Barrington Bulletin
The most complete and most convenient source for news and information about the borough of Barrington, N.J.
New law gives first official count of bullying in schools
A new report this week from the state Department of Education further breaks down incidents in schools to include “Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying” for the first time.
With no previous number to compare against, the 617-student Barrington School District reported seven HIB cases in the 2011-2012 school year.
Other districts in the region reported anywhere from zero HIB incidents (in Haddonfield and Runnemede) to 40 (in Bellmawr). Haddon Heights School District reported four HIB incidents.
Across the state, there were 12,024 HIB incidents in 2011-2012, according to the report.
According to a Philly.com report, there is a belief among some officials that numbers might be somewhat high because of zealous reporting on the new category.
“Reporting has gone up, and that’s a good thing,” Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), a prime sponsor of the bill, said to Philly.com. “Reporting is key.”
In previous years, districts were required to report violence, vandalism, weapons and substance incidents, but not bullying. Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, all five categories had to be reported.
In 2010-2011, Barrington reported seven “violence” incidents and one “weapons” incident. In 2011-2012, the district reported one violence case and one weapons case.
