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Midyear safety report: Northern Burlington officials cite low incident counts and promote anonymous reporting app
Summary
Northern Burlington County Regional School Distric administrators presented a midyear Student Safety Data System report on April 14, saying four incidents were submitted through December at each school and two were confirmed HIBs at each building during that period.
Northern Burlington County Regional School Distric administrators presented a midyear Student Safety Data System (SSDS) report on April 14, covering incidents recorded from September through December and describing prevention programs and reporting tools the district uses.
Dr. McCann and Dr. Kearns said the midyear figures show relatively small numbers of reported incidents for the time period. The presenters reported that, through December, four cases had been submitted to SSDS in each school and that two of those were confirmed as harassment, intimidation or bullying (HIB) incidents at each building during that reporting window.
Administrators described classroom and schoolwide prevention efforts aimed at reducing violence, bullying, vandalism and substance misuse. Middle-school programming cited included digital citizenship content in seventh-grade computer classes and PBSIS initiatives that reward students for being “ready, respectful and responsible.” High-school programming highlighted Steered Straight presentations during testing, the Drive Alive impaired-driving simulator (funded in part by senior parking fees, administrators said) and annual presentations from survivors in the “After the Fire” program.
The district also emphasized an anonymous reporting tool, the Stop It app. Administrators said students can download the app, select the district and submit anonymous reports; the district receives email and text alerts and has the capacity to message back to request more detail. Presenters said the app has helped the district address lower-level problems before they escalate, and that, in some cases, Stop It company staff alert district officials directly when submissions are judged to be urgent.
Board members asked whether midyear declines in violence or substance-abuse reports indicate a trend. Presenters cautioned the board that midyear numbers are not a full-year data set and are difficult to interpret without the complete annual report. The district said it will return with the full-year SSDS report later in the year.
No formal board action was taken during the presentation.
