Bill Text: NJ A5238 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires individuals appointed to serve as school anti-bullying specialist and district anti-bullying coordinator to serve in those capacities full-time.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-12-04 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A5238 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A5238-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY M. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires individuals appointed to serve as school anti-bullying specialist and district anti-bullying coordinator to serve in those capacities full-time.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning anti-bullying specialists and anti-bullying coordinators in school districts and amending P.L.2010, c.122.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 17 of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-20) is amended to read as follows:
17. a. The principal in each school in a school district shall appoint a school anti-bullying specialist. When a school guidance counselor, school psychologist, or another individual similarly trained is currently employed in the school, the principal shall appoint that individual to be the school anti-bullying specialist. If no individual meeting this criteria is currently employed in the school, the principal shall appoint a school anti-bullying specialist from currently employed school personnel. The individual appointed by the principal to serve as the school anti-bullying specialist shall serve in that capacity on a full-time basis. The school anti-bullying specialist shall:
(1) chair the school safety team as provided in section 18 of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-21);
(2) lead the investigation of incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the school; and
(3) act as the primary school official responsible for preventing, identifying, and addressing incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the school.
b. The superintendent of schools shall appoint a district anti-bullying coordinator. The superintendent shall make every effort to appoint an employee of the school district to this position. The individual appointed by the superintendent to serve as the district anti-bullying coordinator shall serve in that capacity on a full-time basis. The district anti-bullying coordinator shall:
(1) be responsible for coordinating and strengthening the school district's policies to prevent, identify, and address harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students;
(2) collaborate with school anti-bullying specialists in the district, the board of education, and the superintendent of schools to prevent, identify, and respond to harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students in the district;
(3) provide data, in collaboration with the superintendent of schools, to the Department of Education regarding harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students; and
(4) execute such other duties related to school harassment, intimidation, and bullying as requested by the superintendent of schools.
c. The district anti-bullying coordinator shall meet at least twice a school year with the school anti-bullying specialists in the district to discuss and strengthen procedures and policies to prevent, identify, and address harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the district.
(cf: P.L.2010, c.122, s.17)
2. This act shall take effect in the first full school year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
Under current law, the principal of each public school is required to appoint a school anti-bullying specialist. In cases where a school guidance counselor, school psychologist, or other individual similarly trained is employed in the school, the principal is required to appoint that person to be the school anti-bully specialist, and in cases where no individual meets that criteria, the principal is required to appoint a school anti-bullying specialist from among currently employed school personnel. This bill amends the law to require that individuals who are appointed to serve as the school anti-bullying specialist must serve in that capacity on a full-time basis.
The bill also requires that the individual appointed by the superintendent of schools to serve as the district anti-bullying coordinator must serve in that capacity on a full-time basis.
