It is the intent of the NJ Legislature in its January 2011 enactment of the new Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) Law to strengthen the standards and procedures for preventing, reporting, investigating, and responding to incidence of HIB of students that occur in school and off school premises.

The District prohibits all acts of harassment, intimidation or bullying. HIB is defined as any gesture, written, verbal or physical act or any electronic communication (that is, transmitted by an electronic device) whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents that:

• Is reasonably perceived as being motivated by either any actual or perceived characteristic 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 characteristic; and
• 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 circumstances, that the act 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 person or damage to property; or
• Has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students, or
• Creates a hostile educational environment for the student by interfering with a student’s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student.

A HIB complaint will be investigated promptly within the defined timeline and in adherence with the procedures set forth in the District HIB Policy.
The District HIB Policy can be accessed in full here.

Please click here for the NJ State Guidance Memo

HIB CONTACT INFORMATIONContact information for the District Bullying Coordinator and Specialists is as follows: