When The School Calls It Bullying

New Jersey does not leave bullying to each school's sense of it. The statute requires a policy and says what the policy has to contain, which turns a vague complaint into a specific one: not whether the school cares, but whether it is doing what its own required policy says.

• §N.J.S.A. 18A:37-15

• Every act is reported verbally to the principal on the same day a school employee or contracted service provider witnesses it or receives reliable information, and in writing within two school days.
• The principal informs the parents or guardians of all students involved, and keeps a written record of when and how.
• The investigation begins within one school day of the report, is conducted by a school anti-bullying specialist, and is completed not later than 10 school days from the written report.
• The results go to the superintendent within two school days of completion, and then to the board of education.

• §N.J.S.A. 18A:37-15

Reporting from home. The district provides a means for a parent or guardian to complete an online numbered form to report an incident confidentially. Anonymous reports are allowed, though formal discipline cannot rest on one alone.

• §N.J.S.A. 18A:37-15

Discipline itself, suspension and expulsion procedure, federal civil rights law on harassment based on a protected characteristic, and criminal charges for conduct that is also a crime are outside this page. Whether a district followed its own policy in a particular case, and what can be done if it did not, are questions for a licensed New Jersey attorney.

• §N.J.S.A. 18A:37-15