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District reports one confirmed HIB incident and outlines multi-hour trainings and prevention programs
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Glazer summarized the twice-yearly Student Safety Data System report: one confirmed HIB incident at Valley View, no restraints or seclusions, and multiple multi-hour trainings and programs across Bayberry and Valley View to prevent harassment, intimidation and bullying.
At the Watchung Borough School District meeting on Feb. 20, Superintendent Dr. Glazer presented the district’s period-one Student Safety Data System submission to the New Jersey Department of Education, covering July 1–Dec. 31, 2024.
Dr. Glazer said the district recorded one confirmed harassment/intimidation/bullying (HIB) incident at Valley View and no confirmed incidents of violence, vandalism, substance abuse or weapons. There were no reported restraints or seclusions and no alleged HIB incidents pending investigation in this reporting period.
She described training and prevention work across both schools: Bayberry reported seven trainings, Valley View four, and one district-level entry. Trainings included multi-hour sessions such as CPI/nonviolent crisis intervention, Lifelines suicide-prevention training (a four-hour grant-supported program with Empower Somerset), Safe Schools two-hour HIB prevention instruction, anti-Semitism training provided by the Israel American Council, multilingual-learner supports, and schoolwide social-emotional programs (Responsive Classroom, Al’s Pals, Second Step).
Dr. Glazer said these are repeated, multi-touch efforts across faculty and staff and are included in the district’s reporting to the state. She directed board members to the state website for historical SDS/HIB records back to 2019 and told the board that the district’s small size (two schools) yields consistent counts but that the district monitors trends to target programming to specific patterns or repeat behaviors.
Board members asked whether trends over time are tracked; Dr. Glazer confirmed historical data are available online and suggested the board review those figures to evaluate program impact. Board members also proposed additional parent outreach strategies to support prevention efforts.
The board approved the superintendent HIB report during the action items that followed executive session.
