Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying Information
New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act sets out what schools must do to prevent and
respond to harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB). This page explains what counts as HIB, how to
report it, and what happens next.
What Counts as Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying
Not every conflict between students is HIB. A disagreement, an argument, or a one-off unkind
remark is usually a conflict, and the school handles it as such. HIB is different: it is behavior
that is motivated by an actual or perceived characteristic — such as race, colour, religion,
ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or a mental,
physical or sensory disability — and that substantially disrupts the school’s operation or a
student’s rights.
For a fuller explanation of the difference, see
Conflict versus Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying.
How to Report
Anyone — a student, a parent, a member of staff or a member of the community — may report an
incident. Reports may be made verbally to any staff member or in writing using the HIB incident form
for families. Verbal reports must be acted on the same way as written ones.
Once a report is made, the Anti-Bullying Specialist begins an investigation. The investigation
must be completed within ten school days of the written report. Parents of all students involved are
informed of the outcome and may request a hearing before the Board of Education.
Who to Contact
Mr. Austin van-Spanje, School Counselor and Anti-Bullying Specialist
Extension 1157 · avan-spanje@ftschool.org
Policy and Reports
- Policy 5131.1 — Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (PDF)
- Regulation 5131.1R — Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (PDF)
- HIB Incident Form for Families (PDF)
- HIB District and School Grade Report (PDF) — published annually, as state law requires.
- Annual HIB Summary Reports (PDF)
Draft note for the Steward — delete before publishing: Two things to check. First, the ten-school-day investigation deadline and the Board hearing right are the statutory requirements under the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act — confirm they match Policy 5131.1 as adopted before publishing. Second, the live page lists Larry Abramowitz and Austin Van-Spanje as contacts; the restructure plan assigns this page to the Anti-Bullying Specialist, so I have listed only that role. Add the Supervisor of Special Services back if both should appear. Two of the live PDFs are named “…Regulation.docx” and “…Bullying.docx2” — worth renaming.