District reviews HIB self‑assessment, underscores online reporting and staff training

The Lawrence Township Public School District presented its annual Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights (HIB) self‑assessment and described prevention programs and reporting procedures during the board meeting.

The district’s HIB presentation, led by Dr. Allison Fisher, director of school counseling and supports, summarized the law’s scope and the district’s work to prevent, report and investigate incidents. "The purpose of it is to strengthen our standards at which we prevent, report, and investigate all incidents of bullying," Dr. Fisher said. She told the board the district uses an online HIB reporting form, saying, "Our HIB form known as Form 338 is available on all of our school websites as well as the district home site."

Why it matters: the Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights establishes definitions and procedures that affect discipline, student supports and reporting obligations across the district. The presentation framed the self‑assessment as a compliance and continuous‑improvement checklist that drives training, programming and building‑level prevention efforts.

Most substantive details: Dr. Fisher described the district rubric used by each building to rate compliance and programming and listed multiple trainings and initiatives in use across schools, including restorative practices, suicide‑prevention training, mental health first aid, Orton‑Gillingham instruction ties for early grades, and specialized HIB‑investigator and school‑safety training. She said each building has an appointed HIB coordinator and that online reports are routed by email to the building HIB coordinator, the director, and the principal.

The presentation included numeric details from the self‑assessment process but also inconsistent rubric values in the same briefing (the presentation referenced a minimum score of 52 and a total possible score of 70, and later mentioned a maximum of 78). Dr. Fisher summarized those as part of the district’s internal scoring process and identified the online reporting workflow as the operational mechanism for handling allegations.

Board members asked clarifying questions after the presentation about coordination of trainings and how reports are handled; the district said it will continue training HIB coordinators and calibrating investigations across buildings. There was no motion or formal board action on the item; it was a required annual presentation and informational update.

The board acknowledged the presentation and thanked Dr. Fisher and the counseling team. The district indicated ongoing reviews of practice and additional training as needed.