Honor Society Flap Gets Regional Board’s Response

.ERMA — Two members of Lower Cape May Regional High School Board of Education, at an April 24 meeting, responded to a controversy swirling around the admission of three students to the National Honor Society (NHS) that chapter members claimed were not qualified for admission.
Reporters from three local newspapers received phone calls April 11 inviting them to the regional high school to meet with the majority of the school’s 64 NHS members who were boycotting an induction ceremony for three new members that took place that hour in another school room.
The NHS members, all of whom asked to remain anonymous, told reporters the three students being admitted to NHS had taken only two of three college-bound math courses required for membership.
At that time, Regional High School Principal Joseph Castellucci told the Herald an error had been made by scheduling the three students in Pre-Algebra in their freshmen year and calling it a college-bound course when it was not. He said that had been corrected and the three students seeking NHS membership were not at fault.
At the April 24 meeting, School Board member Gary Douglass, expressing his personal opinion, said Superintendent Jack Pfizenmayer made a decision based on the opinion of the school board, staff and student input.
“He did that for the betterment of this district,” said Douglass.
He said he attended the induction ceremony of new NHS members and was “uncomfortable” and “embarrassed” by the absence of the most of the members, and the fact the NHS staff advisor did not congratulate the new inductees.
While NHS members told reporters good “character” was necessary for membership in the society, Douglass said the students “turned their backs” on the new inductees. He said he found it hard to believe high school staff was unaware of the press conference taking place in a classroom and the students should have asked for permission for its use.
Douglass said the new inductees were “very qualified” despite newspaper headlines to the contrary. He said the inductees showed more character than the NHS members who boycotted the ceremony.
Douglass said students told him there are one or more students that were already members of NHS that also took the Pre-Algebra course. He said they were well liked and friendly with the staff advisor to the society, “so, I guess because it is their terms, it was OK, but when it becomes this district’s terms, they choose to fight it.”
Board President Richard Hooyman said he would meet with Douglass and some of the committee assignments of school board members would be changed. He said he would ask the curriculum committee to look at NHS “from top to bottom, policies, procedures, how it is run.”
Hooyman said he would like that completed by the beginning of the next school year. He said he would have the buildings and grounds committee look at the use of the school grounds after hours.
How community complaint inquiries are handled should also be examined along with how disputes are adjudicated, said Hooyman. He said an outside firm is examining all school board policies.
NHS members told the Herald earlier in the month that admitting the three students lowered the integrity of NHS by violating their by-laws. They asked the school board to postpone the induction until November when the new students would be “legitimate.”