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Hopewell Valley board accepts student safety data report showing 74 suspension incidents; district highlights restorative work
Summary
The Hopewell Valley Regional Board accepted the district’s 2023–24 Student Safety Data System report, which recorded 74 suspension-related incidents and described expanded counseling, restorative circles and other prevention efforts. Public commenters asked whether declines in some categories reflect changes in consequences.
The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education voted to accept the district’s 2023–24 Student Safety Data System (SSDS) report after a presentation by district staff summarizing disciplinary trends and the district’s response.
District presenters told the board the SSDS report covers periods 1 and 2 of the 2023–24 school year and includes all incidents reported for state reporting purposes. The district said a total of 74 incidents led to disciplinary actions recorded as either in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension across buildings. Presenters noted that a single incident can produce multiple entries (for example, a student assigned both in-school and out-of-school suspension) and that the district’s thorough reporting practices can make Hopewell Valley’s counts appear higher than neighboring districts that categorize events differently.
Board members pressed staff about a persistent rise in HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) reports despite expanded programming. Presenters described measures adopted to address repeat offenses and bias incidents: increased sessions with student assistance counselors, expanded substance-abuse awareness programming during suspension time at the high school, conflict-resolution and counseling supports at the middle school, wider use of restorative circles, and behavioral threat assessments that the board has reviewed in executive session. The presenter said the district is collecting program-specific pre/post data for new character-education and Tier 2 interventions to evaluate effectiveness over time.
During the public-comment period Emil Backus, identifying himself as a Hopewell Borough resident, asked whether observed decreases in substance-related incidents could reflect a shift to detentions rather than suspensions. District staff clarified that the SSDS graphs include substance-related incidents regardless of whether a detention or suspension was assigned, and noted that the district does not treat detentions as replacements for SSDS-reportable incidents.
After the discussion a motion to accept the attached SSDS report was made and seconded; the board voted verbally in favor and approved the report. The board did not take any additional action at the meeting; staff said data and a recorded presentation are available on the district website for community review.
Next steps: district staff said they will continue to collect intervention-specific data, report updates to the board, and involve families and the community in prevention and digital-wellness efforts.
