Maranzano: New Anti-Bullying Law Could Burden Hopatcong Schools

New Jersey schools implemented what many consider the nation's toughest anti-bullying law this month.

And while Hopatcong schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano said the law is well-intentioned, it could become a weight on smaller, less troubled school districts like the borough's.

"We're going into a new school year with a new focus on bullying, which is a healthy thing," Maranzano said. "But we do the kinds of things [the new law] asks us to do every day without the burden … this regulation has put on school districts."

The state's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, which followed a former Rutgers University freshman's highly-publicized suicide last year among other issues, forces schools to fight bullying, intimidation and harassment—even if some cases occur off school grounds or online. Ridgewood native Tyler Clemente jumped off the George Washington Bridge last year when his roomate, police said, watched Clementi on a webcam in an intimate encounter with another man.

The law requires school officials follow a procedure for addressing and investigating possible bullying. Each district assigns an anti-bullying coordinator while each school must name an anti-bullying specialist and a school safety committee.

Hopatcong's anti-bullying coordinator, Curriculum Supervisor William Roca, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Also, the law provides no additional funding.

Maranzano said the law won't change Hopatcong's stance on bullying. Only 12 percent of Hopatcong students were suspended in the 2009-2010 school year compared to the state school district average of 14, according to Department of Education data. In 2008-2009, 6 percent were suspended compared a state school district average of 14.

"In practice, it's not going to change the way we approaching bullying from a philosophical perspective," he said. "Because we've always handled cases of bullying. We've never swept them under the carpet or ignored a child in need."

But Maranzano said the processes the new law implements could become cumbersome and overbearing.

Maranazno said Hopatcong schools have defined bullying as "a persistent continuum of incidents, not a single incident." But Maranzano said the new law forces schools to document and check on every reported incident, burdening staff and creating a lengthy paper trail. Hopatcong has five school buildings.

"Look at the personnel you're going to have to employ part of the week to deal with or focus on bullying protocols," he said. "Suddenly you're talking about a substantial chunk of time dedicated to solving a problem that" isn't as prevalent in all school districts compared to others.

"So you're got a myriad of regulations, a paper trail that's a mile and a half long, but not a dime to help out with that, not one cent dedicated toward that extra attention you're goingto have to give to the issue that's been defined as bullying," Maranzano said.

The borough schools head also said there are a couple of sticky points within the law.

The law said parents of the students involved in a bullying should be provided with information on the investigation, evidence and disciplinary actions regarding the case. Maranzano said that goes against the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.

"If you look at [FERPA], you're not to reveal what discipline has been imposed on a certain student because it infringes on their privacy rights," he said. "The regulations suggest that you reveal the action. The courts says you don't."

Maranzano also said policing incidents that occur off school grounds—and especially on the Internet—will be difficult.

"What if a kid harasses somebody online at home on the weekend?" he said. "It suddenly becomes the school's responsibility to take action."

Maranzano said that doesn't jibe with court rulings.

"The regulation says we're almost de facto parents now," he said, "and that you are responsible for these kids off school grounds. The courts have consistently said no."

Maranzano said since the state revised the new regulations days before the start of school, it could take Hopatcong up to two months to fully implement the law.

"But that doesn't mean we're going to ignore any cases of bullying," he said. "We're just getting the process in place.