New Jersey § 18a:37-15

§ 18a:37-15.

a. Each school district shall adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation

or bullying on school property, at a school-sponsored function or on a school bus. The school district shall adopt the policy through a process that includes representation

of parents or guardians, school employees, volunteers, students, administrators, and

community representatives. b. A school district shall have local control over the content of the policy, except

that the policy shall contain, at a minimum, the following components: (1) a statement prohibiting harassment, intimidation or bullying of a student; (2) a definition of harassment, intimidation or bullying no less inclusive than that

set forth in section 2 of P.L.2002, c. 83 ( C.18A:37-14 ); (3) a description of the type of behavior expected from each student; (4) consequences and appropriate remedial action for a person who commits an act of

harassment, intimidation or bullying . The consequences for a student who commits an act of harassment, intimidation, or

bullying may include: for the first act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying

committed by a student, a copy of the results of the investigation shall be placed

in the student's record and the student may be subject to remedial actions, including

the provision of counseling or behavioral intervention services, or discipline, or

both, as determined by the principal in consultation with appropriate school staff;

for the second act, a copy of the results of the investigation shall be placed in

the student's record and the student may be subject to remedial actions, including

the provision of counseling or behavioral intervention services, or discipline, or

both, as determined by the principal, in consultation with appropriate school staff;

and for the third and each subsequent act, a copy of the results of the investigation

shall be placed in the student's record, and the principal, in consultation with appropriate

school staff, shall develop an individual student intervention plan which shall be

approved by the superintendent of schools or the superintendent's designee, and may

include remedial actions including counseling or behavioral intervention services,

or progressive discipline, or both, and may require the student, accompanied by a

parent or guardian, to complete in a satisfactory manner a class or training program

to reduce harassment, intimidation or bullying behavior. The superintendent of schools or the superintendent's designee and the principal shall

consult law enforcement, as appropriate, pursuant to the provisions of the Uniform

State Memorandum of Agreement Between Education and Law Enforcement Officials, if

the student's behavior may constitute a possible violation of the New Jersey Code

of Criminal Justice ; (5) a procedure for reporting an act of harassment, intimidation or bullying, including

a provision that permits a person to report an act of harassment, intimidation or

bullying anonymously; however, this shall not be construed to permit formal disciplinary

action solely on the basis of an anonymous report. All acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying shall be reported verbally to the

school principal on the same day when the school employee or contracted service provider

witnessed or received reliable information regarding any such incident. The principal shall inform the parents or guardians of all students involved in

the alleged incident, and may discuss, as appropriate, the availability of counseling

and other intervention services. The principal shall keep a written record of the date, time, and manner of notification

to the parents or guardians. All acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying shall be reported in writing to

the school principal within two school days of when the school employee or contracted

service provider witnessed or received reliable information that a student had been

subject to harassment, intimidation, or bullying . The written report shall be on a numbered form developed by the Department of Education. A copy of the form shall be submitted promptly by the principal to the superintendent

of schools. The form shall be completed even if a preliminary determination is made under the

school district's policy that the reported incident or complaint is a report outside

the scope of the definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying pursuant to section

2 of P.L.2002, c. 83 ( C.18A:37-14 ), and shall be kept on file at the school but shall not be included in any student

record, unless the incident results in disciplinary action or is otherwise required

to be contained in a student's record under State or federal law. A redacted copy of the form that removes all student identification information

shall be confidentially shared with the board of education after the conclusion of

the investigation, if a hearing is requested by a parent or guardian pursuant to subparagraph

(d) of paragraph (6) of this subsection. The school district shall provide a means for a parent or guardian to complete an

online numbered form developed by the Department of Education to confidentially report

an incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. The principal shall report to the superintendent if a preliminary determination is

made under the school district's policy that the reported incident or complaint is

a report outside the scope of the definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying,

and the superintendent may require the principal to conduct an investigation of the

incident, if the superintendent determines that an investigation is necessary because

the incident is within the scope of the definition of harassment, intimidation, or

bullying. The superintendent shall notify the principal of this determination in writing ; (6) a procedure for prompt investigation of reports of violations and complaints,

which procedure shall at a minimum provide that: (a) the investigation shall be initiated by the principal or the principal's designee

within one school day of the report of the incident and shall be conducted by a school

anti-bullying specialist. The principal may appoint additional personnel who are not school anti-bullying

specialists to assist in the investigation. The investigation shall be completed as soon as possible, but not later than 10

school days from the date of the written report of the incident of harassment, intimidation,

or bullying or from the date of the written notification from the superintendent to the principal

to initiate an investigation pursuant to paragraph (5) of this subsection . In the event that there is information relative to the investigation that is anticipated

but not yet received by the end of the 10-day period, the school anti-bullying specialist

may amend the original report of the results of the investigation to reflect the information; (b) the results of the investigation shall be reported to the superintendent of schools

within two school days of the completion of the investigation, and in accordance with

regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education pursuant to the “Administrative

Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c. 410 ( C.52:14B-1 et seq. ), the superintendent may decide to provide intervention services, establish training

programs to reduce harassment, intimidation, or bullying and enhance school climate,

impose discipline, order counseling as a result of the findings of the investigation,

or take or recommend other appropriate action including seeking further information ; (c) the results of each investigation shall be reported to the board of education

no later than the date of the board of education meeting next following the completion

of the investigation, along with information on any services provided, training established,

discipline imposed, or other action taken or recommended by the superintendent; (d) parents or guardians of the students who are parties to the investigation shall

be entitled to receive information about the investigation, in accordance with federal

and State law and regulation, including the nature of the investigation, whether the

district found evidence of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, or whether discipline

was imposed or services provided to address the incident of harassment, intimidation,

or bullying. This information shall be provided in writing within 5 school days after the results

of the investigation are reported to the board. A parent or guardian may request a hearing before the board after receiving the

information, and the hearing shall be held within 10 days of the request. The board shall meet in executive session for the hearing to protect the confidentiality

of the students. At the hearing the board may hear from the school anti-bullying specialist about

the incident, recommendations for discipline or services, and any programs instituted

to reduce such incidents; (e) at the next board of education meeting following its receipt of the report pursuant to subparagraph (c) of paragraph (6) of this subsection , the board shall issue a decision, in writing, to affirm, reject, or modify the superintendent's

decision. The board's decision may be appealed to the Commissioner of Education, in accordance

with the procedures set forth in law and regulation, no later than 90 days after the

issuance of the board's decision; and (f) a parent, student, guardian, or organization may file a complaint with the Division

on Civil Rights within 180 days of the occurrence of any incident of harassment, intimidation,

or bullying based on membership in a protected group as enumerated in the “Law Against

Discrimination,” P.L.1945, c. 169 ( C.10:5-1 et seq. ); (7) the range of ways in which a school will respond once an incident of harassment,

intimidation or bullying is identified, which shall be defined by the principal in

conjunction with the school anti-bullying specialist, but shall include an appropriate

combination of services that are available within the district such as counseling,

support services, intervention services, and other programs, as defined by the commissioner. In the event that the necessary programs and services are not available within the

district, the district may apply to the Department of Education for a grant from the

“Bullying Prevention Fund” established pursuant to section 25 of P.L.2010, c. 122 ( C.18A:37-28 ) to support the provision of out-of-district programs and services; (8) a statement that prohibits reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports

an act of harassment, intimidation or bullying and the consequence and appropriate

remedial action for a person who engages in reprisal or retaliation; (9) consequences and appropriate remedial action for a person found to have falsely

accused another as a means of retaliation or as a means of harassment, intimidation

or bullying; (10) a statement of how the policy is to be publicized, including notice that the

policy applies to participation in school-sponsored functions; (11) a requirement that a link to the policy be prominently posted on the home page

of the school district's website and distributed annually to parents and guardians

who have children enrolled in a school in the school district; (12) a requirement that the name, school phone number, school address and school email

address of the district anti-bullying coordinator be listed on the home page of the

school district's website and that on the home page of each school's website the name,

school phone number, school address and school email address of the school anti-bullying

specialist and the district anti-bullying coordinator be listed. The information concerning the district anti-bullying coordinator and the school

anti-bullying specialists shall also be maintained on the department's website ; and (13) a requirement that the school district and each school in the district with a

website post on its homepage the current version of the document, Guidance for Parents

on the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act, developed by the Department of Education. The School Climate State Coordinator shall ensure that this document is updated

as needed and then promptly disseminated to all school districts . c. A school district shall adopt a policy and transmit a copy of its policy to the

appropriate executive county superintendent of schools by September 1, 2003. A school district shall annually conduct a re-evaluation, reassessment, and review

of its policy, making any necessary revisions and additions. The board shall include input from the school anti-bullying specialists in conducting

its re-evaluation, reassessment, and review. The district shall transmit a copy of the revised policy to the appropriate executive

county superintendent of schools within 30 school days of the revision. The first revised policy following the effective date of P.L.2010, c. 122 ( C.18A:37-13.1 et al.) shall be transmitted to the executive county superintendent of schools by

September 1, 2011. d. (1) To assist school districts in developing policies for the prevention of harassment,

intimidation, or bullying, the Commissioner of Education shall develop a model policy

applicable to grades kindergarten through 12. This model policy shall be issued no later than December 1, 2002. (2) The commissioner shall adopt amendments to the model policy which reflect the

provisions of P.L.2010, c. 122 ( C.18A:37-13.1 et al.) no later than 90 days after the effective date of that act and shall subsequently

update the model policy as the commissioner deems necessary. e. Notice of the school district's policy shall appear in any publication of the school

district that sets forth the comprehensive rules, procedures and standards of conduct

for schools within the school district, and in any student handbook. f. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a school district from adopting a policy

that includes components that are more stringent than the components set forth in

this section.