Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB)

District Anti-Bullying Coordinator
Dr. Louis Figueroa, Assistant Superintendent, Student Activities and Services
732-613-6750
760 Route 18
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
lfigueroa@ebnet.org

The East Brunswick School District Board of Education prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying of a pupil.  A safe and civil environment in school is necessary for pupils to learn and achieve high academic standards.  Harassment, intimidation, or bullying, like other disruptive or violent behaviors, is conduct that disrupts both a pupil’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate its pupils in a safe and disciplined environment.  Since pupils learn by example, school administrators, faculty, staff and volunteers should be commended for demonstrating appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying.   

On January 5, 2011, New Jersey P.L.2010, Chapter 122, known as the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights became law. This law includes new requirements for school districts, charter schools, the New Jersey Department of Education, other state agencies, professional associations and institutions of higher education. The New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, effective September 1, 2011, provides the following Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) definition:

“Harassment, intimidation or bullying means any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents, that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristics, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or a mental, physical or sensory disability, or by any other distinguishing characteristics, that takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function, on a school bus, or off school grounds that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students and that: A reasonable person should know, under the circumstance, that the act(s) will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a student or damaging the student’s property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his person or damage to his property; or

 Has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or groups of students in such a way as to cause substantial disruption in, or substantial interference with orderly operation of the school or creates a hostile education environment at school for the student or infringes on the rights of the student at school by interfering with a student’s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student.”

School Self-Assessment for Determining Grades

Beginning with the September 2011-2012 school year, our district/schools have conscientiously implemented the requirements found in the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act by providing training through the Olweus Program, designating Anti-bullying Specialists and Safety Teams in each building, and increasing our programming in each school to address positive behavior, school climate and anti-bullying behavior. During the first two years of implementation, our district/schools have made progress in addressing and improving HIB and school climates by providing direct instruction to students as to bullying, bystander, and up stander behavior. We have increased our programming and are addressing common areas of concern based on HIB data. While completing the Self-Assessment process, we have found that our district has demonstrated strength in the areas of programming, approaches and initiatives. The Self-Assessment helped our district/school to identify areas for improvement in further utilizing our Safety Teams to analyze data and produce recommendations to address patterns and support services for victims in HIB cases. If you have any questions, please contact the school anti-bullying specialist.