Implementation of the

Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act

Phyllis Prestamo – Anti-Bullying Coordinator

Grading the Implementation

According to statute the Commissioner of Education is required to develop a program to grade each public school and school district’s

efforts to implement the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (ABR)

(N.J.S.A. 18A: 17-46)

A Proactive Approach

RoxburyA Community Working Together

for Kindness, Compassion, & Respect

Informal Needs Assessment

The following was identified by our School Safety Teams at their first meetings (2011-2012)as areas we needed to address:

• Creating an environment of respect & rapport

• Promoting Community involvement and service

• Transitioning students from building to building

NJDOE – School Self AssessmentCore Elements to be Documented

1. HIB Programs, Approaches, or Other Initiatives (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-17a)

2. Training on the BOE-approved HIB Policy (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-17b & c)

3. Other Staff Instruction & Training Programs (N.J.S.A. 18A:6-112, 37-22d, 37-26a, 37-21d, 26-8.2)

4. Curriculum & Instruction on HIB and Related Information & Skills (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-29)

5. HIB Personnel (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-20a, 37-20c, 21a)

6. School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedures (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-15b(5), 37-15b(6)(a))

7. HIB Investigation Procedures (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-15b(5), (6)(a), (b))

8. HIB Reporting (N.J.S.A. 18A:17-46)

HIB Programs, Approaches, or Other Initiatives

•Elementary Schools• Assembly “Have you Filled a Bucket Today?”

• Bucket Filler Lunches• Bucket Filler Breakfasts – family opportunity

• Cary Trivanovich “Choose Character over Bullying”• Assembly “Stronger than a Bully”• Theme – “Be the Best Bucket Filler You Can Be!”• “Officer Phil”• Franklin – Early Act Club• Imbedded character Education lessons in all disciplines • Monthly Character Trait Focus – e.g., respect, responsibility,

trustworthiness…

I pledge to myself on this day,To try to be kind in every way. To every person, big and small,I will help them if they fall. When I love myself and others too,That is the best that I can do! Today, the Choice is Mine! (Author unknown)

Elementary

Franklin Early Act Club – Growing Vegetables for Social Services

Early Act working with Pre-schoolers

•Grades 5 & 6• Assembly Mark Castellano, Morris County Prosecutors Office – “Internet Safety”• “Word of the Month” – each month a different character trait• “K-Kids Club” service projects to benefit others• Cary Trivanovich “Choose Character over Bullying”• Community Senior Citizen Valentine’s Day Lunch• School Store• St Baldrick’s Event• Imbedded character Education lessons in all disciplines

•Middle School• The Night of Unity – presented by EMS Character Education Committee• Bullying & Cyber Bullying” Heidi Brotzman, Morris County Prevention is Key• Assembly “Take Control”• Anti-Bullying Pledge – “Take a Stand Against Bullying”• Project Wisdom – Daily bits of wisdom read for morning announcements• Assembly “Rachel’s Challenge• “I Can” program, Patrick Fennell, Empowerment Solutions• United Way Youth Summit• Imbedded character Education lessons in all disciplines

HIB Programs, Approaches, or Other Initiatives cont’d

Grades 5 & 6

Senior Citizen Valentine Lunch K-Kids Blankets for Social Services

L/R School Store

Good morning, Eisenhower, listen for a few words of wisdom.How many bad situations can you think of right now that would completely goaway — totally disappear — if everyone involved would show simple kindnesstoward one another?There would be no more bullying, mean-spirited teasing, hatred, or violence.Why? Because you cannot be a bully with a kind heart, and it’s impossible to besimultaneously mean-spirited and kind. With kindness, we can build each other up rather than tear each other down. Now listen to these words from writer Henry James:

“ Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. Thesecond is to be kind. The third is to be kind.”

Take some time to consider how each of us can bring a little more kindness into our world. So ask yourself this: Who at school might need a little kindness?Make it a great day . . .or not. The choice is yours.

EMS

HIB Programs, Approaches, or Other Initiatives cont’d

• High School• Assembly “Prevention is Key” Grades 9 & 10• Freshman Seminar – character education topics• Interact Club, Varsity R Club, Key Club• Peer Leadership – Freshman• “Rachel’s Challenge” and Friends of Rachel Club• Kevin Wanzer – “Choose to Love”• Grade 9 Health Curriculum

• District • Rutgers University Bullying Prevention Institute – HIB Team• October – Month of Respect “One District, One Goal, Bully & Drug Free”• United Way of Northern NJ –Youth Empowerment Alliance (YEA)/College of St. Elizabeth

• All schools (grades 3-11)completed a School Culture & Climate Survey (Spring 2012)• In-depth data review was completed and the UW /St E. Team met with all seven buildings• Attendance at School Support Network every other month• Each school was matched with a Culture & Climate Coordinator to support school’s efforts

to create a school culture that will positively affect student learning (2013-2014 school year)• “Promising Practices” Application – Character Education Partnership (March 2013)

RHS

“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same. “

--Rachel Scott

Managing

Transitions

Freshman Seminar

Student Visits & Tours

Evening Parent Orientations

Training on BOE-approved HIB Policy • 9/1/11 – Entire Staff Introduction to HIB Legislation presented by Adams,Stern,Gutierrez &

Lattiboudere (Power Point)

• 10/2/11 & 10/4/11 – Transportation , Maintenance and B & G Anti-Bullying Legislation & Guidelines presented by Phyllis Prestamo, ABC (Power Point)

• 08/2011 – New Teacher Orientation Professional Responsibilities presented by Greg McGann, Human Resources Director (Power Point)

• 08/2012 – New Teacher Orientation Professional Responsibilities presented by Phyllis Prestamo, Human Resources Manager/ABC (Power Point)

• 09/5/12 – Teachers, Administrators & Aides Promoting a Positive School Culture and Climate for Safe, Civil, Academically Challenging, and Character Building Schools presented by Dr. Maurice Elias, Director-Rutgers Social-Emotional Learning Lab (Power Point)

• 2012-2013 – Global Compliance Network ( all staff documented in summative)• Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights• General Harassment• Student to Student Hazing and Harassment• Cyber Bullying

•Ongoing: Administration – Legal One Series as required by law for all administrators

Other Staff Instruction & Training Programs

Anti-Bullying Coordinator•“Understanding & Applying the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” NJDOE (9/8/11)•District Anti-Bullying Coordinator/School Anti-Bullying Specialist Roles – NJDOE (9/21/11)•NJ School Boards – “Bullying & Harassment” (10/20/11)•Legal One – ABR 1/18/12•HIB Investigation Tracking – Genesis SIS system (2/2013)•The Essentials of HIB Investigations – NJDOE/Legal One (5/7/13)

HIB Team•Rutgers Bullying Prevention Institute / One of ten districts chosen to participate (2011-2012)•YEA – School Support Network (2011-present)•NJ Anti-Bullying Conference - keynote Commissioner Cerf (6/8/12)

Curriculum & Instruction on HIB and Related Information & Skills

• Representative lessons were collected from all buildings and from all disciplines

• Roxbury PE/Health Curriculum• Peer-to-Peer Curriculum• Educational Technology lessons on Cyber Safety/Cyber Bullying• EMS Character Education cycle• Freshman Seminar

Elementary – Curricular Connections

EMS/RHS – Curricular Connections

HIB Personnel•Phyllis Prestamo – Anti-Bullying Coordinator

• Jennifer Kenny – Anti-Bullying Specialist – RHS• School Safety Team

• Geri Esposito – Anti-Bullying Specialist - EMS• School Safety Team

• Roxanne Benbow – Anti-Bullying Specialist - LR• School Safety Team

• Gina LaCapra – Anti-Bullying Specialist - Nixon/Kennedy• School Safety Team

• Carol Pellet – Anti-Bullying Specialist - Franklin/Jefferson• School Safety Team

Meetings: 10/10/11, 12/1/11, 12/16/11, 2/9/12, 2/17/12, 10/8/12, 2/18/13, 3/26/13, 5/20/13

School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedure

•The HIB Team has created a standardized fillable Incident Reporting form.•Anyone can access this form from our website or in any school to report an alleged incident of HIB to the school principal.•Established a shared drive for all ABS’s and ABC to store all forms and resources and electronic copies of all HIB investigations.

1-855-86-BULLY

WE-TIP 24/7 Anonymous Hotline

HIB Investigation Procedure

HIB Reporting

HIB Stats – 2011-2012Unconfirmed

Incidents 9/26 10/17 11/7 11/15 11/30 12/13 12/31 1/19 2/1 3/14 4/18 5/16 6/20Yearly totals

                          Unconfirmed

PreK - 4 15 16 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 1 3 4 46

Grades 5-6 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 6

Grades 7-8 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5

Grades 9-12 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 5 3 0 0 16

Total 20 17 8 0 1 2 2 0 3 8 5 3 4 73                           

Confirmed Incidents                         Confirmed

PreK-4 1 0 0  0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 6 2 13

Grades 5-6 0 0 4  0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 2 10

Grades 7-8 2 1 0  0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 7

Grades 9-12 1 0 1  0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 7

Total 4 1 5 0 1 1 3 2 1 2 4 6 7 37

Response – faculty meeting topic: Conflict vs Bullying

HIB Stats – 2012-2013Unconfirmed

Incidents Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May JuneYearly totals

                      Unconfirmed

PreK - 4 0 5 1 0 2 8 3 1 0 20

Grades 5-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Grades 7-8 0 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 5

Grades 9-12 0 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 16

Total 0 6 7 2 4 10 5 2 2 38                     

Confirmed Incidents                   Confirmed

PreK-4 1 1 2 1 1 4 1 2 0 13

Grades 5-6 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Grades 7-8 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 5

Grades 9-12 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3

Total 1 1 4 1 2 7 2 3 0 21

So what’s next?We will continue our partnership with the

United Way of Northern New Jersey YEA/College of St. Elizabeth

Formulate action plans to address issues identified by theSchool Culture & Climate Surveys in collaboration

with the YEA Culture & Climate Coordinators

Keynote Speaker 9/3/13 Patrick Fennell, Empowerment Solutions

Questions??

Thank You!