September 13 2025, 08:15 
The former assistant principal at a New Jersey high school is suing after being told to downplay his gay and Jewish identities at work.
In his lawsuit, filed September 8 in Camden County Superior Court, David Francis-Maurer claims that at the beginning of the 2024–2025 school year, former Cherry Hill East High School principal Daniel Finkle told him to “leave his identities at the door.” Francis-Maurer told local New Jersey news site 70and73.com that he believed Finkle was referring to his gay and Jewish identities.
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“To me, the statement appeared to suggest that I should, at minimum, reflect on whether I am being too public with my identities and should ratchet back the extent to which I discuss them and/or make reference to having a husband,” he told the outlet.
As 70and73 and NJ.com report, Francis-Maurer was informed in May that his contract would not be renewed for the 2025–2026 school year. His lawsuit alleges discrimination and that his firing was retaliation for reporting Finkle’s comment and other policy violations.
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According to NJ.com, Francis-Maurer submitted a six-page complaint to Cherry Hill Superintendent Kwame Morton in February. Along with Finkle’s comment about his identities, Francis-Maurer also alerted Morton to Finkle’s failure to follow proper protocols in enforcing student drug testing, fieldtrip approvals, and addressing reports of students’ suicidal ideation. Francis-Maurer was then placed on a performance improvement plan, which Morton said in a letter was due to his having missed teacher evaluations and creating divisions by resisting feedback. In his lawsuit, Francis-Maurer says those claims are untrue and were a cover for “a calculated campaign of retaliation,” according to NJ.com.
When the school community became aware that Francis-Maurer’s contract had not been renewed this spring, parents and students organized a walkout in
NJ.com reports that parents and students also urged administrators to reinstate Francis-Maurer at a July Cherry Hill Board of Education meeting. According to 70and73, 15 members of the Cherry Hill East math department also sent a letter to Morton in May expressing their belief that Francis-Maurer’s dismissal was “a mistake.”
Along with reinstatement, back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney fees, Francis-Maurer is seeking corrective action by the Cherry Hill school district “to stop and prevent retaliation at the workplace,” according to 70and73. The complaint also characterizes Francis-Maurer as a whistleblower and as such is specifically protected from retaliation by New Jersey law.
“At its core, this case underscores the essential role of whistleblowers, as plaintiff’s protected conduct embodies the vital role that whistleblowers play in upholding accountability and ethics in the workplace,” the complaint reads, according to 70and73. “Rather than appropriately address plaintiff’s concerns, however, the [Cherry Hill Board of Education] defendants disregarded said complaints and instead subjected [Francis-Maurer] to a calculated campaign of targeted retaliation.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that on Tuesday, a day after Francis-Maurer’s lawsuit was filed, Cherry Hill East notified parents that Finkle would resign in November. He has reportedly taken a position as an “educational leader” at another New Jersey high school.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Cherry Hill Public Schools declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said that the district “denies allegations of wrongdoing,” according to NJ.com.
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