National Bullying Prevention Month Comes To Lacey Schools

LACEY, NJ — Schools in New Jersey have some of the toughest anti-bullying regulations in the country, under the Anti-Bullying Bill Of Rights. Schools are required to report all instances of harassment, intimidation and bullying (known as HIB incidents), and provide detailed information about their bullying statistics.

Lacey schools have been participating in initiatives this month, including the The Week of Respect from Oct. 7-11, "an annual week of awareness, education and action around harassment, intimidation and bullying in New Jersey public schools." During this week, schools across the state will provide anti-bullying education to students, as required by the state Anti-Bullying Bill Of Rights.

The Numbers

For the 2015-16 school year, which was the most recently available data, the Lacey Township School District reported one case of harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB).

The incident involved verbal and physical bullying. The offender received an in-school suspension, and the victim got individual counseling and a transfer. The district also held a conference with the victim's parents.

HIB grades are self-reported. Overall, the district gave itself a good score of 71 out of 78 for the 2017-18 school year. Each school received the following schools:

• Lacey Township High School: 76
• Cedar Creek Elementary School: 75
• Forked River Elementary School: 72
• Lacey Township Middle School: 65
• Mill Pond Elementary School: 65
• Lanoka Harbor Elementary School: 72

Initiatives

Lacey schools are participating in several anti-bullying initiatives this month, according to Assistant Superintendent Stephen J. Decker. They include:

• students take anti-bullying pledges
• speakers are holding assemblies on making good choices and treating people with respect, including youth speaker Brooks Gibbs
• some schools are doing a program called "Shout Out for Respect," where they shout out things they respect about other students
• showing morning videos pertaining to anti-bullying and respect
• a program called "Positive Stars" gives students the chance to write uplifting notes to others
• a similar helping hand display with positive messages in the hallway
• the "Wing Wall" is made from the cutouts of students hands and features positive quotes. They're laid out on the wall to display wings.
• morning announcements and lunch videos include topics of respect
• spirit week holds themes including "Stomp Out Bullying" with different types of shoes, and "Paws for Good Behaviors" to reward elementary school kids for positive actions
• class presentations by councilors include lessons on increasing positive relations and making good choices

Throughout the year, Lacey also has "responsive classrooms," where students sit in the morning and chat. The exercise focuses on social and emotional well-being, Decker says.

Bullying Around the Nation

The problem isn't isolated to just New Jersey. National statistics vary, but an aggregate of 80 different studies on bullying suggests one in five American students between 12 and 18 is bullied at some point during their middle or high school years. Traditional bullying — name calling, public humiliation, isolation, physical violence and that sort of thing — occurs most often, with 35 percent of kids reporting they've been targeted in one of those ways. The studies cited by the PACER Center, which established National Bullying Prevention Month, show that 15 percent of kids surveyed report being cyberbullied.

Among the marquee National Bullying Prevention Month activities is Unity Day, observed on Wednesday, Oct. 24, when everyone is encouraged to wear and show orange to send a message that no child should ever experience bullying.

"Orange provides a powerful, visually compelling expression of solidarity," Paula Goldberg, the executive director of the PACER Center, said in a statement. "Whether it's hundreds of individuals at a school wearing orange, store owners offering orange products or a community changing a landmark to orange, the vibrant statement becomes a conversation starter, sending the supportive, universal message that bullying is never acceptable behavior."

Here's more about Unity Day:

Laws In New Jersey

Although New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Bill Of Rights is one of the strictest anti-bullying laws in the nation, we could soon see the laws become even more stringent.

"Mallory's Law,"which aims to strengthen the current laws by forcing parental involvement, was recently approved unanimously by the State Senate.

Under the new bill, parents could face civil liabilities if they show "blatant disregard of supervising their child, [or] if their child has been judged to be delinquent of harassment or cyber harassment," a press release says, and parents would be subject to anti-bullying education classes.

The reporting and notification process for bullying incidents would be expanded: any accounts of bullying would be sent to the executive county superintendent and the parents of any students involved.

Any student found guilty of bullying would have the incident placed on their permanent record. After three proven bullying incidents, a student and their parents would be required to attend an anti-bullying training session, and law enforcement would be notified to see if any crimes were committed.

THE MENACE OF BULLIES: PATCH ADVOCACY REPORTING PROJECT

As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying.

Do you have a story to tell? Email us at bullies@patch.com, or share your views in the comment.

With reporting by Deb Belt and Katie Kausch, Patch Staff

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