Colts Neck Township Receives $1,594 in Anti-Bullying Funding

More than 370 districts received more funding for anti-bullying programs last week, including $1,594 for the Colts Neck Township K-8 District.

The state awarded some requesting school districts minor funding for the programs. Last week, $1 million was awarded, but according to NJ Spotlight, $5 million was requested.

The state list of funding shows districts were allocated anywhere from $36 in Haledon Boro in Passaic County to over $38,000 in Camden City.

The new anti-bullying law went into effect in September. According to the state website, this Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act is meant to "support the prevention, remediation and reporting" of HIB (Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying) in state schools. However, the State Council on Local Mandates ruled on January 27 of this year that the  because it neglected to provide funding for districts to satisfy the new rules. The ruling would go into effect after 60 days if the state did not find this funding.

School districts had to apply for these financial awards no later than May 11, and according to a memo sent out to chief school administrators, applications had to include "justification for HIB prevention costs."

Funding requests come from districts when anti-bullying programs mandated by the state require money to run, for teacher training and hiring specialists to oversee programs.

Colts Neck Township employs a trained Anti-Bullying Coordinator and three trained Anti-Bullying Specialists, according to its website. The district also uses a form mandated by the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, which needs to be completed before beginning an investigation into a case of harassment or bullying.

Of the 24 Monmouth County districts that received funding, Howell received the highest amount with $14,606 and is the only district in the county to have been given more than $10,000. Union Beach and Keyport Borough school districts are tied for the lowest funding received with $265 each.

Continue to NJ Spotlight to find out how New Jersey ran out of cash to find anti-bullying programs.