Teacher has students write to convict?

A fifth-grade English teacher in New York is accused of assigning students in her class the task of making greeting cards for a friend of hers -- a friend who just so happens to be behind bars.

John Coccarelli is currently serving time for violating a protection order and possessing a loaded firearm, according to HLN affiliate WNBC. He was also charged with (but never convicted of) a felony count of possessing an obscene sexual performance of a child.

The principal of the school reported the incident and told investigators the teacher, Melissa Dean, said she "thought it was a nice thing to do." Problem is, she didn’t get permission from parents or the school.

While we give her some credit for trying to get students to put pen to paper instead of finger tips to keyboard (it’s pretty sad that cursive writing has become a lost art), this doesn’t sound like the kind of stranger a parent wants their kid talking to.

Here are five people they could have been writing to instead:

• The Troops -- because they need to know how much we appreciate their service to our country.

• Grandma and grandpa -- because they love hearing from little Timmy. Plus, they're totally into snail mail. It was all the rage in the 30s!

• The President -- because you're never too young to express your opinion on Obamacare, and sometimes he even writes back!

• Santa -- because it’s never too early to get in your wish list for Christmas 2012!

• And lastly ... how about a pen pal who's NOT behind bars -- because, c'mon, kids really shouldn’t be talking to random convicts.

Should the teacher be punished for this? If so, what would be appropriate?