By Heather Nicoli, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO The West Windsor-Plainsboro school Board of Education passed a dating violence at school policy at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The dating violence policy and regulations are mandated by the state Legislature for middle and high schools in New Jersey.
”Every school district must have a policy on dating violence,” said Hemant Marathe, school board president. “We don’t have a choice. We just have to do it. It will be a time-consuming process.”
The definition for dating violence is a pattern of behavior where one person threatens to use, or actually uses physical, sexual, verbal or emotional abuse to control a dating partner, according to the policy.
Patterns in dating violence can also be by digital or electronic acts, which leads to signs of an unhealthy or an abusive relationship.
School employees must report verbally to the principal any dating violence they see the day it happens.
Within a day after the act or incident, the school employee must write a report to the principal.
Every act or incident of dating violence must be documented in an appropriate manner, which includes written statements, planning actions, consequences and disciplinary measures as well as counseling and other support resources that were offered, prescribed, and/or provided to the victim or the aggressor, according to the policy.
The principal will then have to schedule a meeting with the victim and the victim’s parents and then set a meeting with the alleged aggressor and aggressor’s parents.
The principal must document all meetings and action plans that were discussed.
The principal will notify both parties in writing of the outcome or determination of the investigation.
The consequences for being the aggressor under the dating violence policy will be admonishment, temporary removal from the classroom, classroom or administration detention, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, reports to law enforcement or expulsion.
The warning signs are name calling and putdowns, extreme jealousy, making excuses, canceling or changing plans, monitoring, uncontrolled anger, isolation with friends and family, dramatic changes, injuries and, quick progression, relationship get serious very fast.

