2011

I'm Fired, therefore I am.

[beninabox1]

10:50 PM on 03/28/2011

Typical shoddy journalism. Nothing about what's actually on the site. Is there slander? Personally identifiable information on the targets of people's anger? How about some examples? Nothing but reaction shots, vague terms and loaded words like 'cyberbullying' with no tangible facts. No wonder our country has no ability to make intelligent decisions.

[PatchyFog]

08:30 AM on 03/29/2011

I guess I agree, which is why I went to the site myself.

[beninabox1]

10:13 AM on 03/29/2011

Great idea! (don't know why I didn't think of that. The excuse that it wasn't linked in the article just means I am extremely lazy).

I saw nothing offensive at the site at all. So far my opinion is that the school administration has a serious stick up its derriere. It also doesn't say much about their wisdom concerning human existence.

[dalestaines]

03:06 PM on 03/31/2011

I agree. They showed reactions from the kids so there's no reason why they couldn't have given, at least, examples. Not even quotes from the TOS.

[ladiesbane]

04:10 PM on 03/28/2011

What are the boundaries of free speech in this case? Aside from the law, and particularly for "at will" employees, do the company policies set out in the Employee Handbook amount to Terms of Employment? I've worked at places that said my non-workplace dress and demeanor, including public posts such as this one, could be cause for termination if deemed inappropriate. I figured that if I wanted to work for them, I agreed to play by their rules, but I don't know the terms of this blogger's employment.

Publicly naming a minor in a defamatory way is poor judgment. Among other things, you could be helping make a bad phase a permanent set of traits. If you can't help them improve their behavior, at least don't name them when you vent. And remember: the school could be liable if you write libelous smears. Any adult who would do this is thoughtless at best, unstable at worst.

[beninabox1]

10:24 AM on 03/29/2011

Can you cite an example where she named a particular student? I didn't see any in my look at the site.

[ladiesbane]

09:11 PM on 03/29/2011

I don't know that she has ever posted to the "Bad Students" category, under her own name or anonymously, but other people do, sometimes using names. The Terms of Use are problematic, too. I'm all for freedom of speech, but I don't know if her employer is obliged to keep her on their payroll if she hosts a site that permits or turns a blind eye to posts naming kids.

[actuallyreadit]

01:23 PM on 03/30/2011

Just did for ya. I removed the names, but on the site the names are there.

[proudloudlib]

03:11 PM on 03/28/2011

She named students? That is enough to get her fired right there. Heck, I don't even use my real name on HP or Twitter, and I don't even think about having a facebook account. I like my job, and want to keep it.

[beninabox1]

10:24 AM on 03/29/2011

Where did she name students?

[Boo2You2]

11:31 AM on 03/29/2011

When this article first came out, I did read the entire site, and I did see students named. I don't know if those posts have been taken down after all the hoop-la, but they were there.

[Roger Ochs]

02:06 PM on 03/28/2011

Has anyone considered the possibility that this website is only wishful thinking? Only in Hell could this woman find someone willing to get her hot.

[Walter H]

01:44 PM on 03/28/2011

The site is pretty funny. She might make a killing on it. It might have been prudent to do it on the side.

[bessielil]

01:06 PM on 03/28/2011

Vent privately. When schools are finally dealing with schools as no ventilation zones, this teacher is actively promoting an abusive school climate.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

11:46 AM on 03/28/2011

"I vent, therefore, I am??"

This lady is having a bit of fun with the doctrinaire of all flavors. The catholics don't like being questioned, let alone mocked. Sounds like that Bill Donahue guy is involved.

I hope she finds more success with this than her old job: Child abuse even without the sexual component.

[Brad North]

11:39 AM on 03/28/2011

There`s no reason this should be condemned by the school: they believe that hell is a real place, and that God and Jesus will send people there to burn forever. Other than wishing that some people will go there, this is perfectly consistent with the teachings of the school and the Pope.

[anelder]

12:39 PM on 03/28/2011

You got it wrong kiddo, the point here is no mortal and fallible being, that's us, is entitled to point the fingers and decide someone is going to hell.

Now you want to point the finger well you have to point at the sin not the sinner when it comes to making judgments.

[rheuer111]

12:43 PM on 03/28/2011

exactly. if you're going to threaten people into believing and acting the way you want them to by telling them that there is a sadistic monstrous being who has created a torture-dimension where it will send you for eternity if it's displeased with you... then OWN IT.

[NoboyukiMasaki]

11:32 AM on 03/28/2011

She needs an EXORCIST

[skylover]

11:29 AM on 03/28/2011

"You go to h 3 l l! You go to h e l l and you d i e!"-----Mr. Garrison, South Park

[actuallyreadit]

11:27 AM on 03/28/2011

She definitely should've been fired. If you look at the site it allows people to publicly defame others anonymously and some parts of the website cater to students attacking students or even parents attacking students.

This is definitely on the short list of all time bad ideas....and somehow she thought this would fly at a catholic school.

You're free to express yourself or "vent" however you like Elizabeth....however you're not free to create a hostile learning environment for the children you work with and your site is the epitome of making cyber bullying acceptable. She fails....and she can sit home unemployed and rot in self-pity....and while she's at it google "acceptable behavior"...something we hammer on our kids all the time for the school environment and something she seems to think doesn't apply to her.