Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in Connecticut, the Cherry Hill School District announced efforts to enhance security.
At the Dec. 18 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Maureen Reusche said that the district has been reviewing policies, protocols and procedures at the schools.
In the days directly following the tragedy, district officials began an internal assessment of security cameras and checked the locks on all classroom doors.
Officials checked access to walkie talkies for teachers to communicate.
On Monday morning, Reusche said, she met with township officials. The police department offered to provide an increased presence in the district.
A comprehensive risk assessment will be conducted, she said, for recommendations for both short and long term enhancements to security.
Even basic routines need to be examined, she said.
“We need to be ever more diligent,” said Reusche, which includes asking visitors to observe entry and sign in policies, parents to not prop open doors, and if exiting a school building, “do not allow someone else to come into the building.”
Employee ID badges will be re-instituted, and it will be investigated when adult staff last received security training.
In PTA meetings in January and February, the principal of each school will be dedicating time to questions regarding security, she said.
In all, “parents are being very receptive,” she said. “It certainly is a team effort.”
Annual testing report
Valerie Sadwin presented the 64-page annual testing report at the meeting.
Her mission, she said, was to answer, “How are we doing?”
District Factor Groups (DFG) are formed by socio-economic factors, with A being the lowest and J the highest. Cherry Hill scores as DFG GH, which is comparable to Lenape Regional High School, Eastern Regional High School and Haddon Heights High School, according to the report.
In all, students in the district scored well on assessments.
According to presentation, “In 100 percent of the grade levels and subjects on the state assessments, the district’s total student population’s percentages proficient or advanced proficient are at or above the DFG GH average.”
In both East and West high schools, the SAT scores ranged above state and national averages in all subjects.
The report continues to explain that the number of students taking AP tests in 2012 increased at East and decreased at West from the year prior, however, the number of students taking AP classes this year increased at both high schools.
Over 90 percent of the district’s students were either proficient or advanced proficient in HPSA language arts, NJASK8 Language Arts and Science, NJASK 5 Math, NJASK4 Science and NJASK3 Math.
The full report, as well as the presentation, can be found on www.cherryhill.k12.nj.us.
Board says goodbye
The meeting was the very last for board member Wayne Tarken, who has served on the board for three and a half years, or, according to Tarken, 1,339 days.
Members took time at the beginning of the meeting to speak about Tarken.
“You are going to be missed,” said Board President Seth Klukoff. “I do believe you brought a high degree of passion and creativity and good sense, practical sense, to the board.”
“Don’t forget us here,” he added.
To Reusche, it was clear from the beginning that Tarken was always thinking about how to benefit the children in the district.
That perspective, she said, was maintained through his time on the board.
“I really feel a sense of accomplishment,” said Tarken. “For me, it was really a labor of love and growth.”
Dr. J Barry Dickinson will be taking over Tarken’s seat in 2013.
