Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying

1. Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying NJ State Board of Education February 2011

2. Department Activities • Policies • Regulations- delineate all the policies and procedures districts/boards of education must develop, adopt and Implement • Model policy and guidance • Monitoring-QSAC contains indicators related to district implementation of requirements

3. Department Activities (cont.) • Data Collection and Reporting • EVVRS (Electronic Violence and Vandalism Reporting System) • Districts report incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying • DOE provides training on reporting requirements • DOE reports this information to the legislature annually • NJ School Health Survey

4. Department Activities(cont.) • TA to districts, parents, and county offices • Revised the Memorandum of Agreement between Education and Law Enforcement • Included activities and resources on bullying in the guidance for Violence Awareness Week • Maintain and update Keeping Our Kids Safe and in School website • Participated on the NJ Bullying Commission

5. Current District Responsibilities • Develop and adopt policy with all required components and submit to the county office • Post the policy on the district’s website and distribute to parents • Provide notice of policy in any district publication that sets forth rules, procedures and standards

6. Current District Responsibilities(cont.) • Incorporate information regarding HIB policy into the employee training program and discuss with students • Annually report at a public hearing all acts of violence, includes HIB • Implement programs to address their major issues (code)

7. DepartmentTechnical Assistance and Training • Collaborative Trainings • NJ Department of Law and Public Safety on cyber bullying and virtual harassment • NJ Principals and Supervisors Association, NJ Law Center, NJ School Boards Association • Title IV SDFSCA Technical Assistance Project at Rutgers

8. Effective Practices • Social Norms Project-Rowan • Developing Safe and Civil Schools-Rutgers • Center for Social and Character Development-Rutgers • Intervention and Referral Service TA Project-Stockton

9. New Law • Intent to strengthen standards for preventing, reporting, investigating, and responding to incidents of bullying to reduce the risk of suicide among students • Changes the definition of HIB

10. New Definition "Harassment, intimidation or bullying" means any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents, that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory [handicap]disability, or by any other distinguishing characteristic, that takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function [or], on a school bus, or off school grounds as provided for in section 16 of P.L.2010, CHAPTER 122, that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students and that:

11. New Definition (cont.)    a.   a reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a student or damaging the student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his person or damage to his property; [or]     b.  has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students [in such a way as to cause substantial disruption in, or substantial interference with, the orderly operation of the school]; or c.   creates a hostile educationalenvironment for the student by interfering with a student’s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student.

12. Changes to District Responsibilities • Specificity in reporting and investigating complaints • Districts assigned a “grade” they must post on the home page of their websites • District must annually implement, document and assess bullying prevention programs • Training • Schools must recognize the first week in October as a “Week of Respect”

13. New District Staff Responsibilities • Assign staff to newly mandated functions • Anti-bullying specialist (school ) • Anti-bullying coordinator (district) • School Safety Team (school) • Post contact information on the web

14. Changes to DOE Responsibilities • Revise Code and NJQSAC • Revise model policy within 90 days • Include HIB data on the school report card • Revise the EVVRS to include newly required items • Report to the Legislature by 10/1 each year

15. New DOE Responsibilities • Develop formal protocol for ECS investigation and training and technical support • Establish a system to grade schools and districts in HIB • Establish a fund and offer grants, if funds are available

16. New DOE Responsibilities • Develop guidance document with the Division on Civil Rights on resolving complaints for families, students and districts • Develop in consultation with the Division on Civil Rights an on line tutorial with test • Establish workshops and trainings for anti-bullying coordinators and specialists

17. New DOE Responsibilities • Include bias intimidation in the Criminal History background check • Revise certification requirements for teachers, administrators and supervisors • Revise suicide prevention instruction • Add professional development requirement for teachers • Revise school leader training