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District presents 2023–24 Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights self‑assessment and programs to board
Summary
Pascack Valley Regional High School District staff presented the district’s 2023–24 Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights self‑assessment, explained the state scoring system and outlined programs focused on underclassmen, training and tracking tools used to monitor harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB).
The Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education on May 19 received the district’s 2023–24 Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights self‑assessment results and a summary of programs and training the district uses to prevent harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB).
Dr. Sean Strances, the district’s anti‑bullying coordinator, told the board that the New Jersey Department of Education verified the district’s self‑assessment and that the maximum possible score on the measure is 78. "To place these scores into perspective, I think it's helpful to know that the maximum score is a score of 78," he said, explaining the assessment’s structure: eight core elements, 26 indicators and a 0–3 scoring scale where 0 means a school did not meet the expectations and 3 means it exceeded expectations.
Why it matters: the self‑assessment is a statewide compliance and improvement tool that the Department of Education uses to evaluate how schools identify, investigate and respond to HIB incidents. Dr. Strances said the school safety teams at Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley — led by anti‑bullying specialists and including administrators, students, staff, parents and community members — complete the self‑assessment annually and submit it to the state in July; the state then verifies the submissions twice, in January and then again in late June or July.
District programming described to the board focused heavily on underclassmen, where the district’s data show a concentration of incidents. Examples cited by Dr. Strances include freshman class meetings, orientation activities, the "science of suicide" curriculum, in‑class "healing space" sessions for freshmen and sophomores that covered healthy relationships and digital safety, and a Partnership for Change program addressing teen dating and safety planning. The district also expands activities such as Weeks of Respect, World Cultures Day and Wellness Week and works to connect students to co‑curricular clubs and mentors.
On staff training and tools, Dr. Strances said the district provides annual SafeSchools online training on harassment, intimidation, bullying and bias; sends anti‑bullying specialists and administrators to professional development through policy consultants (identified in remarks as Strauss Esmay); and uses the software "Hipster" to log and track incidents and identify trends by grade and location.
Dr. Strances summarized the district’s approach as intentional and data‑driven: "The majority of our focus has been with our underclassmen in grades 9 and 10. The reason behind that is we look at the data and we look at the trends." He added that the activities and programs implemented in 2024–25 "continue to be in place and will be expanded on over the course of the summer and throughout the next school year." School safety teams will reassess at the end of the year and make further recommendations.
The presentation outlined the mechanics of the self‑assessment and evidence requirements but did not include specific school scores in the public remarks recorded in the meeting transcript. Board members and the public were given an overview of programs, training and monitoring tools the district uses to meet HIB requirements.
