Bond referendum projects ‘moving along’

The Cherry Hill Board of Education reviewed bond referendum progress throughout the district at a recent meeting earlier this September.

At Knight Elementary School one all purpose room (APR) and two playgrounds are in the process of being constructed. The APRs are also taking shape at Johnson, Mann and Sharp elementary schools.

“They’re all moving along, we’re hoping for all of them to be done by next summer, including the site work,” said Lynn Shugars, business administrator.

Critical HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) work was done across 11 buildings that was funded by ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds and federal funding to pay for the work, which included new thermostats and unit ventilators. Though it is planned to take place throughout the district, they focused on areas that were failing.

Woodcrest Elementary School also had a playground installed recently, and East High School’s is also nearing completion.

In policy updates, board member Joel Mayer shared that the term “firearm” will now be included with weapons in the policy.

“That policy, word for word, has not changed,” Mayer said. “What has changed is that previously firearms, which are weapons, were just considered by definition to be a weapon.

“In order to align more specifically with the criminal code in the State of New Jersey, the term firearm has been added as a separate title, so everywhere where a weapon is involved, it now also includes a firearm.”

Mayer also shared a student proposal that was brought to Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton, and later to the Policy and Legislation Committee. The proposal proposes that students can use up to a certain number of days at their own discretion for mental health rather than having scheduled half-days. (The number of days the committee settled on for the time being is two.)

“The thinking behind the proposal is that students should be able to moderate themselves and recognize when they might need a break from school, whether it’s a half day or a full day,” Mayer explained. “And the proposal is, how and really can we affect that in policy? Do we need a policy to address that or can we expand the list of excused absences?”

He noted that mental health and stress are similar to some of the reasons students can have an excused absence currently, but that more discussion was needed. At the time of the meeting on Sept. 10, he reported that all committee members had been in support of the proposal.

The committee is also continuing to discuss elementary school redistricting and cited that the goal is to reduce elementary school crowding where space is limited and to ensure all schools have enough seats for all students.

“In discussing elementary school redistricting, which is triggering for many in the district, it can’t be done in a vacuum,” Mayer said. “… Whatever happens at the elementary level with regards to boundaries and sending districts will ultimately affect all the students in the district, at the middle and high school level, so it’s not being done in a vacuum.”

The full meeting is available for viewing on the district’s YouTube channel.