School Climate & Safety

N.J. Schools Brace for Anti-Bullying Rules’ Impact

By Alexandra Rice — September 13, 2011 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Supporters of New Jersey’s newly amended anti-bullying law say it will create a tough safety net for students who had been afraid to go to school because of continued bullying, even as administrators and others brace for the impact from increased reporting requirements.

The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act, which went into effect Sept. 1, includes several key changes to the previous law, particularly by addressing incidents that occur off school grounds, holding educators responsible for reporting all instances of bullying, and appointing an anti-bullying specialist at each school.

Under the new law, educators and school officials will be trained in bullying prevention and intervention and will be responsible for reporting instances of harassment, intimidation, and bullying to the school’s principal. Each school will be graded by the state on its progress, and all grades will be posted on schools’ websites.

If a principal fails to recognize or handle any incident both sufficiently and within the time frame, he or she may be subject to disciplinary action.

“We did this because some incidents were not being addressed, and we feel by addressing an issue promptly, we can handle it before it gets out of hand,” said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, a Democrat and one of the sponsors of the bill.

But some school administrators have expressed concern about the costs of implementing the new measure and the possibility of overpolicing students.

To help eliminate overhead costs, the law suggests administrators name guidance counselors and psychologists already employed at the schools as the anti-bullying specialists, but some think that approach will stretch already-thin resources.

“Not every incident will be bullying, but there will be a tendency to want to report it just in case,” Richard Bozza, the executive director of the New Jersey School Administrators Association, said in a prepared statement.

The new law came on the heels of public outcry over the suicide last year of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, whose roommate videotaped him having a sexual encounter with a man. The roommate was indicted on hate-crime charges.

The measure requires any adult working in a school who notices an incident of bullying to orally report it to the principal that same day, and a written report detailing the incident must be made to the principal within two days of the occurrence. Parents of all students involved will also be notified within that time frame.

Although the responsibility of reporting any incidents will fall mainly on the shoulders of teachers, it will also be the job of adult volunteers working in the schools, contracted service providers, and other school staff members.

Guidance Offered

Allison Kobus, a New Jersey education department spokeswoman, said the agency sent out a model policy and guidance for districts, but she said it was not up to the department to interpret the language of the law.

As for how to differentiate between child’s play and bullying, the law states: “It is through explanation, dialogue, and skill-building among students and staff that the school district can clearly distinguish, for example, ‘friendly teasing’ and ‘rough and tumble play’ from [harassment, intimidation, bullying].”

But Marcus Rayner, the executive director of the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance, a Trenton-based tort-reform advocacy organization, said the law puts tremendous responsibility on educators and could put them on the defensive in dealing with behavioral problems in the classroom.

“I think all our educators want to address bullying, but this law is so intricate and detailed and creates so much responsibility for teachers,” Mr. Rayner said. “There are so many ways they can make inadvertent or honest mistakes while trying to do the right thing.”

Ms. Huttle, however, insists tough policies are necessary.

“In the 21st century, there’s Facebook and Twitter and cellphones,” she said. “So bullying doesn’t stop at 3 o’clock, and neither should a school’s authority.”

A version of this article appeared in the September 14, 2011 edition of Education Week as N.J. Schools Brace for Impact of Tougher Anti-Bullying Rules

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Teachers Agree on Most School Safety Issues, Except Guns
Teachers agree on their schools' top safety concerns, but they're divided over a policy that's extensively debated after school shootings.
4 min read
Teachers and other staff members from the Clifton, Texas, school district undergo handgun training at a shooting range just outside of Clifton. Instructors from Big Iron Concealed Handgun Training in Waco, Texas, were giving teachers tips on what they need to know to earn a license to carry weapons out of sight.
Teachers and other staff members from the Clifton, Texas, school district undergo handgun training at a shooting range just outside of Clifton in 2013. Instructors from Big Iron Concealed Handgun Training in Waco, Texas, were giving teachers tips on what they need to know to earn a license to carry weapons out of sight.
Lance Rosenfield/Prime for Education Week
School Climate & Safety It's Not ChatGPT That's the Problem. It's Binary Thinking
A lot of either-or arguments have been playing out in K-12 education over the past few years.
2 min read
051023 Lead Sym Lauraine jb BS
Chris Ferenzi for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Drivers Illegally Pass Buses 42 Million Times a Year. What Schools Can Do
A handful of students are killed each year getting on and off school buses. Schools can take some steps to try to make a difference.
6 min read
Crime scene tape cordons off a school bus as police officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and Columbus Police Department investigate a hit and run involving a student and a vehicle at a bus stop on South Gladstone Avenue in Columbus, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2021.
Crime scene tape cordons off a school bus as police officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and Columbus Police Department investigate a hit-and-run involving a student and a vehicle at a bus stop on South Gladstone Avenue in Columbus, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2021. About eight students per year are killed boarding or getting off of school buses.
Mike Wolanin/The Republic via AP
School Climate & Safety Uvalde Victim's Mother Perseveres Through Teaching, Connecting With Daughter's Memory
Veronica Mata says she sometimes steps outside her classroom to collect herself or talk out her grief.
6 min read
Veronica Mata visits the gravesite of her daugher, Tess, in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. For Mata, teaching kindergarten in Uvalde after her daughter was among the 19 students who were fatally shot at Robb Elementary School became a year of grieving for her own child while trying to keep 20 others safe. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)