AT THE 2/8/22 BOARD OF ED MEETING, IT SEEMS THAT THE 6TH GRADE CENTER CONCEPT HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF OF THE TABLE. HOWEVER, ALLOWING STUDENTS TO FINISH (OR NOT FINISH) IN THE BUILDINGS THEY START STILL REMAINS  ON THE TABLE. THE PETITION THAT FOLLOWS IS IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM, PRIOR TO 6TH A GR. CENTER BEING REMOVED.

As Cherry Hill Public Schools (CHPS) works to reconfigure middle schools for the start of the 2023-24 school year, we, the undersigned, are expressly asking the district and the Board of Education to implement that all three middle schools become 6th, 7th and 8th grade buildings. Furthermore, we are expressly asking that all current 5th and 6th grade students be allowed to complete their middle school years in the school in which they began or will begin. 

There are several ways to educate children. One can find data that supports a 6th grade center and two 7th & 8th grade buildings over the 6th, 7th & 8th grade middle schools, and vice versa. Academically, 6th graders are currently placed among only their grade level peers. So much of what makes our current middle schools outstanding communities is not only what happens in the academic setting, but also what happens outside the classroom, which is equally important to a middle schooler’s growth.

Below, please see several detailed reasons for three 6th, 7th & 8th grade buildings in addition to many reasons why current 5th and 6th graders should stay in the middle school in which they start instead of adding an extra transition to these children’s middle school years. 

WHY THREE 6th, 7th & 8th GRADE BUILDINGS?

1. TRANSITIONS: 11 year olds should not have to have an extra transition, just to experience another transition the next year. Studies do not conclude that adding an extra transition is beneficial at that age, and in fact each transition takes away from academic learning. Students at that age are trying to find their identities and foster new social relationships. Adding an extra year of transition makes this more challenging for many students. Students are already separated by grade at each school, so the 6th graders are already with only 6th grade peers for their academic portion of their day. 

2. BUS RIDES: The more time a student spends on a bus, the higher likelihood there is for negative issues to arise, not to mention the earlier bus pick up times for students at the far East and far West sides of the District. Making all three middle schools grades 6-8 ensures shorter bus rides for the majority of those 6th graders than the 6th grade only school provides. 

3. ATHLETICS: 6th graders have the opportunity to learn and grow more as athletes by playing with a variety of ages in practices, but are still separated on the A & B teams for competitions. A 6th grade intramural sports program at the 6th grade only building prevents that growth.

4. MUSIC PROGRAMS: it’s proven that when exposed to musicians with more experience, the younger, typically less experienced musicians benefit tremendously. Additionally, experiencing group ensembles for 3 years allows for relationships to develop between conductor and musician, further fostering the experience and growth of the musician. 

5. CHORAL ENSEMBLES: Much the same as instrumentalists, the longer singers are with quality directors (of which CHPS’s are top notch) and with more advanced musical peers, they grow more as musicians over time.

6. NEWSPAPER/LITERARY MAGAZINES: Students in 6th grade work together with peers in 7th and 8th grades and the outcome is greater. Organizing a newspaper/literary magazine for one year with all novices is problematic. 

7. EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES/CLUBS:These same problems mentioned above also arise with Student Government, Debate Club, Peer Leadership and several extracurriculars in which 6th graders rely on the mentorship of older students.

8. PTA: It takes time to develop, and having a successful PTA in the building has been paramount at the middle level as PTA financially supports students, families and staff and provides opportunities for fostering community. How does a PTA board function, recruit board members and general membership if the students are only in the building for one year? 

9. SPECIAL EDUCATION: Making a 6th grade center would require that building to offer every single special education service. This is likely to be extremely challenging. The district has repeatedly said in the past that they cannot provide all services in one building and services need to be separated. Would there even be enough space for all services to go into a 6th grade center when it’s projected to have an enrollment of 811 and a projected enrollment of 1,056 and the building capacity is 806.

An extra year of transition for many special education students is simply not appropriate. Transitions disrupt the learning, progress and development of many special education students at a higher rate than that of their general education peers.

Many of these special education students will lose social and emotional development as they will be separated in 7th and 8th grades from friends they make in 6th. 

10. GEOGRAPHIC FAIRNESS: Sending all 6th graders to one school proves to be extremely challenging for those families who don’t have or don’t have access consistently to a vehicle because of Rosa’s distance for some families on the far West and far East sides versus the distance to Carusi and Beck, respectively.  

WHY ALLOW CURRENT MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO FINISH WHERE THEY START?

1. MENTAL HEALTH: CHPS asserts health and safety are its top priority. Mental health is health. The districts’ current students have been through more trauma due to the pandemic than any group in recent history. When working toward resolving trauma, consistency is paramount. Throwing current 5th and 6th grade children into another building for 7th &8th grade or 8th grade is simply not what’s best for them as they work to resolve the trauma the pandemic has and still is having on them. 

2. GUIDANCE COUNSELORS: It is a best practice, which CHPS does, to have guidance counselors loop with their grades–meaning one counselor is with the same students for all 3 years of middle school. Displacing the current 5th and 6th graders means that their new counselors will not know them and create the relationship looping fosters. This is especially important for current 6th graders as they’ll be in 8th grade at a new school, where their counselors won’t know them at all as they are then tasked with advising them about high school options and course selection.  

3. LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THE SCHOOLS: The current 6th graders will be the 8th graders when this transition is proposed. These children have worked hard in their first years of middle school to prepare for the leadership roles on the sports fields, in the music program, in clubs, student government, NHD (at Rosa), as Peer Leaders…these opportunities will not be available to them should they be forced to change schools in their last year of middle school.

We respectfully request the Board of Education do what’s best for these students. Vote to have CHPS three middle schools all become 6th, 7th and 8th grade buildings AND allow middle school students (the current 5th and 6th grades) to finish in the building they began.