Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hib Report topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board affirms one HIB finding; district reports HIB self-assessment scores and letter on inappropriate contact
Summary
The Rockaway Township Board of Education affirmed one substantiated Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) finding among several investigations and heard districtwide HIB self-assessment scores and a superintendent letter addressing increased inappropriate physical contact at Copeland Middle School.
The Rockaway Township Board of Education affirmed a board action on several HIB (Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying) determinations and heard the superintendent describe recent safety concerns at Copeland Middle School.
Superintendent Dr. Richard Corbett told the board he sent a community letter on May 6 about an increasing frequency of inappropriate physical contact at Copeland Middle School and said the letter was intended to raise awareness.
At the meeting the board considered HIB investigations and voted to affirm determinations for six case numbers. The board recorded these outcomes during roll call: case 289976 — confirmed; cases 290240, 290719, 291046, 291128 and 291431 — unconfirmed. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Missus Anderson, Missus Carrie LaRue, Miss McGeary, Missus Mezick, Miss Richardson and Dr. Thomasini; the motion carried.
Corbett presented the district’s annual school self-assessment under the Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights. He said the self-assessment is scored out of a maximum 78 points and reported these school self-scores: Birchwood Elementary School 76/78; Dwyer 75/78; Copeland Middle School 74/78; Dennis B. O’Brien (DBO) 76/78; KDM 76/78; and Stony Brook 76/78. Corbett said the instrument is a self-evaluation and that copies are available on request and on the district website.
Corbett also reported HIB counts in the district: one incident under current investigation that he said was found not substantiated; and six incidents affirmed at the meeting, of which he said five were unsubstantiated and one was substantiated involving gender identity and expression across all four statutory prongs. He described the reporting categories used in the district’s HIB review, including program and training, staff instruction, curriculum, and reporting and investigation procedures.
The board did not move to change district policy at the meeting; Corbett and board members discussed monitoring and outreach to address concerns at Copeland. No new disciplinary policy or sanctions were announced on the record.
