Conclusions

When asked to respond to various aspects of Eastside’s findings about Cherry Hill East’s environment, Perry repeatedly expressed concern. “Concerning,” “sad,” “upsetting,” “terrible,” and “very troubling,” were among the adjectives Perry used in reaction to various statistics and written experiences collected by Eastside.

There are some positives, with a majority of students feeling welcome at East and around seven in ten (70.6 percent) feeling that they have a trusted adult at school with whom they can talk. However, the current state of affairs does not meet the expectations of Perry, nor does it provide many students with a safe learning environment. Perry has recently named creating a welcoming environment as key to fostering learning within the classroom.

Perry discussed multiple actions that he said could lead to improved circumstances. Recognizing faults in the community, Perry plans to take actions this upcoming year. These included increased dialogue between him and the student leaders of East’s culture clubs, and a possible expansion of representative garb allowed at graduation ceremonies. More broadly, he emphasized the importance of celebrating diversity. Finally, Perry said that people need to be made aware of students’ experiences, including through this Eastside report.

In summary, those experiences are various and, in many cases, concerning. From harassment in hallways to inequity in classrooms, East must reckon with the existence of discrimination in its community. Over decades of diversification in Cherry Hill, progress has undoubtedly been made. Yet, the fact remains: today, East is not a safe and welcoming environment for all students to learn.