The Cherry Hill board of education delivered some well-anticipated updates at its July 25 meeting, including the official appointment of an acting superintendent.
After waiting for approval from the interim executive county superintendent for Camden County, the board officially named Dr. Kwame Morton to the acting role. He previously served as assistant superintendent and principal at Cherry Hill High School West and Joyce Kilmer Elementary School,
Morton has been recognized for his work and was named the 2021 New Jersey Visionary Principal of the Year/National Association of Secondary School Principal’s New Jersey State Principal of the Year for his time at West.
In his first set of announcements, Morton shared that a third section will be added for fifth graders at Thomas Paine and Brett Harte elementary schools to accommodate requests by parents who cited problems with having only two sections, including large class sizes of 26 to 28 students per teacher. They also cited their children’s inability to focus or learn during class because of noise and disruptions and anxiety that caused them to fear school.
The parents did not blame teachers or principals, but insisted a third section in the upcoming year would mitigate their issues.
“As we’ve gone through the process of looking at enrollment, sometimes things work out well, and work out within our favor,” Morton said. “We were able to add sections to both of those schools where there were concerns cited to the board during the last two meetings, so it’s a positive thing.
“We’re not always able to do that, but at times, things balance and they work within our favor.”
The board also introduced on first reading a policy to establish threat assessment teams at each district school “to provide assistance in identifying students of concern, assessing those students’ risk for engaging in violence or other harmful activities, and delivering intervention strategies to manage the risk of harm for students who pose a potential safety risk.”
The teams would also help prevent targeted violence, according to the proposed policy, “and ensure a safe and secure school environment that enhances the learning experience for all members of the school community.”
As referenced at a previous meeting by Director of Security Anthony Saporito, a threat assessment team would not attend to every suicidal or homicidal ideation, but would consider legitimate threats from students who discuss suicide or who are taking steps to do so.
The full draft policy can be found on the agenda.
The board also approved on second reading revised guidelines for citizen advisory committees and a resolution for remote/virtual instruction. It also accepted a $675,000 grant for Building Capacity for Career Pathways in Comprehensive Schools for Cherry Hill West
The next board of education meeting will be Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Carusi Middle School.
