WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO: Bullying, intimidation, harassment cases continue downward trend in school district

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — The number of incidents of bullying, harassment and intimidation has continued its downward trend in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, according to school district officials.
There were 23 confirmed cases during the 2013-14 school year, and 21 confirmed cases during the 2014-15 school year. About half of those incidents occurred in grades 6-8, over the course of two school years. There were 13 instances in grades 9-12, and two in grades pre-K-3 and five in grades 4-5.
But there have been only five incidents of confirmed harassment, intimidation or bullying — HIB — during the first half of the 2015-16 school year, Lee McDonald, the district’s anti-bullying coordinator, told the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School Board last week.
Of the five confirmed cases of HIB that occurred between September and December 2015, three took place in grades 9-12. There was one HIB incident apiece in grades 4-5 and in grades 6-8, school district reports show.
“There has been a consistent decline (in the number of HIB incidents),” Mr. McDonald told the school board. He attributed the decline to school employees’ growing familiarity with the definition of what would constitute harassment, intimidation or bullying.
HIB is defined as 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.
Those characteristics include race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory disability, or by any other distinguishing characteristic.
An incident can occur on school property, at any school-sponsored function, on a school bus or off school grounds. The behavior has to substantially disrupt or interfere with school or the rights of other students.
“At the end of the day,” Mr. McDonald said, the district’s mission statement emphasizes that the district “is committed to providing all students with a safe learning environment that is free from harassment, intimidation and bullying.” There is an expectation of respect for each other, he said.
School board vice president Michele Kaish attributed the decline in HIB behavior to the school district’s emphasis on character education.
Superintendent of Schools David Aderhold added that the district is continually working to provide the optimal learning environment for students. School district officials will look at the data and see what they can learn from it, he said.