‘No Place For Hate’: Montclair Schools Will Join Anti-Bias Program

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Montclair Public School District. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Montclair High School, Renaissance Middle School, and Glenfield Middle School will participate in the Anti-Defamation League’s "No Place For Hate" anti-bias and anti-bullying training program beginning next fall.

The district’s other middle school, Buzz Aldrin, is currently participating in the initiative.

The free program will require each of the schools to assemble a student-led committee overseeing a year-long effort — with ADL's support and resources — whose steps include encouraging fellow students to sign a pledge to fight bigotry and bullying, conducting an extensive school climate survey, and, based on the needs of the school, planning three schoolwide interactive events over the course of the year.

One of Buzz’s events, for example, involved more than 450 students creating a large paper flower with each petal bearing a student’s name and the part of the ADL pledge that most resonated with them (see below).

Schools that complete the requirements are designated by the ADL as a national "No School for Hate." More than 1,800 schools across the nation have participated in the initiative, according to the ADL.

“I am thrilled by the fact that our three middle schools and our high school will have all gone through this rigorous training, which is acknowledged as one of the most effective school-based anti-bias and anti-bullying programs in the country,” Superintendent Jonathan Ponds said. “My hope is to make Montclair an entire ‘No Place for Hate’ district.”

“Participating in the ADL's No Place for Hate program has been a tremendous success,” Buzz Aldrin Principal Major Jennings said. “We are so proud of our coordinators, the No Place for Hate committee, and all of our staff and students for participating with an open mind to make our school a better place.”

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