School District Replaces Principal At Princeton High School

PRINCETON, NJ - At the end of the school day on Friday, Princeton High School community was informed that Principal Frank Chmiel has been replaced.

In a letter to the community, Superintendent Carol Kelley said PHS assistant principals, Rashone Johnson and Cecilia Birge will jointly assume responsibilities on a “temporary basis” as the school undergoes a “transition in school leadership.” The letter was co-signed by Board of Education members.

“We anticipate appointing an interim principal who is a veteran educator with many years of experience to take the helm and serve as principal for the remainder of the school year,” Kelley said.

“We know that change is never easy, but we have a dedicated staff who is committed to the students’ well-being, security, and educational needs. These will remain the top priority for our educators at PHS.”

Citing confidentiality in personnel matters the school district did not respond to further questions by Patch.

After the news was made public Friday, students began a petition on Change.org, seeking transparency and urging the Board to rescind the decision.

According to the petition, the school has been through frequent administrative changes and Chmiel’s departure would only interrupt learning and “force the students’ to have to rebuild a relationship with yet another new principal.”

“As members of the Princeton High School student body, we are extremely disappointed and enraged by the fact that both the process and reasonings for this decision were not shared,” petitioners said.

“We have previously demanded multiple times for the administration to be transparent with us. This was the case when our prior science supervisor was let go without consulting or informing students, parents, or faculty.”

The petition highlighted various ways in which Chmiel engaged with students and “positively impacted” the school.

“Principal Chmiel also took steps to personally develop and plan PHS’ first Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly and Black History Month gospel assembly. He gave voices to student leaders and helped lead school-wide appreciation of these cultures,” the petition said.

Since Friday, the petition has garnered over 1600 signatures.

Chmiel was named principal in 2021, replacing Jessica Baxter who moved to Randolph School District. More: Frank Chmiel To Be Named New Principal of Princeton High School

In May 2022, students started an online petition urging the school Superintendent to renew Chmiel’s contract as a possible termination loomed.

Following this, the BOE voted to reappoint Chmiel. More: Princeton High Principal Reappointed, BOE Addresses 'Misinformation'

A longtime Princeton resident, Chmiel served as Principal of Franklin High School, Somerset before moving to PHS.

Chmiel has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and an M.A. in Education Leadership, Management & Policy from Seton Hall University.

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