'Leave the gay at the door': Former Cherry Hill East assistant principal sues school district, others.

When David Francis-Maurer, the former Cherry Hill East High School assistant principal, started the 2024-25 school year the school principal allegedly told him to leave his identities "at the door."

Francis-Maurer says he believed the request by East Principal Daniel Finkle was a reference to Francis-Maurer being gay and that he also practices Judaism.

In February this year, Francis-Maurer wrote to Superintendent Kwame Morton recounting the September 2024 conversation with Finkle allegedly saying "to leave the gay at the door." 

"To me, the statement appeared to suggest that I should, at minimum, reflect on whether I am being too public with my identities and should ratchet back the extent to which I discuss them and/or make reference to having a husband," Francis-Maurer contends. 

The East assistant principal — whose contract was not renewed after last school year after serving since July 2023 — on Monday filed suit in state Superior Court in Camden County. The suit describes the incident and several others and alleges discrimination and retaliation for being a whistleblower after he made the school administration aware of policy violations.

Francis-Maurer, through the law firm of McOmber McOmber and Luber of Marlton, makes several demands of the district in the suit including reinstatement, back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees and corrective action by the Cherry Hill school district "to stop and prevent retaliation at the workplace." There has been no response yet by school district lawyers.

"At its core, this case underscores the essential role of whistleblowers, as plaintiff's protected conduct embodies the vital role that whistleblowers play in upholding accountability and ethics in the workplace," according to the lawsuit. "Rather than appropriately address plaintiff's concerns, however, the (Cherry Hill Board of Education) defendants disregarded said complaints and instead subjected (Francis-Maurer) to a calculated campaign of targeted retaliation."

Besides the Board of Education and Finkle, others named as defendants in Francis-Maurer's complaint include Morton and Diane Leber, the district director of human resources. Unnamed corporations and individuals also are cited in the complaint.

When Francis-Maurer was informed in May that his contract would not be renewed, students organized a walk-out to protest. 

The assistant principal was accused of being part of the walkout plans, which he denied, saying he would not participate.

"With no evidence that (Francis-Maurer) had anything to do with the walkout and with clear evidence online that parents and students were organizing the walkout, plaintiff was put on administrative leave," according to the complaint. 

Francis-Maurer was educated in London, receiving his doctor of education degree from the University College London, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In August, he joined Central High School in Philadelphia as an assistant principal after serving in Cherry Hill for two years. His educational specialty is mathematics, and he oversaw that department at East among his other duties.

The lawsuit includes a copy of a May 19 letter to Superintendent Morton signed by 15 members of the Cherry Hill East math department about the non-renewal of Francis-Maurer's contract.

"As a department, we rarely reach unanimous agreement on matters," the letter states. "However, we are all in complete agreement regarding our feelings about this situation. We believe that David's non-renewal is a mistake and thus strongly disagree with this decision." 

Besides the details of alleged discrimination, the lawsuit characterizes Francis-Maurer as a whistleblower and claims he is covered by the protections of state whistleblower laws.

"In New Jersey, employees are protected by law from retaliation for speaking out against unlawful conduct. (Francis-Maurer's) lawsuit is a direct challenge to defendants' unlawful and unethical conduct and a platform for his exercising of his right to speak up without fear of retribution. By filing this action, plaintiff seeks to hold defendants accountable and affirm the importance of protecting employees who expose wrongdoing," according to the complaint.

The former East High administrator's allegations in the lawsuit included the school's alleged failure to follow drug-testing protocols, to address concerns of the staff reporting a student's discussion of suicide and to enforce field trip safety measures. 

He alleged that Finkle allowed a field trip in January even though it was not board approved, the lawsuit stated.