Arbitrator Rejects Firing of Long Island Teacher Over Facebook Post

An arbitrator has rejected the Three Village Central School District’s attempt to terminate a tenured science teacher, Pamila Pahuja, for a controversial Facebook post expressing a desire for supporters of President Donald Trump to suffer. Instead, Pahuja received a three-month unpaid suspension.

The Controversial Post

In January 2025, Pahuja posted on her Facebook page, “To all Trump supporters – hope the next time you grab a drink it doesn’t swallow right and you go get facilitate but no one is there and you slowly wither away whereas struggling to gasp and you suffer long.” The post, which has since been deleted, criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and expressed a wish for a “slow, painful death” for Trump supporters. According to the arbitrator’s report, Pahuja stated she had an “understandably emotional reaction” to Trump’s announcement about ICE raids and was concerned about the potential impact on her students. She claimed she did not fully read the content before posting it.

Arbitrator’s Decision

State-appointed arbitrator Barry J. Peek cited Pahuja’s “genuine remorse” and her two decades of service as “an exemplary teacher without any prior disciplinary record” as key factors in his decision. The 42-page decision highlighted the high threshold required to terminate a tenured teacher. Peek determined that while Pahuja’s actions were divisive and disturbing, they did not rise to the level of termination. He similarly ordered Pahuja to undergo sensitivity training funded by the district.

District Response and Impact

The school district initiated the termination process in February 2025, three weeks after the post was published. Administrators were inundated with calls, emails and social media messages from parents and community members. The superintendent spent 100 hours responding to communications, and the middle school principal spent 50 hours addressing the issue. Some parents requested their children be removed from Pahuja’s class. The district reassigned her to the administration building prior to the arbitrator’s decision.

Pahuja’s Background and Defense

Pahuja has been employed by the Three Village Central School District since 2002 and consistently received “highly effective” performance ratings. She has served on the district’s positive behavioral intervention and support committee for a decade and on its anti-racism task force since 2019. She also coaches the Science Olympiad team. Pahuja initially told school administrators she immediately deleted the post after learning it had been screenshotted and shared. She also argued she had the right to express her views on her private Facebook page. The arbitrator rejected this argument, stating she should have been aware of the potential for the post to be shared publicly.

Broader Context

This case is one of several on Long Island and nationwide where teachers have faced scrutiny for politically charged social media posts. Similar incidents have occurred, such as a Westhampton teacher whose comments on TikTok about the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk angered some parents.

Financial Information

According to Newsday’s database of teacher and administrator salaries, Pahuja earned $169,050 during the 2024-25 school year.

Source: Newsday