Eastern Regional High School draws 1,898 students in grades nine through 12 from Voorhees, Berlin Borough and Gibbsboro, according to the state's 2023-24 enrollment report. About 57% of the students are white, 12% Black, 11% Hispanic and 14% Asian, according to the state data.
UPDATE:
The pro-Palestinian walkout has been canceled, the school district reported Wednesday afternoon. The district released a statement:
"Student leadership at Eastern held a conference this morning, Wednesday, April 24, with the principal and vice principals to discuss concerns about the event planned for this Friday, April 26, 2024. Students agreed to cancel this week’s event in order to meet together and plan a united rally in support of basic human rights for the innocent people on both sides of the conflict. That convening is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 20."
A planned pro-Palestinian walkout during the school day at Eastern Regional High School this Friday has drawn the ire of two Camden County commissioners, who urged school officials to cancel the event.
Concern about the walkout at the Voorhees high school comes as universities have been struggling with similar protests, with one on the grounds of Columbia University in New York City forcing the cancellation of in-person classes.
"Like the misguided decisions of administrators at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and other educational institutions trying to give 'another point of view' in the name of free speech, your decision carelessly ignores the fact that you are unnecessarily causing fear and placing students in harm's way," county Commissioners Jeffrey L. Nash and Melinda Kane wrote in a letter Monday to Eastern Regional Superintendent Robert S. Cloutier.
"The student walkout is an intentional effort to create a hostile and isolating environment for Jewish students, the majority of whom support Israel as an integral part of their (identity). Your administration's failure to recognize — and, instead, to actively promote — this hostility ignores the consequent danger it poses to all its students," they wrote.
A 70and73.com request for a comment on the situation from Cloutier was answered on Tuesday night with a statement from the district: "The safety of our students is paramount. We are aware of a proposed student orchestrated walkout planned for this Friday, which would be intended to express support for Palestinians. Right now, we are working with Voorhees Township police to evaluate potential security concerns stemming from online discourse about this demonstration, and we will keep the school community informed if we have information to share."
The commissioners told Cloutier that the protest would be a "failure to uphold your responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964" and could jeopardize funding for Eastern High School.
Nash and Kane stated in their letter that "not all speech is protected speech."
"Rhetoric intended to incite violence against a specific person or group" is not a permitted First Amendment right, they stated.
"We condemn your decision, and we plan to publicly denounce it unless it is canceled," stated Nash and Kane, who sent copies of their letter to local, state and federal officials.
