PRINCETON AREA: Schools unfazed by unfunded mandate ruling

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   The school districts of Princeton, Montgomery and West Windsor-Plainsboro appear to not have an issue with the annual cost of implementing the state’s revamped Anti Bullying Bill of Rights.
   The Council on Local Mandates, a state panel similar to a local town council, ruled on Jan. 27 that the law that went into effect last September is an unfunded mandate and that state money should be funding its specific procedures and staffing in every school. The ruling takes effect in March.
   While some school districts spend thousands of dollars on enforcing the law, the Princeton, Montgomery and West Windsor-Plainsboro districts don’t have a money issue.
   Montgomery Director of Human Resources Russ Walsh said there were no direct costs.
   ”The way we understood the law was we were to use existing resources to comply with the requirements,” he said.
   Princeton Superintendent Judy Wilson and West Windsor-Plainsboro Guidance Director Lee McDonald said there were training expenses in implementing the law, but were unable to give an exact figure.
   Ms. Wilson said Princeton Regional Schools would seek reimbursement if the state is required to fund the schools.
   Although advocates for the law, the Princeton, Montgomery and West Windsor-Plainsboro districts are more concerned about its rigorous, time consuming constraints.
   The law requires all schools to create an anti-bullying coordinator, specialists, safety teams and bullying prevention programs. All staff members must be trained to identify, report and address harassment, intimidation and bullying incidents in a timely fashion — which adds even more responsibilities.
   Mr. Walsh estimated the district’s anti-bullying specialists spend up to 20 hours a week overseeing investigations and completing the necessary paperwork.
   ”We think the law is well intended and we are concerned to address bullying issues in schools, but the reporting aspects and time requirements make it more onerous,” he said.
   Mr. McDonald said the number one complaint of most districts is the strict process. “There are a lot of steps and it was not thought out well on how it would impact schools and staff,” he added.
   All of the districts stressed the law’s importance and agreed they would still implement the policy whether it changes.
   ”It’s not a bad idea that the law asks districts to redouble their efforts — it’s shining a light on the issue, which isn’t a bad thing,” said Mr. Walsh. “We need to keep that on the forefront.”
   Mr. McDonald stated that West Windsor-Plainsboro schools would stay committed in its efforts to eliminate bullying, regardless if the law changes.
   However, all of them hope the state modifies the terms of the law’s implementation to give schools more leeway.
   Mr. Walsh suggested that instead of focusing on paperwork and documentation, schools should spend more time on proactive programs to prevent bullying.
   ”I believe that each district knows best on who should play what roles and what processes to put in place for education, intervention, behavioral change and reporting to the authorities,” added Ms. Wilson.