I nstances of violence, vandalism and substance abuse became slightly more prevalent in the Freehold Regional High School District during the second half of the 2011-12 school year, Superintendent of Schools Charles Sampson reported at a recent meeting of the district’s Board of Education.
The total number of unduplicated incidents reached 164 from January to June, Sampson said. He said that number rose from 151 in the first portion of the 2011-12 school year.
“…We recognize that (students making poor decisions) is a constant issue all schools face,” Sampson said, adding that it is important to district administrators to alleviate such problems and to provide support to students who need help.
According to the report, the district saw 80 cases of substance abuse, 69 cases of violence, eight cases of vandalism, and seven cases involving a weapon from January through June.
Drugs were a topic of conversation regarding Manalapan High School earlier in the year, after media reports of several arrests of intoxicated students at the school.
“If they are caught under the influence, usually there is another underlying issue that brought us to that point,” Sampson said. “So our focus is really on what are those underlying issues, how do we rectify that, and how do we help to support that child in the most positive way possible.”
The superintendent noted that marijuana is “overwhelmingly” the drug of choice among FRHSD students. He dispelled rumors that heroin has taken district schools by storm.
Acts of violence included assaults, sex offenses, threats, fights and instances of harassment, intimidation and bullying, Sampson said.
New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act, which was enacted last year, placed more stringent requirements on school districts in dealing with alleged cases of harassment.
Administrators found that four cases met the state’s definition of harassment, intimidation and bullying in the second half of the 2011-12 school year, which was a decrease from 16 incidents in the first half of the school year.
Sampson said the district conducted a greater number of investigations in the first half of the year as well. He said that was due to the state’s initial lack of guidance on the matter.
With guidelines released in December 2011 and a broad series of internal and external training programs, district officials became more familiar with conducting such investigations and defining instances of bullying, Sampson added.
Administrators have introduced “a number of preventative programs and initiatives … that we really felt combated violence and vandalism,” Sampson said.
He touted peer leadership programs, school assemblies, the health curriculum and partnerships with local law enforcement agencies as a few examples.
The FRHSD operates high schools in Colts Neck, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro. The sending municipalities in the district are Colts Neck, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro.