MONTVALE—The Pascack Valley Regional High School District anti-bullying coordinator said at the May 15 school board meeting that Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley high schools attained the highest levels of compliance with the state’s Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying law and policies.
Sean Struncis, district guidance supervisor and anti-bullying coordinator, provided an “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Annual Report” to the board. He said during the decade-plus that the district has been implementing state-mandated HIB rules, “our schools continue to make progress in addressing harassment, intimidation and bullying.”
Jennifer Zimmermann is anti-bullying specialist at Pascack Hills High School. Christie Rossig is anti-bullying specialist at Pascack Valley High School.
Struncis said each school assessment was done by an HIB self-assessment team and then backed up by data sent to the state Department of Education for verification.
He said school climate and culture is “continually improved” with programs for students and staff, and by celebrating the “Week of Respect.” He showed a chart that noted both regional high schools and the district achieving near-perfect scores on the 2021-2022 annual state education department assessment based on HIB criteria established by the NJDOE.
Struncis said the state assessment comprises eight core elements with 26 indicators where self-reported scores range from 0 to 3 for each indicator. The top score possible is 78 points. In the 2021-2022 school year, Pascack Hills scored a 78 score, while Pascack Valley scored 76, and the district which includes both, scored a 77.
He said the core HIB elements include programming implemented in each school; training for staff; instruction; curriculum; personnel; reporting; and investigating.
He said every school in New Jersey is required by law to complete this self-assessment.
He said the annual HIB self-assessment will be conducted in late June for the 2022-2023 school year.
Struncis listed programs and activities that helped the high schools and district “rank high” in its HIB assessment. These included: freshman class meetings and orientation including the “Signs of Suicide” program; mindfulness in freshman physical education classes; social-emotional learning lessons such as improving self-esteem, resiliency and conflict resolution.
Other programs: a “Week of Respect” in October, plus related yearlong activities; during health class, an Alternatives to Domestic Violence class which addresses healthy and harmful friendships and relationships; in and out of school clubs and organizations that emphasize inclusivity and acceptance; and resources to support appropriate social interactions.
Struncis also showed staff programming and activities that support the HIB mandate.
According to the NJDOE, “New Jersey has been a leader in the establishment of a strong statutory, regulatory policy and program framework to support the prevention, remediation and reporting of HIB in schools.”
Struncis’s presentation can be viewed online beginning at about the 40-minute mark and ending at the 50-mark of the nearly 56-minute meeting.