Board reviews HIB self-assessment; superintendent addresses policy 5756 and parental concerns

District administrators presented the 2023–24 Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) self-assessment and discussed how the schools report and handle preliminary incidents, then answered extended board and public questions about reporting practices and district policy regarding transgender students (policy referenced in the meeting as "policy 5756").

Mr. Glocke Malloy (presentation lead) told the board the HIB self‑assessment is a required review of school procedures, training and reporting and that the district submits those results to the New Jersey Department of Education for review. He described how schools use a threshold assessment to decide whether an initial report proceeds to a full HIB investigation. "When you're doing the threshold assessment, the building administrator... makes the determination there," he said, explaining that some principals handle preliminary reports differently and that either approach is supported by district policy.

Board members questioned a numerical anomaly at one elementary school, noting higher counts of preliminary reports compared with other schools. Administration replied the difference often stems from the building’s choice to evaluate reports at the threshold stage rather than moving every report forward as an investigation; parents can appeal a threshold decision and request a full investigation.

During public comment a resident asked a series of curriculum and policy questions about parental rights, whether curriculum materials were posted for public review and whether policy 5756 prevented parents from being informed about a student’s gender identity. The resident asked, "Can you explain to several parents exactly how a curriculum is written, if the local board of education is responsible for writing curriculum, and what rights does a parent have over the teaching of this health curriculum to their child?"

Superintendent Dr. Matthew Labbe responded that curriculum is developed by the educators who implement it and that the board’s responsibility is to adopt curricula and policies; he said the district posts curriculum guides on the district website. He also said health curriculum is the only curriculum of the district that allows a parental opt‑out and that the district had publicly shared the proposed health guides before board adoption. "Nowhere in the policy does it state that staff members cannot tell parents about students who are having questions about their gender identity or expression," Labbe said, adding that the policy provides exceptions when school staff determine notifying a parent would place a child at risk of harm.

Several public speakers and board members framed the discussion around student safety and parental partnership. Administrators said district practice is to prioritize student well‑being and remediation regardless of whether a report meets HIB criteria, and they reiterated that HIB criteria are set by state law and administrative code. The superintendent said rescinding or revising the transgender student policy would not remove the district’s legal obligations and could expose the district to liability for failing to follow state law.

Administrators also noted district monitoring tools that generate alerts (described in the meeting as "beacon alerts") when a student’s device activity suggests self-harm risk; staff said those systems have prompted successful interventions in past cases.

The board directed administrators to review reporting practices for consistency across buildings and to provide additional data to the board; no formal policy change was proposed or adopted at the meeting.