A row of lockers at Brick Township High School. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The Brick school district’s anti-bullying coordinator said the district’s efforts to crack down on bullying have been working – and the data backs it up.
Earl Moseley, who oversees the district’s harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) program said so far in 2018, the district is tracking a drop of such incidents to the tune of about half.
At a Board of Education meeting Thursday night, Mosely shared the district’s latest statistics. Last school year, there were 23 HIB incidents in the high schools, which has been reduced to seven so far this year. In the middle schools, there were 19 total incidents last year, but only five so far this year. Finally, in the elementary schools, there were 11 HIB violations last year, down to just four this year.
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Officials said the district hosts a number of assemblies and training sessions for both students and teachers, with staff members having aligned the programs in a holistic approach.
“We have consistent training across the district,” said Mosely, explaining that anti-bullying programs flow between elementary, middle and high school levels. “We make sure everyone is reading from the same sheet of music.”
This year, the district has been focusing on respecting an increasingly-diverse student population.
“Brick is a very diverse community and we have to make sure that children, even at the lower levels, are embracing that diversity,” said Mosely.
The district also hosted a sexual harassment program at Lake Riviera Middle School.
“We’re trying to be proactive and making sure we’re ahead of the ballgame in this area,” Mosely said.
