Multiple principals suspended after high school Senior Trip to Disney World

It’s that time of year again when high schools all around the country are celebrating the millions of twelfth graders who are counting down the minutes to that coveted “walk across the stage.” But for one high school in New Jersey, the celebration might have gotten out of hand during a Senior Class trip to Disney World.

At high schools in states across the country, it’s not uncommon for the graduating Senior Class to plan a Senior trip either shortly before graduation or immediately following commencement services. At Wall High School, a Senior trip is planned every year in mid-March.

For graduating seniors in the Class of 2022 at Wall High School in Wall Township, New Jersey, the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida was chosen as the Senior trip destination. Who doesn’t dream of a magical Disney vacation, and for graduating Seniors, the Disney experience can make the celebration even more magical.

wall high school seniors disney world

But thanks to photos tweeted on Twitter, first-person accounts, and maybe even the talk around town, the Disney vacation/Senior trip has been at the center of an investigation at Wall High School.

Though details have not been made clear or public at this time, alleged behavior by some on the Wall High School Senior trip has come under scrutiny as allegations of “improper behavior” during the trip have circulated. Three sources very close to the Senior trip scenario at the high school have shared that an investigation has begun, looking into behavior that took place while the group was at Walt Disney World in Central Florida.

wall high school seniors disney world

Pending the investigation, Wall Township School District officials have suspended the district’s high school and intermediate school principals with pay. Wall High School Principal Rosaleen Sirchio and Wall Intermediate School Principal Erin Embon have both been suspended. According to App.com, Principal Erin Embon allegedly participated in the trip without the approval of the school district.

wall high school

In their absences, High School Assistant Principal Kevin Davis is serving as interim principal, and Tiffany Steiner, Assistant Intermediate School Principal, is taking the helm at that school.

Photos from the Senior trip were tweeted on March 27 and March 28 on a Twitter account called WallHSKnights.

The images online at the time of this publication appear to show multiple groups of students posing for photos with friends at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and the All-Star Movies Resort and also at Universal Studios Orlando and at the airport.

Wall Township School District Superintendent Tracy Handerhan informed parents of the principals’ paid dismissals via e-mail, but the district official did not include reasons for those suspensions.

“This email serves as an update regarding Wall High School administration,” Handerhan wrote in an e-mail about Sirchio’s dismissal. “Please be advised that Mr. Kevin Davis will serve as the Acting Principal of Wall High School while Mrs. Sirchio is on leave. Should you have any questions relating to your child and this transition, please contact your child’s guidance counselor.”

wall high school seniors 2022

A similar e-mail about Embon’s absence was sent to parents of students at the intermediate school.

According to sources closest to the investigation, the school district has been questioning faculty at both schools about the trip.

Judge DISMISSES Lawsuit Against Ron DeSantis Over Reedy Creek Dissolution

On May 4, a lawsuit was filed against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on behalf of some taxpayers who reside in Osceola County and Orange County. The lawsuit claimed that Governor DeSantis had violated the rights of the taxpayers and would cause them financial injury with the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act. The Reedy Creek Improvement act allows Disney to act as its own government and, if dissolved, the costs typically incurred by Reedy Creek would be passed on to the taxpayers in the aforementioned counties.

When the lawsuit was filed, it was stated that the Plaintiffs in the case were not seeking monetary damages — they simply wanted to prevent the termination of the Reedy Creek Improvement Act. As quickly as the lawsuit was filed, it seems to have been dismissed just as quickly. On May 10, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit against Governor DeSantis.

The Orlando Sentinel reported on the dismissal, saying:

In her order, U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia Altonaga, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote that the suit was dismissed for several reasons, including the federal court’s lack of standing over state issues and because the law does not go into effect until July 2023.

Altonaga wrote that the three plaintiffs, Michael and Edward Foronda of Kissimmee and Vivian Gorsky of Orange County, “do not plausibly allege they have suffered any concrete injury as a result of the alleged violation of Disney’s First Amendment rights, and nothing in the Complaint shows Plaintiffs have a close relationship with Disney.”

The new law, she wrote, “does not apply to them, they do not allege direct harm as a result of the challenged law, and they do not plausibly allege any credible threat of direct harm in the future.”

Their claim to standing in the case, she wrote, was that the elimination of the district “might result in financial harm to Plaintiffs by virtue of a tax increase that has not yet been enacted. That indirect and highly speculative alleged injury cannot support federal jurisdiction. … Again — it is worth emphasizing — the bill does not apply to Plaintiffs at all.”

Although the federal judge has dismissed the original filing, William Sanchez — the Miami lawyer who filed the original suit on behalf of the Plaintiffs — said that this was only the beginning of a long fight. He said that he plans to refile the suit no later than Monday, May 16.

Florida law currently states that, if Reedy Creek is dissolved, its debts would be passed on to the taxpayers. Those debts are currently estimated to be over $1 billion. Governor DeSantis has told his constituents that they will not see an increase in their taxes if Reedy Creek ceases to exist, but he has not yet released details on how he will be able to circumvent the law.

Aunty’s Beach House to Reopen at Aulani Resort May 25

Aunty’s Beach House at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, will reopen May 25, treating keiki (kids) ages 5-12 to fun and adventure and – for the first time – offering evening activities the whole family can enjoy.

Designed as a typical hale or house where kids might visit their “aunty,” the rollicking kids club puts the focus on fun. Each of the six colorful rooms is dedicated to different activities – from a movie room to computer lab, arts and crafts studio to a game room.

Parents can reserve a playtime in Aunty’s Beach House between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily for secured children’s programming. During these hours, parents may select 1.5 hours of playtime for complimentary themed activities on “Uncle’s Side” of the house or 2 hours on “Aunty’s Side” of the house for premium activities. Reservations are required, please see below for details.

Complimentary activities include interactive games and arts and crafts based on the theme of the day. Premium activities include Surf’s Up, A Surfin’, Fishin’ and Dancin’ Party with Disney friends. Children will learn about the ocean, catch a wave on carpet surfboards with Max and get the somewhat wacky lowdown on fishing Hawai‘i waters with Goofy.

And now, the whole family can get in on the fun with “after hours” activities from 4-9 p.m. when Aunty’s Beach House turns into an evening entertainment venue. Families can choose from an assortment of complimentary and premium activities where they can learn to play the ‘ukulele, get together for a lesson in animation, or make lasting memories with photo opportunities in front of surfing scenes and other colorful backdrops.

Aunty’s Beach House reopens with new operations, safety and health protocols in place. Among them: face covering requirements, capacity limits, physical distancing, spacing between craft benches and play areas and temperature checks.

Reservations for Aunty’s Beach House are required and will begin on May 11 at 10 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (1 p.m. PDT) for reservations on May 25. Reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance by calling (808) 674-6943 from 7 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. daily. Programs are subject to change.

Petition to Bring Johnny Depp Back to ‘Pirates’ Franchise Continues

For weeks, Disney fans across the world have been watching and reading the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial. The trial began on April 11, with Depp suing Heard for $50 million, saying that she ruined his reputation and cost him work because she accused him of domestic abuse in a 2018 OpEd. Heard is countersuing Depp for $100 million.

While the actual court is still hearing testimony and has not made its decision yet, the court of public opinion has made itself loud and clear. Many people have accused his ex-wife, Amber Heard, of lying, perjuring herself, and acting during her testimony. She has also been accused of quoting lines from movies during her testimony and pretending they are things she and Depp said to each other.

During the trial, Depp and others who have testified on his behalf have claimed that the Washington Post OpEd was part of the reason Disney split with Depp and will no longer work with him on the popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Depp has claimed that he had a verbal agreement in place to get paid $22 million for the sixth film for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the franchise, but that fell apart after the OpEd came out. Disney has also announced a new Pirates film is in the works with Margot Robbie in the starring role.

Johnny Depp pIrates of the caribbean

Anger at Heard has grown as the trial has progressed, and a Change.org petition to bring Depp back into the Pirates fold has seen a new fire. In just the past few days, the petition — which was started 2 years ago — has seen more than 100,000 signatures added to it. In part, the petition reads:

Amber Heard ruined Johnny Depp’s life as well as career. Johnny Depp has always been one of the greatest actors ever since he started acting around the age of 21. This man NEVER disappoints when he makes a movie, so why continue to keep him from doing Pirates of the Caribbean?? That movie is nothing without him! Please sign this petition to help Johnny Depp get back to what he enjoys and does best. If men get ridiculed for hitting women, and lose their jobs/career, then that’s exactly what should be happening to Amber Heard. She is currently working on the 2nd Aqua-man and she should have been dropped from that movie and everything else she is working on as that is not fair to let her continue to have her life when she ruined someone else’s.

Johnny Depp deserves his life back the way it was before Amber Heard came along, because no actor or actress could ever say this man is not an amazing actor. If you were falsely accused of something you did not do, then there’s proof you didn’t do it and you still were treated like a bad person, wouldn’t you want Justice??

Pirates of the Caribbean

The trial is expected to last a few more weeks at a minimum. Depp’s testimony along lasted for nearly a month, and Heard only began her own testimony last week. While the trial seems to be improving Depp’s image, it does not seem to be helping Heard’s. According to reports, Heard’s part in the new Aquaman movie has been cut to just 10 minutes as outrage grows and fans demand she be fired from the franchise.

Tim Allen Shares First Set Photo From Disney+ Series ‘The Clauses’

A few months ago, it was announced that Disney was working on a limited series based on The Santa Clause movies. While they’re hardly considered Christmas classics, news of Tim Allen’s return as Scott Calvin/Santa Claus felt like Christmas had arrived very early.

Shortly after, it was confirmed that his co-star from The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), Elizabeth Mitchell, would also be reprising her role as Carol Newman/Mrs. Claus.

More recently, we learned that Tim Allen’s real-life daughter, 13-year-old Elizabeth Allen-Dick, had been cast as his on-screen daughter, Sandra. Now, the latest news has left us wishing the rest of the year away, seeing as the series is set to arrive on Disney+ before Christmas.

Tim Allen has taken to Twitter to share the first ever set photo from the upcoming Disney+ series, beneath a caption that reads, “Might just be a photo of Santa Claus’s office but don’t tell anyone….”. Check out Allen’s festive Twitter post below:

It sure looks like Christmas has come early, as this is clearly a shot of Santa Claus’s North Pole office, which we’ve already seen in all three The Santa Clause movies – although it looks like it’s been given a slight makeover since we last saw it in 2006 (and no doubt a good clean too).

The official title for the show is The Clauses (TBA), which makes sense given that it will focus on Scott and Carol’s family, as they struggle to raise their children, manage the unenviable task that is Christmas from the North Pole, and find an eventual replacement for Scott Calvin/Santa Claus.

Tim Allen The Santa Clause

The Clauses stars Tim Allen (Scott Calvin/Santa Claus), Elizabeth Allen-Dick (Sandra), Elizabeth Mitchell (Carol Newman/Mrs. Claus), Kal Penn (Simon Choski), Matilda Lawler (Betty), Austin Kane (Cal Calvin), Rupali Redd (Grace Choski), and Devin Bright (Noel).

The series will be directed and executive-produced by Jason Winer, who is best known for the hit US sitcom Modern Family (2009). Jack Burditt, whose name is associated with equally popular sitcoms 30 Rock (2006) and Frasier (1993), will serve as executive producer and showrunner.

Santa Claus

This isn’t the first time Disney has taken one of their own movie franchises and adapted it for Disney+ — The Mandalorian (2019), The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (2021), and Monsters at Work (2021) are just a few examples. Upcoming projects include Zootopia+ (2022).

The Santa Clause Trilogy is now available to stream on Disney+. The new series started shooting in March and is expected to begin streaming later this year.