Bound Brook reports fewer HIB incidents for 2023–24; district credits training, staffing and process changes

At the June 25 Bound Brook Board of Education meeting, a district staff member presented the Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) report for the 2023–24 school year and a short preview of 2024–25. The presentation showed 80 total HIB reports in 2023–24 and 57 in the more recent reporting period, the presenter said.

The presenter told the board the district has acted on state HIB guidance by expanding training and professional development, changing investigation procedures and adding staff. Among steps described: year‑long HIB policy training for specialists, targeted state specialist programs, adding two specialists at the high school, expanding multilingual guidance staff, and revised investigation procedures so a counselor does not investigate an incident involving a student on that counselor’s caseload. The presenter said weekly superintendent HIB reports reviewed by the board have helped the district identify and address repeat incidents.

Why it matters: HIB findings shape student safety planning, counseling resources and compliance with state reporting. The board voted later in the meeting to approve the HIB case resolutions for the middle and elementary schools (agenda item 15.2). That approval was moved by Mr. Dawson and seconded by Mr. Zupko and carried on roll call.

Details reported to the board include school‑level enrollment and incident counts the presenter used for context: Smalley about 450 students, CMS about 250 and Bound Brook High School about 700 (roughly 1,400 students districtwide in the grades discussed). The presenter said the district’s confirmed HIBs fell from 38 to 33 (as reported to the board), and highlighted a pronounced drop in confirmed incidents at the high school compared with the previous year (the presenter noted high school confirmed reports fell from the mid‑20s to single digits in the sample period shown).

The presenter emphasized that HIB reports are self‑reported to the state and may come from parents, staff or students. Board members asked whether the state is more concerned with total reported incidents or only confirmed incidents; the presenter answered that both matter and reiterated the district’s focus on improving the accuracy of reports and reducing unfounded reports by training staff on when an event should be logged as an HIB.

The district also flagged targeted interventions for students with multiple incidents: the presenter said two students at Smalley and one at CMS reached a threshold of three or more incidents this year; those students had individualized action plans and the district scheduled mentor meetings starting Sept. 9 to set up supports (district staff and high‑school student mentors were named as part of that plan). The presenter said no high‑school students met the three‑or‑more threshold this reporting period.

Board members and the presenter discussed reporting culture, identify‑and‑support approaches for middle‑school students (the presenter singled out grades five and six as a vulnerable window), and the role of parents in initiating reports. The presenter read a short Cherokee tale during the presentation as a framing device: "Which wolf wins? The one you feed," using that as a metaphor for reinforcing positive student behaviors through social‑emotional learning.

Next steps noted by the presenter: continued weekly superintendent reporting, ongoing specialist‑led interventions, additional multilingual counseling supports, and the September mentor meetings for students with repeated incidents. The board approved the HIB case resolutions for middle and elementary schools as item 15.2 later in the agenda.

Speakers in the discussion included the presenting district staff member (identified in the meeting only as the HIB presenter), Superintendent Dr. Freeman (participating in discussion and coordination), Acting Board President Mr. Bell (questions and roll calls) and board member Mr. Dawson (mover of the HIB approval). The board approved the HIB item on roll call; individual votes are recorded in the meeting minutes.

Ending: District staff described the numbers as evidence that the combination of staffing, training and procedural changes is reducing confirmed HIB incidents, and the board approved the related resolutions during the June 25 meeting.