Cherry Hill East students walk out of classes, protest 2022-2023 teacher transfers

Students at Cherry Hill High School East walked out of classes Friday to peacefully oppose the reassignment of nine teachers to other schools in the district.

At 11:30 a.m., a throng of students emerged from side doors of the high school holding signs and chanting to keep their teachers. The mass moved behind the building to sports fields, before heading back inside just after noon.

The group, lead by class presidents and vice presidents, used their voices to demand Cherry Hill Public Schools Administration reconsider decisions to move their beloved teachers to other schools in September.

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Reassignments, however, are routine, according to the school district and the Cherry Hill Education Association, which represents district teachers.

"This change is unanticipated and much too big for many of us to handle," Cherry Hill East junior class president Christopher Shin told the Courier-Post.

"I know for a fact almost all of these teachers are really hurt and deeply saddened because of the way they were notified. It's all so sudden."

Shin, 16, learned of the teacher locations days before spring break earlier in April. Neither he nor the school district would identify the teachers.

Several students spoke during the April 26 school board meeting, telling administration how the teachers have impacted their high school lives, and the emotional impact the notices have had on the teachers and students.

Students told the board they fear their favorite teachers could be moved next.

The teachers are not in danger of termination.

This decision was made by district administration. No parents or students were included in the discussion, Shin said.

Redistribution of faculty and staff throughout the district is routine for Cherry Hill schools and most other districts, though.

Cherry Hill had reassigned fewer teachers as the district navigated the pandemic's impact on education, according to spokeswoman Barbara Wilson.

But usual business of notifying teachers in the spring of new assignments for the fall has resumed, she said.

Cherry Hill Education Association said the district has followed the transfer process as outlined in the teachers' contract.

The education association represents Cherry Hill Public Schools' teachers. More than 880 teachers work in the district, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. As of the 2020-2021 school year more than 140 teachers worked at Cherry Hill East. At least nine — or about 6 percent of the school's teachers — received relocation notices.

The contractual process allows for teachers to voluntarily apply to move to another position they're qualified for within the district. Prior to the opening of the voluntary transfer process, staff members are notified of their new assignments for the following year, according to the CHEA.

"The district must consider various factors as it relates to the educational needs of our students, an analysis of potential impact, and the benefits of the transfer to our students," the teachers union said in a statement.

"As in previous years, we have found that the transfers have followed the process outlined above. Therefore, we will continue to closely monitor this situation to ensure that the rights of our members have not been violated and that the educational needs of our students are at the forefront."

While Superintendent Joseph Meloche cannot discuss specific employment issues publicly, Wilson said he's spoken with student leaders about transfer occurring as an annual practice.

Shin confirmed student leaders met with Meloche and the school board to discuss the process of allocating resources fairly throughout the district, and to convey their fears about losing clubs and sports.

"We do not want to set a precedent that if you do a walk out, you can change everything. Then, then whole system of school board would not work," he acknowledged.

"But a walk out (was) necessary. It's the strongest form of student voice."

Carly Q. Romalino is a Gloucester County native who's covered South Jersey since 2008. She's a Rowan University graduate and a six-time New Jersey Press Association award winner.

Romalino is based at the Courier Post and covers South Jersey schools and education issues for the Courier Post, Daily Journal and Burlington County Times.

She hosts NJ Press Pass, a live social media-based interview show diving into what matters to South Jersey residents.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cherry Hill NJ students walk out of class, protest teacher transfers