Roselle Park district reports 17 HIB investigations; 10 confirmed during fall 2024 reporting period

Miss Cadugo, Roselle Park Public School District’s anti-bullying coordinator, told the Board of Education that the district opened 17 investigations of alleged harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) for the reporting period Sept. 1–Dec. 30, 2024, and that 10 of those met the criteria for confirmation under New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights standards.

The HIB report is a required submission to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). “After the completion of thorough investigations, it was determined that 10 out of the 17 cases met the criteria as set by the New Jersey Anti Bullying Bill of Rights,” Cadugo said during the board meeting. She listed the school-based anti-bullying specialists responsible for investigations: Andrea Casadoy (high school), Chelsea Murphy (middle school), Dina Mihad (Robert Gordon), Caroline Gleeson (Aldine) and Jamie Halperin (Sherman).

Why this matters: Schools must report HIB counts and the district’s self-assessment so state officials and the public can track safety and compliance. Cadugo said consequences and remedial measures vary by case and may include counseling, parent conferences, schedule changes, detentions, suspensions or police involvement if warranted. She also described districtwide programs and trainings intended to prevent bullying, from suicide prevention and “caught being kind” campaigns to content-specific staff trainings.

The district also presented self-assessment scores used to measure how each school meets the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights’ eight core elements. Those scores were previously approved by the board on Oct. 15, 2024 and were later posted to the district website after NJDOE review. Reported school scores (out of 78): Aldine 73, Robert Gordon 60, Roselle Park High School 71, Roselle Park Middle School 69, Preschool 51 (lower because the school opened in April), Sherman 71. The districtwide total was reported as 66 out of 78.

Board action: At the end of the meeting the board voted to approve the HIB incidences section of the agenda; the board recorded a roll-call vote in which trustees indicated “yes to all” for the HIB item. The agenda listed the report as agenda item 53. The district will keep the posted report on its website for the remainder of the school year.

District programs and trainings cited in Cadugo’s presentation included school-based and districtwide suicide-prevention activities, week-of-respect observances, Jodi Blanco presentations, teen mental health first aid, “Start with Hello” lessons, school safety team meetings and multiple staff trainings on bullying prevention, restorative practices, and related topics.

Ending: The board’s approval completes the board-level acknowledgement and posting requirement; the district will continue to use the self-assessment results to identify opportunities for additional training and interventions.