Recently, Jeffrey R. Youngman, Esq., was interviewed by Nicholas Katzban of NorthJersey.com about a former supervisor who has filed a civil lawsuit against Montclair school administrators, claiming they intentionally suppressed Harassment Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) reports and discouraged sharing accurate data with the school board and state.
Here, one alleged tactic was reclassifying potential bullying incidents as minor conflicts between students. Or as Yougman put it, to “blur the line intentionally.”
The New Jersey Department of Education grades schools based on self-reported data, including reports from staff and faculty who witness or have probable cause to believe bullying occurred. An investigated and sustained incident may undoubtedly affect a school’s ranking. And so, Youngman explains that before this can happen, school administrators may attempt to frame incidents or dismiss reports entirely to sidestep this regulation.
Even though schools must still report uninvestigated complaints, Youngman clarifies that they do not need to provide further information about the allegations. This underlines the limited potential for school board and state supervision with this self-reporting procedure.
To read the full article and to learn more about this most recent bullying case in New Jersey, follow this link.
