NEW YORK (JTA) — The American Federation of Teachers has filed an unfair labor practices complaint against the board of suburban Philadelphia’s Perelman Jewish Day School.

The complaint, issued Monday with the National Labor Relations Board, came in response to the school’s unilateral decision last month to no longer recognize its teachers union, the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent reported.

A private school that is affiliated with the Conservative movement’s Schechter Day School Network, Perelman serves more than 300 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The school leadership has defended its decision by arguing that, as a religious institution, it is exempt from the jurisdiction of the  National Labor Relations Board. The school has also said that eliminating the union, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, will improve communication between teachers and administration and will give the administration needed flexibility in hiring decisions.

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