Board accepts 2024-25 student safety report; district cites declines in confirmed HIBs and expanded prevention work

The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Board of Education voted to accept the districtannual report on violence, vandalism and harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) for the 202425 school year, as required by the New Jersey Department of Education.

At a special public hearing, Jessica Cincotta, a district administrator, said the report uses two school years of data to provide context and that the districtis reporting both incidents and the proactive programming intended to prevent harm. Cincotta said the district recorded 62 confirmed HIB incidents in 2024-25, down from 103 in 2023-24, and described several factors that she said contributed to that decline, including the stateallowance for preliminary determinations that has changed the process for distinguishing conflicts from HIB and specific SEL work in elementary schools.

Cincotta reviewed the districtdefinitions for the report categories: violence (student altercations), vandalism (property damage such as graffiti), substance incidents, and confirmed HIB. She said other categories tend to fluctuate year to year but that HIB counts showed a more marked change tied to procedural and programmatic adjustments. The presentation also cited a drop in reported substance incidents and noted the districtis maintaining targeted work through studentsassistance counselors in secondary schools.

The district described a set of preventive measures it said are in use across all schools: annual HIB training for anti-bullying specialists and administrators (September refreshers), school safety and climate teams that include students and parents, full-district school climate summits, classroom lessons provided by counselors and student assistance counselors, and pilot programs such as Second Step at the K-5 level and Wayfinder for secondary students. Cincotta also described restorative practices used after incidents, Class III police officers assigned in buildings, memoranda of agreement with municipal police departments, required drills performed twice monthly, and a partnership with Rutgers Behavioral Healthcare for mental health clinicians.

On technology and reporting, the district reported it has enhanced filtering and monitoring of district Google accounts through Gaggle and plans to introduce the Safe New Jersey reporting platform for anonymous reporting and mental-health referrals, with a community rollout planned in November.

Board members thanked staff for the comprehensive report and asked follow-up questions about parent universities and program details. A 15-minute public comment period limited to the student safety report produced no speakers. The board then voted to accept the report (motion moved and seconded during the meeting) and the motion passed.

The district presentation and board discussion emphasized that the decline in confirmed HIBs is associated with both procedural changes (preliminary determinations) and expanded SEL and prevention programming, while also noting year-to-year variability in other categories. The report, Cincotta said, is required by state regulation and is intended to combine incident reporting with documentation of trainings and prevention work.