Board hears HIB and safety data; approves 2024–25 self‑assessment under Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights Act

Laura Kaplan, the district director of counseling and anti‑bullying coordinator, presented the Student Safety Data System report for incidents occurring Jan. 1–June 30, 2025, and summarized building self‑assessment results required by state law.

Kaplan explained the reporting categories the district must submit — including instances of violence, vandalism, substance incidents, removals for code‑of‑conduct behaviors, and harassment/intimidation/bullying (HIB). She said the district reports both investigated allegations and those affirmed under the HIB standard, and that principals investigate every claim.

Why it matters: the Student Safety Data System and the school self‑assessment are mandated reporting items. Their findings influence prevention programming, staff training and remediation plans, and they are part of the district’s compliance with the state Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights Act.

Key points

- Reporting and remediation: Kaplan said remediation steps range from parent contact to suspension; multiple remediations may be used for a single confirmed HIB case. She emphasized confirmed HIB responses are aligned with how the district handles code‑of‑conduct incidents.

- Prevention and training: the district provides annual staff training as required, suicide prevention training, restorative practices in many buildings, advisory and peer leadership programming, and community events tied to social‑emotional learning.

- Building self‑assessments: the district scored well on the required self assessment. Out of a possible 78 points across the eight core elements, the reported totals were 76 (primary/elementary), 75 (middle), and 73 (high school). Kaplan said these scores indicate the district “meets or exceeds” the required indicators; the self‑assessment will be submitted to the state.

Board actions

- The board voted to close the public hearing portion of the meeting and then voted to approve the 2024–25 school self‑assessment for determining grades under the Anti‑Bullying Bill of Rights Act (motion carried on roll call; members recorded as voting yes). Later in the meeting the board voted to accept the superintendent’s recommendations related to suspensions and HIB investigation outcomes for the period Sept. 2–Sept. 30, 2025 (motion carried).

Attribution

Kaplan led the HIB presentation and answered detailed questions about investigation processes and remediation. Superintendent Scott Huff and board members asked clarifying questions and conducted the votes recorded on the agenda.

Provenance

This article is based on Kaplan’s presentation beginning at 62:48 and the subsequent discussion and roll calls recorded during the consent agenda.