Verona School District Sees Decrease in Cyber Bullying

The Verona Board of Education has seen a drastic decrease in Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) over the past year.

On Tuesday night, the Board reviewed a presentation on bullying statistics, which is required two times a year by the Department of Education, said Superintendent Steven Forte.

In 2011, there were 22 causes investigated and nine were confirmed as HIB.

This school year, there have only been three separate cases of HIB, being investigated by the district, the report said.

Only one confirmed case of cyber bullying has come before the board this year, which involved H.B. Whitehorn students in September 2012.

To curb instances of HIB, the district has been looking into preventative measures:

• The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office provided a workshop for all staff on October 5, 2012.
• Each school has conducted training for staff and students during the orientation period at the start of school.
• Members of the administrative team have been going to training over the summer and school year.
• The Superintendent went to HIB training at Bridgewater HS provided by Strauss-Esmay on August 1 and 2.
• The middle school sponsored an event for parents on understanding social media on October 23, 2012.
• Advisory Program continue at H.B. Whitehorn.
• The staff will take online training dedicated to HIB in the coming months.
• The District Anti-Bullying Coordinator will be attending the Beyond Bullying Summit on January 14, 2013 at Columbia University.