Board hears 2023-24 HIB self-assessment: district average 70, 25 cases founded

The Elizabeth Board of Education on June 11 heard a presentation on the district's 2023-24 Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) self-assessment from district presenter Mr. Donado.

Mr. Donado told the board that the state approved the district's submission on May 7 and described the NJ rubric (eight core elements and 26 indicators scored 0'). "Our district average score was 70, up from 68 during our last reporting period," he said, and noted the state benchmark to "meet expectations" was 52.

The presentation said every school completes a self-assessment and that school-level scores are published on each school's web page. The district reported completing 61 HIB investigations for the reporting period; 25 of those were found to meet the statutory HIB definition, with identified bases including race, national origin, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability and other identifying characteristics. The superintendent and staff listed corrective actions and services provided: counseling sessions, parent conferences, in-school interventions, out-of-school suspensions, referrals to outside agencies and changes in classroom or school placement where appropriate.

Under New Jersey law the board must, at the next regularly scheduled meeting after receiving initial investigation reports, issue a written decision to affirm, reject or modify the superintendent's determinations for the 25 cases reported at the prior meeting. At the June 11 session the board received the summaries and supporting documentation; the record does not show the board issuing those written determinations during the public portion of this meeting.

The presentation flagged priorities going forward: targeted improvement driven by school assessments, increased parental involvement on school safety teams, enhanced training for team members and expansion of SEAL and character education programming.