Mount Olive board hears student-safety SSDS report as parents press for transparency on HIB cases

At a recent meeting of the Mount Olive Township School District Board of Education, Jackie Bello, director of student support services and programming, delivered the district's semiannual SSDS (student safety data system) report covering January through June 2025 and outlined prevention programs and the HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) investigation and appeals process. "So the reporting period I will deliver on tonight is from January 2025 through June 2025," Bello said as she began the presentation.

The report distinguished between the SSDS incident total and category-specific counts for violence, vandalism, weapons and substance incidents, and described how HIB allegations are recorded as "alleged" and later as "confirmed" if investigations find they meet the statutory definition. Bello explained the system’s guidance on what qualifies as a fight or other serious incident and emphasized district work on both response and prevention: character-education programs, "kindness ambassadors" in elementary schools, teen mental health first-aid at the high school, regular staff trainings and parent-facing sessions led by outside experts such as attorney David Nash.

Board members pressed for location-level detail in the data. One member asked where HIBs were occurring; Bello said the district runs a "hot spot locator" report and reviews that information in school-climate and safety meetings. A staff member also described school-level changes intended to reduce unstructured conflicts, including moving staff to hallways and stairways during passing times, installing hallway-monitor stands, and using SmartPass to track student movement to limit unsupervised interactions. "It's called a hot spot locator," Bello said, describing the report the district uses.

During public comment, resident Tim Capone asked whether the district's HIB totals fall when reports are not investigated and what happens to reports the district opts not to pursue. "Are the HIB numbers lower when you choose not to investigate a reported HIB?" he asked. The board and administration responded that reported concerns are investigated and that even incidents not deemed founded as HIB can result in code-of-conduct consequences, counseling or restorative practices; parents may also appeal HIB findings to the board and beyond to an administrative hearing and the Commissioner of Education.

Capone also pressed the district on transparency and public records, asking whether FERPA (the federal student-privacy law) is being cited to deny parents access to budget information or staff schedules. He described prior public-records interactions that included redactions and fees and asked whether the auditor's presentation will allow public questions. Board members stated they would respond where appropriate but also cautioned about staff safety and confidentiality when discussing personnel locations on the record.

The board took routine procedural actions during the meeting. It recessed into a confidential session to discuss negotiations, personnel, attorney-client matters, anticipated litigation and confidential pupil and real-estate matters, and later returned to public session. The board approved agenda items 7.1 through 11.1 on a roll-call vote with multiple "Yes" votes recorded and one member noting an abstention on matters involving Christian Humphrey and special education.

The meeting also featured reports from student liaisons on recent honor-society inductions, a trade fair that drew vendors and approximately 300 students, college-application activity, and upcoming performances and athletics events; a parent-advisory representative and a special-education committee member summarized outreach, assistive-technology resources and transition planning for students with IEPs. The board closed with member remarks and Thanksgiving greetings and then adjourned.

What happens next: board members said parents may pursue appeals through the district and, if needed, to administrative channels; the district will continue regular SSDS reporting and school-climate reviews, and the administration agreed to follow up on questions about auditor presentation logistics and public-record processes.