Cherry Hill High School East.
CORRECTION: Earlier versions of this article stated this was a school board meeting. It was not. This was a special informational meeting of the PTA.
The planned move of Cherry Hill's Alternative High School to a wing of Cherry Hill High School East this fall is a positive move for all students, according to administrators and Board of Education members speaking Tuesday night at an informational meeting of the East PTA.
Superintendent Kwame Morton addressed the "many different conversations that exist around the school" including the district's intentions and speculation about what will occur in the new school year. The Alternative School is being relocated from the Lewis Administration Building.
The district in March announced plans to designate the B Wing of Cherry Hill East for Alternative High School students. Since then, some parents have expressed concern about the advisability of the move. The new space will be called Coles Alternative High School.
Morton said the decision to relocate the Alternative School to East was not made "out of the clear blue." A relocation would have occurred in the early 2020s, but the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans on hold. Morton said that as the pandemic ended and having the right staff in place, the timing seemed right for the relocation.
About 30 parents of students from both schools attended Tuesday night's meeting.
Student behavior toward each other
The Alternative School student population consists of those who are experiencing trauma, have a transient school history, have difficulties managing their emotions or need academic recovery and acceleration, explained Lauren Giordano, the Alternative School principal. About 38 students are enrolled, according to the district.
Some parents said the district's harassment, intimidation and bullying rate concerned them when they considered the interaction of the two student populations.
Giordano said Alternative School sophomores and juniors "came up with teams that would like to extend the olive branch and would like to partner with the kids here…. so the doors (of communication) are open."
Many interactions between the two groups of students have occurred without problems, Morton added. All students who break the district's code of conduct "will be held accountable as determined/outlined in the code of conduct," school officials said.
Minimal changes in educational experiences
Cherry Hill High School East’s Lunch and Learn program will not be eliminated and the district will construct a new gender-neutral bathroom to replace the one East is losing due to the relocation, Giordano said.
In addition, a recently completed district demographic study indicates the district's high school population will decline by about 80 students over the next five years, likely alleviating overcrowding concerns, according to Morton.
Some East teachers will have to let another teacher use their classroom during non-teaching periods, said East Assistant Principal David Francis Maurer.
"We are hearing things… like 'this computer room will be knocked down for a classroom' and 'the annex is being divided into three.' I can tell you as someone who has done the schedules, none of those things are happening," Maurer said.
The Alternative School core staff, which the district previously defined as two full-time certified mental health clinicians, a full-time counselor, a secretary and Principal Giordano, will move with the students to ease the transition, Giordano said. The extent to which each Alternative School student mingles with peers from East is the choice of each student, Morton said.
Alternative School students will have their own entrance to East at the back of the building, school administrators said.
In addition, Alternative School students will have their own unique lunch periods and gym classes, with start and end times 15 minutes earlier than East students.
The bell system will be disabled in the Alternative School wing to accommodate those with sensory issues.
Plans are being made to ensure the Alternative School students' privacy, community garden, art class and field trips continue as in past years, school administrators said.
The Lewis Administration Building's function is primarily as its name implies, and there are no plans to move those offices at the moment, said school board President Miriam Stern.
70and73.com's previous reporting on the move:
