Schools
Decision To Replace Princeton Principal Backed By School Board
Community members have planned a demonstration Monday afternoon in support of Frank Chmiel who was replaced as principal of PHS.
PRINCETON, NJ — The Board of Education in Princeton sent out a message to the community on Sunday saying they unanimously support the Superintendent’s decision to replace Frank Chmiel as principal of Princeton High School.
“The Board unanimously supported, and unanimously supports, the Superintendent and the difficult decisions that needed to be made,” the BOE said in their statement.
At the end of the school day on Friday, Superintendent Carol Kelley informed the community that Chmiel has been replaced. More: School District Replaces Principal At Princeton High School
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Following the announcement, students began a petition on Change.org, seeking transparency and urging the Board to rescind the decision.
In response, the BOE said they understood that a lack of information can be “frustrating,” but more details on Chmiel’s departure could not be divulged due to the privacy rights of the employee.
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“We know that changes in leadership during the school year are difficult, but please know that whenever these occur, the Board and the administration always engage in a lengthy, deliberative process, consider the impact of those changes, and discuss those with all affected employees (as well as their legal representatives),” the BOE said.
“Absent a public employee providing the Board with a written waiver of his or her privacy rights, the Board cannot say more.”
The BOE went on to thank Chmiel for his service to PHS students, especially since they returned to in-person classes after COVID-19.
The Board extended its good wishes to Chmiel and said Tuesday’s meeting would begin an hour earlier for public comment.
“The purpose of this meeting is to discuss demographics and future planning, and that meeting will still take place. However, we will use the first hour (from 6 to 7 PM) for public comment. We will then proceed with our meeting, and public comment will resume after the conclusion of the planning discussion,”
Meanwhile, a demonstration has been planned outside PHS at 12:30 p.m. on Monday in support of Chmiel.
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