HIB/Anti-Bullying

New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act was signed into law on January 5, 2011. The provisions of this law took effect September 1, 2011.

There are many new requirements in the Act which required:

• Every school district to adopt a new harassment, intimidation, and bullying policy that is in compliance with the Act by September 1, 2011.
• Every school district to have an Anti-Bullying Coordinator and every school to have an Anti-Bullying Specialist and School Safety & Climate Team. The Coordinator, specialist, and School Safety Team have very specific statutory responsibilities.
• The school district to provide training to current and new school employees, volunteers and contract service providers who have significant contact with pupils.
• Every teacher to complete at least two hours of instruction in harassment, intimidation, and bullying prevention in each professional development period as part of the professional development requirement pursuant to the Act.

"Harassment,  intimidation  or  bullying"  means  any gesture,  any  written,  verbal  or  physical  act,  or  any electronic  communication,  whether  it be a single incident  or  a  series  of  incidents, that is  reasonably perceived as  being  motivated either  by any actual  or perceived  characteristic, such  as  race,  color,  religion, ancestry,  national  origin,  gender,  sexual orientation, gender  identity  and  expression,  or  a  mental,  physical  or sensory  [handicap] disability ,  or  by  any  other distinguishing  characteristic,  that takes  place  on school property,  at  any  school-sponsored  function  [or], on  a school  bus,  or  off  school  grounds  as  provided for  in section  16  of  P.L.2010,  CHAPTER  122,  that  substantially disrupts  or  interferes  with  the  orderly operation  of the school  or  the  rights  of other  students and that:

a) a  reasonable  person  should  know,  under  the circumstances,  will  have the  effect  of  physically or emotionally harming  a student  or  damaging the  student's property,  or  placing  a student  in reasonable  fear  of physical  or  emotional harm  to his  person  or  damage  to  his property;  [or]

b) has  the effect  of  insulting  or  demeaning  any  student  or group of  students  [in  such a  way  as  to  cause substantial disruption  in,  or  substantial  interference with,  the  orderly operation  of  the  school];  [or]

c) creates  a  hostile  educational environment  for  the  student by  interfering  with  a  student’s  education  or  by  severely  or pervasively  causing  physical  or  emotional  harm  to  the student.