Anti-Bullying

We will not tolerate bullying and expect every student and staff member to treat each other with civility and respect. We believe that a safe and civil environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards.

What is Bullying?

Harassment, intimidation, or bullying, like other disruptive or violent behaviors, is conduct that disrupts both a student's ability to learn and a school's ability to educate its students in a safe environment. 

“Harassment, intimidation, or bullying” 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, such as 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, that takes place on school grounds, at any school sponsored function or on a school bus, or off school grounds, in accordance with law, that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students, and that:

  • 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/her person or damage to his/her property; 
  • has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students; or
  • creates a hostile educational environment for the student by interfering with the student’s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student.

*“Electronic communication” means a communication that is transmitted by means of an electronic device, including, but not limited to a telephone, cellular phone, computer, or pager.

How to report Bullying

You should report any act of bullying, harassment, or intimidation to the school principal or the school anti-bullying specialist as soon as possible. Parents and students may report an incident by printing the Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying (HIB) Reporting Form, completing it, and then dropping it off (or mailing it) in a sealed envelope addressed to the principal. The school anti-bullying specialist will lead the investigation of incidents of bullying, harassment, and/or intimidation and will report the findings of the investigation to the district anti-bullying specialist. The district anti-bullying specialist will then report the findings to the superintendent who will report the findings to the Board of Education at the next scheduled meeting. 

Hillside Elementary School 

  • Principal: Dianne Smith (201) 768-3860, ext. 41118
  • School Anti-Bullying Specialists:
    • Pre-K, K, and Grade 4: Suzanne Lang (201) 768-3860, ext. 41001
    • Grades 1–3: Dara Weiss (201) 768-3860, ext. 41124

Tenakill Middle School

THE HIB INVESTIGATION PROCESS

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1) Beginning an Investigation
2) During the Investigation Process
3) Completing the Investigation
4) Presentation of Investigations (First Board of Education Meeting)
5) Voting on Finalized Reports (Second Board of Education Meeting)