Board reviews harassment, intimidation and bullying report showing 112 confirmed cases in reporting period

At a statutorily required public hearing, the superintendent reported HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) investigation totals and outcome data for the reporting period and since the last board meeting.

The superintendent said that between the last board meeting and Dec. 9 staff completed 33 investigations, 12 of which were found to be HIB under New Jersey law, and listed services provided to students including counseling, skill‑based lessons, referrals for outpatient mental health treatment, administrative counseling, in‑school and out‑of‑school suspension and changes of school placement. The superintendent said those measures have included 14 skill‑development lessons, 26 counseling sessions, 11 behavioral interventions, 13 out‑of‑school suspensions and ongoing monitoring in several cases.

For the statutory reporting period Jan. 1–June 30, 2025, the superintendent reported 299 completed investigations and 112 confirmed HIB cases. The report included breakdowns by alleged motivation and by disciplinary outcome: examples given were incidents based on race/ethnicity, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability, with incidents described as verbal, physical and electronic. The administration also described training provided to anti‑bullying specialists, counselors and new administrators and said staff follow the State’s required training schedule.

Board members received the investigation summaries prior to voting on the superintendent’s findings as required by NJSA 18A and related board policy; the superintendent said the summaries were provided for members’ review and that the board would issue written affirmation, rejection or modification of superintendent decisions at the next regularly scheduled meeting when required.