Anti-Bullying Taken Seriously in Schools, Superintendent Says

As required by state law, Somerset Hills schools superintendent Peter Miller presented a report on violence in vandalism in all of the district's schools at Wednesday night's school board meeting for a period covering the first half of the school year.

The state previously had required each school district to give a report on an annual basis but now requires updates twice each during each school year, Miller said during his public report.

Starting last September, and continuing through Dec. 31, Miller said there were a total of eight instances of violence and vandalism in all of the district's three schools.

During that time, he said that one instance of substance abuse and one incident of harrassment, intimidation and bullying, as defined by state law, was reported at Bernards High School.

He said three incidents of violence — including two assaults and one fight — along with two instances of harrassment, intimidation and bullying, were reported at the grades 5 to 8 Bernardsville Middle School.

There was one instance of bullying reported at the Bedwell Elementary School during that time period, Miller said.

Miller said the number of incidents had declined from the previous year.

Following the meeting, he said that students are taking seriously the consequences of the state's policy on harrassment, intimidation and bullying, which went into effect throughout New Jersey's schools last year. Miller said those consequences could range from a detention to a prolonged suspension from school.