District Sees Disparities in Bullying Reporting

officials say they plan to schedule new training sessions for school administrators to be sure they are approaching bullying reports in a consistent way after the district saw significant differences in the number of reports coming from schools.

Cedar Hill School had 56 reported incidents of possibile harrassment, intimidation or bullying since September, while Woodmont School had eight.

Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried said in some cases there may be a tendency for teachers to "over-report" because an anti-bullying law that went into effect this school year makes reporting incidents a legal responsibility for school employees and defines a single instance of a student being insulted as bullying.

Fried said in some cases the age of the students may need to be given more weight, such as with younger students.

"We can all agree the intent of the law is a good thing," he said. "The intent over time is that the culture of the school changes and bullying and intimidation are no longer acceptable, and each school is supposed to be working in that direction."

The district is waiting to see what changes will be made to the anti-bullying law in light of the Council on Local Mandates ruling that because it's an "unfunded mandate" for schools.

Montville Township Public Schools Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Mid-Year Report Sept. 1, 2011, to Jan. 24, 2012

Hours Devoted to HIB