Transcript Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying

Harassment, Intimidation, and
Bullying
…what the new law means for school
 policies
 procedures
 stakeholders
a presentation for the Montville Township Board of Education, June 28, 2011
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“…to strengthen standards for preventing, reporting,
investigating, and responding to incidents of
bullying”*
“…to reduce the risk of suicide among students”*
*taken from the presentation “An Overview of Amendments to New Jersey Laws on Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying” which was largely adapted from materials
prepared by the Rutgers Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Project in cooperation with the NJ Department of Education
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Definition
District staff functions
Policies and procedures/regulations
Programs
Training
Reporting
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Definition
• District staff functions
• Policies and procedures/regulations
• Programs
• Training
• Reporting
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…Any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any
electronic communication
• single incident or series of incidents
• reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any
actual or perceived characteristic such as:
race
gender
color
ancestry
national origin
sexual orientation
gender identity and expression
mental, physical or sensory disability
religion
• or by any other distinguishing characteristic…
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…that takes place
on school property
at any school-sponsored function
on a school bus
off school grounds
…that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly
operation of the school or the rights of other students,
and that…
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…a reasonable person should know under the
circumstances the act will have the effect of:
 physically or emotionally harming a pupil or damaging
the pupil’s property; or
 placing a pupil in reasonable fear of physical or
emotional harm to his/her person or damage to
property; or
 insulting or demeaning any pupil or group of pupils; or
 creating a hostile educational environment for the
pupil:
 by interfering with a pupil’s education, or
 by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the
pupil
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• Definition
District staff functions
• Policies and procedures/regulations
• Programs
• Training
• Reporting
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District Anti-Bullying Coordinator
• Responsible for data collection/reporting
• Coordinates District HIB efforts
School Anti-Bullying Specialists
• Chairs school safety team
• Leads investigation of reported HIB incidents
School Safety Teams
• Develops, fosters, and maintains a positive school climate
• Receives HIB complaints/identifies patterns of HIB in school
• Principal/designee, teacher, school anti-bullying specialist, parent, others
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• Definition
• District staff functions
Policies and procedures/regulations
• Programs
• Training
• Reporting
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Policy includes:
 Statement prohibiting HIB of a student
 New definition of HIB
 Description of behavior expected from students in a
Board-approved Code of Pupil Conduct
 Consequences and appropriate remedial actions for a
person committing an act of HIB
 Includes acts of HIB by teachers or other staff towards students
 Takes into account the developmental ages of pupils, severity of
offenses, and pupils’ histories of inappropriate behaviors
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Policy includes (continued):
 Procedure for prompt reporting
 Must be reported verbally to the principal on the same day
when witnessed or reliable information received;
 May be reported anonymously—however, formal disciplinary
action is not permitted solely on the basis of an anonymous
report;
 Principal informs parents of all students involved of alleged
incident, including the availability of counseling and other
intervention services;
 Must be reported in writing to the principal within two school
days of verbal report
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Policy includes (continued):
 A procedure for prompt investigation of reports of
violations and complaints, which procedure shall, at a
minimum, provide that:
 Investigation is initiated within one school day of verbal report;
 Investigation is conducted by the anti-bullying specialist (and
additional people at principal’s discretion);
 Investigation is completed no later than 10 days from date of
written report;
 Reports may come from Board of Education members, school
employees, contracted service providers, students, or
volunteers
 May report to any school administrator
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Policy includes (continued):
 An investigation procedure outlining reporting of results,
consequences (if appropriate), procedures to be followed
if a hearing or appeal is desired.
 The range of ways in which a school will respond when
an incident of HIB is identified, which shall be defined by
the principal in conjunction with the anti-bullying
specialist, but shall include an appropriate combination
of counseling, support services, intervention services,
and other programs, including responses for incidents
that may occur off school grounds.
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Policy includes (continued):
 A statement prohibiting reprisal or retaliation
against any person for reporting
 A link to the policy on the homepage of the
District’s website
 Annual distribution of policy to parents and
guardians
 Stakeholder input into policy
 Contact information for the District Anti-Bullying
Coordinator and School Anti-Bullying Specialists
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• Definition
• District staff functions
• Policies and procedures/regulations
Programs
• Training
• Reporting
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• Bullying prevention programs must be established,
implemented, documented, and assessed annually
– To help create school-wide conditions to prevent and
address HIB
• “Week of Respect”—first Monday in October
– Observed by providing age-appropriate instruction
focused on preventing HIB and continued throughout
the school year in accordance with the CCCS
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• Definition
• District staff functions
• Policies and procedures/regulations
• Programs
Training
• Reporting
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• “Bullying Prevention Fund” created by DOE to offer training
grants to districts—NOT YET ESTABLISHED
• Training must be provided for:
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Board members
School leaders
Prospective school leaders
Teachers
Prospective teachers
Staff
Volunteers who have significant contact with students
Persons contracted by the District to provide services to students
Anti-Bullying Coordinators and Specialists
NJDOE website tutorial
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• Definition
• District staff functions
• Policies and procedures/regulations
• Programs
• Training
Reporting
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• School Report Cards: number and nature of all reports
• Two public hearings:
– Between 9/1 and 1/1 and between 1/1 and 6/30
• Disaggregated data to include:
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Status of all investigations
Nature of the bullying
Names of the investigators
Other non-disciplinary measures imposed
Training conducted or programs implemented to reduce HIB
• Link to report on District website
• Superintendent reports to DOE; DOE reports to Senate
and Assembly
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This presentation and the accompanying “Pocket Guide” was compiled with
information from the following resources:
“An Overview of Amendments to New Jersey Laws on Harassment, Intimidation and
Bullying”—presented in Hunterdon County, June 2011, and adapted from the Rutgers
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Project in cooperation with the NJ
Department of Education as shared by Robert Riehs, Education Specialist, Hunterdon
County
Strauss-Esmay Associates’ 26th Annual Educational Policy and School Law Seminar,
“Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act,” presentation by Cindy Herrick on June 10, 2011
Presentation by Morris County School Boards Association, March 3, 2011
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