Schools Assess Anti-Bullying Initiative, ‘Absolutely Meeting’ State Requirements

At his first official Board of Education meeting since taking over as Ramsey’s Superintendent earlier this month, Dr. Matthew Murphy reported to the board Wednesday that the district is successfully implementing the state’s anti-Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying law, but that there is some room for improvement.

According to Murphy, anti-bullying specialists in the district and building principals recently completed a required self-assessment of its implementation of the HIB law. The assessment will be sent to the Department of Education for review.

Out of a possible score of 75 points, the schools in Ramsey scored the following, Murphy said:

Ramsey High School – 60

Smith School – 63

Dator – 64

Hubbard – 63

Tisdale – 64

“We are absolutely meeting all of the [law’s] requirements, and exceeding them in many areas,” he reported to the board.

Though Murphy said each building was considered on an individual basis and that generalizations across the district about how to improve the numbers would be difficult to make, he did identify two areas where Ramsey schools could improve – communication, and making bullying a, “part of the everyday curriculum in a bigger way.”

In terms of communication, Murphy said the relative newness of the law is contributing to the need for more dialogue about what it is and the implications it has on the district between school officials, parents, and students.

“It’s a new law, so we need to be working with parents to make sure everyone understands what bullying is, as its defined by the state of New Jersey, vs. [peer] conflict.”

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