JAMESBURG — Students in the borough’s schools are benefiting from the state’s new anti-bullying law, according to school officials.
Superintendent of Schools Gail S. Verona said during her April 26 annual report on violence, vandalism and substance abuse that the district had a total of 14 reported cases of violence and vandalism in the schools, and 11 of those were determined to be harassment, intimidation or bullying (HIB).
Verona previously reported 22 overall incidents in the 2010-11 school year and 23 in 2009-10.
At John F. Kennedy Elementary School, seven of the eight reported instances of violence constituted HIB. There were no cases of vandalism, weapons possession or substance abuse, Verona said.
There were fewer instances of violence at the Grace M. Breckwedel Middle School. Five of the six cases of violence were determined to be HIB. There was one case of vandalism, and no reported instances of weapons possession or substance abuse.
The incidents reported occurred between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011.
Verona also provided a summary of the anti-bullying training given to school personnel and administrators in the spring, summer and fall of 2011.
After the April 26 meeting, Verona said that despite initial implementation difficulties, the new anti-bullying policies are working.
“I think it’s been highly effective. We have had [fewer] occurrences,” Verona said. “The people that I work with are investigating it in a very ethical fashion.”
She said one particular hurdle was adapting to the new definition of bullying.
“The identification of bullying has become clearer. At the beginning of this new initiative, bullying was defined as what we always thought it to be — the old schoolyard bullying type,” she said. “Now, it has to be under the umbrella of the official definition. It’s more of a legal definition.”
The renewed attention brought to the issue of bullying has also been a positive development, Verona said.
“I think the bullying issue is so serious that even though it is an initiative that requires a lot of personnel, time and effort, it is well worth it,” Verona said. “The kids and parents are recognizing the seriousness, and I think we’ve seen improvement because there’s an awareness.”
During the public comment portion, a parent complained about repeated verbal bullying of her son, a student in the district. According to the parent, the bullying has occurred over several years, and that her son was seated next to the alleged bully during recent New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) testing. She suggested the alleged bully’s presence likely had a negative impact on his performance on the test. The parent also alleged that the district was not investigating the most recent incidents.
Verona said she believed there was a miscommunication between the parent and the district’s anti-bullying coordinator, and encouraged the parent, who had previously made an appointment, to reach out to facilitate a meeting sooner.