Union Township Board affirms HIB finding, directs administration to issue written decision

The Union Township Board of Education on Dec. 22 affirmed the administration's finding that an incident met the statutory definition of harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) and directed the administration to provide the parents with a formal written decision and notice of appeal rights.

The action followed a closed-session HIB appeal. President Cortney Dominianni moved to adopt the resolution, and Amelia Lamonde seconded. The motion read in part that "the Board affirms the administration's findings because the statutory definition of HIB has been met and further directs the administration to provide the parents with a formal written decision and appeal rights, as required by law." The board carried the motion; the minutes record six affirmative votes and three absences.

Board materials and the public meeting notice specify the board entered closed session under the Open Public Meetings Act (N.J.S.A. 10:4-12) to discuss a confidential pupil matter. The district did not disclose identifying information about the pupil in the minutes; the board said the closed-session matter would be made public when confidentiality no longer applies.

During the public-comment period before the closed session, a parent asked whether a pupil's disability is taken into consideration during an HIB investigation; the minutes record the question but do not record an immediate response or the administration's explanation. The board's resolution directs the administration to provide the parents a formal written decision and to advise them of their appeal rights under applicable law.

The board did not provide further details about the underlying incident in the meeting record. Next steps listed in the minutes: the administration is to issue the written decision to the parents and any statutorily required appeal information; timing for any public release of additional information was not specified.