NJDOE Releases Violence and Vandalism Numbers for Moorestown Schools

The Moorestown School District had 60 total incidents reported as part of the Violence, Vandalism and Substance Abuse in the Schools Report for 2013-2014, released by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) this week.

The report is produced each year to share self-reported incidents from districts that include violence, vandalism, weapons offenses, substance offenses, and harassment, intimidation and bullying.

This year’s reporting period was from July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014.

Moorestown’s highest number came under the category for Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB), where 28 incidents were reported.

It is the second year NJDOE has released anti-bullying grade reports. Bullying has been a separate reporting category for the past three years. A third of all reported incidents were categorized as harassment, intimidation and bullying, although the total counts are down 16 percent statewide compared to 2012-2013.

The state’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act requires the Commissioner of Education to grade the efforts of each public school and school district to address bullying in the school environment. The Commissioner has released these anti-bullying grades to schools and districts, which are posted on each school and district website.

Each school’s anti-bullying grade, from 0 to 78, was calculated from information provided through a 40-page self-assessment that measured how well each school achieved specific indicators for meeting state regulations and protocols.

The Moorestown School District’s overall grade was a 59 when numbers were last updated in March.

The highest individual score was at the Upper Elementary School, which scored a 63.

George C. Baker, Mary E. Roberts and South Valley Elementary School each scored a 60.

The William Allen Middle School’s score was 58, and the Moorestown High School’s score was 54.

For the district’s full results, click here.

There were 14 incidents of violence, and 13 incidents of substance abuse.

There were eight incidents of vandalism and three incidents involving weapons.

The school district has a total population of 3,959 students.

The 2014 New Jersey School Climate Survey is also available for the second year.

The survey is a tool for local school districts to get feedback on what the school community thinks about their school in areas such as community engagement, morale and the academic climate.

Some of the questions also touch upon the emotional environment and physical safety, as well as relationships and communications between the school and its stakeholders.

NJDOE doesn’t administer the survey, and school districts are not required to participate.

For more on the School Climate Survey, visit the NJDOE’s School Climate Survey webpage.