District Says it Stands Tall in Meeting New Anti-Bullying Law Requirements

The Ridgewood Board of Education says it's in good shape in meeting all of the in its schools.

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Regina Botsford reported to the school board on Monday night that the district has designated and trained all the personnel that will now be on point when bullying issues arise at the village's schools.

Much of the Monday discussion centered on the definitions requiring action be taken, Botsford said.

"Harassment, intimidation or bullying can be a single incident or a series of incidences," which she said is a change from previous mandates. Additionally, Botsford said, "It must be perceived as being motivated by either actual or perceived characteristics" for investigations to be triggered. The incident can occur on either school property or at any school function on or off school grounds.

"So you can see it's a much broader definition than what it used to be," she remarked.

School officials variously said the new mandates were made "for all the right reasons" but stressed that it comes at a financial toll, as they are unfunded.

The bill passed in recent months, which was spurred by an international reaction to the death of Tyler Clementi, a recent RHS graduate who had allegedly been bullied by his Rutgers roommate.

The when the parents of one former student said their son was 'outed' by a teacher and similarly was harassed by both teachers and students. The district denied the credibility of the accounts and claimed the investigation was proper and thorough, though David Zimmer, the father of the student, said it was "preposterous" that a district should investigate itself.

The Zimmers appealed the case to the state, which is currently being handled by the New Jersey Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General's office.

Ridgewood schools also hosted a series of anti-bullying speakers over the past school year and held workshops to educate students, particularly those in the middle schools, where many experts believe such behavior really takes shape.

The mandates are effective for this upcoming school year.

Botsford said that all of the staff assigned to carry out the mandates have already received training and additional staff hve also gone through training to ensure that there's a backup.
However, Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein said that sort of implementation wouldn't be the tricky part.

"I don't believe implementation of programs will be an issue, it's investigating incidents" that will be challenging, he said.

"The debate now is the anti-bullying specialist in the building – do they conduct the investigation by asking questions or do they conduct it by saying 'you and you' [do the conducting]? So that's the level of confusion that's out there right now."

The anti-bullying 'specialists' will be working in concert with building principals to share the particulars of the requirements before the end of the school year.

All administrators, similarly, have undertaken two hours of training and are currently developing reporting forms. A parent/teacher committee has also been formed to offer another set of eyes and ears; that committee will soon be meeting with district representatives.

The new policy will be in place for the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year and the various anti-bullying 'specialists' will have contact information on the website.

Officials also cautioned that the procedures could impact the relationship parents have with administrators and particularly, building principals. The district would be required to take action if there is any credible report that suggests wrongdoings have been committed.

"You can't tell us about something that's happened to your child just to inform us," Fishbein said. "I don't want it to change the relationship parents have with building administrators but once they hear that, it is a possibility."

A parent has the right to appeal to the school board for a hearing, just as a suspension would.

While the change certainly has sweeping impacts in terms of procedures, it doesn't diminish the strength of the clubs and peer leadership committees already in formation at the schools, Board President Michele Lenhard said.

Still, she concluded, things are different: "It's a change we're all going to have to get used to."