Year in Review: Haddonfield Schools
Teacher contracts, American flag controversies, students standing up to genocide: relive the top school news from Haddonfield in 2011.
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Every year brings the typical school news—the high school gets a new group of alumni with graduation, students party at the prom and, as has been the case for many years, Haddonfield students and schools receive accolades.
But it’s the individual students that add up to make a year stand out, and Haddonfield certainly had plenty in 2011.
Teacher contract negotiations dominated much of the year. Teachers have turned out to board meetings and even cancelled Back to School night in protest, but the talks drag on into 2012.
March saw a controversy, this time in the form of outcry over a small American flag at the district office. It was quickly replaced following even greater outcry.
2010 began with court proceedings over school districts’ right to enact a “24/7 policy” on student conduct. That matter also dragged on into 2011 with a court ruling in Haddonfield’s favor.
Haddonfield schools had a minor scare in September when they briefly went into lockdown, and the board of education threw its hat into the ring of entities interested in the Bancroft property.
At the schools, students laid down to stand up to genocide, while a middle school mathlete appeared on national television and the high school madrigal singers showed off their Renaissance style. The middle school principal left the district and Central School parents spoke out over security system frustrations, while parents fundraised to refurbish the high school auditorium.
In a year of a still-sluggish economy, voters didn’t raise objections to Haddonfield schools’ budget, easily passing the spending plan. Curious about what some of that budget goes to? Learn the top district salaries.
Although 2011 is ending, the school year is barely halfway through. What do you think the rest of the academic year will bring for Haddonfield schools?
Number of school-related stories published on Haddonfield Patch in 2011: 173. Stay in the know year-round with Haddonfield Patch’s schools topic page.
