Ridgewood Responds to Ruling on Anti-Bullying Bill

An obscure government council on Friday . School officials in Ridgewood say they're pleased the cost burden will no longer rest squarely on local shoulders should the government act.

the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights" and in early 2011 on the grounds that forcing unfunded mandates on districts was unconstitutional.

In a 7-2 decision, the Council on Local Mandates ruled in Allamuchy's favor. The ruling requires the state either fund the bills within 60 days or four unfunded sections of the law will expire.

The Star Ledger on Friday reported those unfunded sections include the requirement that districts create a school safety team; provide counseling and related services for reported incidents; create positions such as an anti-bullying coordinator and an anti-bullying specialist; and establish bullying prevention programs for school staff, volunteers and others.

The head of gay rights group Garden State Equality, Steven Goldstein, told The Star Ledger the ruling doesn't impact the full law. The definition of bullying, he told the paper, remains, as does the timeline for handling bullying complaints. 

Officials in Ridgewood – one of a select group of five districts that passed resolutions in support of Allamuchy's stance – reiterated they still support the intent of the anti-bullying bills, which were passed in the wake of the .

"We were always in favor of the intent of the bill," said Superintendent Daniel Fishbein in an e-mail Saturday morning. "Simply[,] we were not in agreement that this was an un-funded mandate. Secondarily, to that important first disagreement is the overly prescriptive nature in which district must implement the law."

Asked how much the district has spent on costs related to anti-bullying laws, Fishbein responded that he did "not have those figures."

Village school officials have said the laws put harsh, inflexible timelines on investigating complaints of harassment, intimidation and bullying (known as "H.I.B."), but also change the nature of how principals and other school employees interact with students and parents.

"In some of those cases it did not meet the definition of H.I.B. but it did meet our code of good behavior and there are consequences for those students," , referring to some of the first reported cases. "It just didn't meet that very strict definition [of HIB]."

Board of Education President Michele Lenhard said the district was "pleased" to see Friday's ruling.

"Their decision recognizes that legislation requires consideration of the financial and staffing burdens placed on local school districts and their affect on meeting the needs of all students," Lenhard said in an e-mail to Patch. "Our hope is that the legislature will use this as an opportunity to take another look so that the intent of this law will not be lost."

Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-39) told The Star-Ledger she doesn't believe the funds will be available because of the 'economic climate.'

Though the question of funding remains, district officials say fighting bullying in the schools remains a top priority.

"As I have said in the past, HIB must be eradicated with the same vigor as the eradication of cancer, polio etc." Fishbein said.