Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) Policy

The East Newark Public Schools have a strict policy against harassment, intimidation, or
bullying (HIB) to ensure a safe environment for both students and staff. This policy is built on
the foundation of New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act and its subsequent amendments.

What is HIB?

According to state law, HIB is defined as any act—verbal, physical, written, or electronic—that
is motivated by a real or perceived characteristic such as race, gender, religion, or disability.
This behavior can occur on school property, at school-sponsored events, or on a school bus.
The act must be disruptive to the school's operation or a student's rights and meet one of the
following criteria:

A reasonable person would understand that the action could cause physical or emotional harm
to a student or damage their property.

The action is intended to insult or demean a student or a group of students.

The behavior creates a hostile educational environment by interfering with a student’s learning
or causing severe physical or emotional harm.

The policy identifies several types of HIB, including:

• Physical: Actions like hitting, kicking, or pushing.

• Verbal: Name-calling, spreading rumors, or making threats.

• Non-verbal: Damaging property or making threatening gestures.

• Emotional: Intentionally excluding someone or spreading rumors.

• Cyber-bullying: Using electronic communication to spread hurtful information.

• Sexual: Unwanted touching or obscene comments.

Reporting and Response Procedures

Our school has a dedicated School Safety Team, led by the Principal, Anti-Bullying
Coordinator, and the Anti-Bullying Specialist (ABS), to manage and reduce HIB incidents.

Anyone who has witnessed or has reliable information about an HIB incident is encouraged to
report it to a school administrator. Online reporting forms are also available for this purpose.

East Newark offers two ways to report online through our HIBster portal or paper format using
the state approved HIB Reporting Form:

HIB Online Reporting- HIBster HIB Paper Forms - State Website