The Bullying Prevention Initiative

PROJECT APPLICATION 2011-2012

Applications must be submitted by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Submit Application:

By E-mail [email protected]

By Mail Rutgers Bullying Prevention Institute Center for Applied Psychology/GSAPP Suite 102 112 Paterson Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901

OR By Fax 732-932-5910 Rutgers Bullying Prevention Institute 2011-2012 For assistance, please contact the Bullying Prevention Institute at 848-932-5908 or [email protected]

Rutgers Bullying Prevention Institute 2011-2012 INTRODUCTION The Bullying Prevention Institute (BPI) is a year-long, team-based training initiative designed to assist New Jersey school districts in the development of district-specific, comprehensive bullying prevention plans that effectively coordinate policies and best practices with new legislative requirements in order to: reduce incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB); and create and sustain a positive school climate where bullying is considered unacceptable by all students and adults. BPI was developed in response to the increasing need for effective plans for preventing, detecting, and intervening in incidents of HIB in schools across New Jersey.

In the pilot year of the project, ten participating school districts will work in collaboration with BPI staff to complete the following:

 Assess the extent and nature of HIB incidents in their districts, as well as examine overall school climate;  Review and refine HIB policies to reflect new legislative requirements and current best practices;  Improve methods for detecting and intervening when bullying occurs;  Coordinate and utilize evidence-based programs and practices to prevent bullying;  Form a district-level Bullying Prevention Leadership Team (BPLT) of key stakeholders including, but not limited to: the Anti-bullying Coordinator, Anti-bullying Specialists, teachers, parents, local law enforcement; and  Develop an ongoing process for measuring and monitoring the success of anti-bullying efforts.

To assist school districts in achieving project goals, BPI staff will provide four intensive training workshops to be held at Rutgers University as well as onsite, phone, and email consultations. At the end of the pilot year, districts will have an opportunity to present and receive feedback on their bullying prevention plans from other participating districts.

ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION CRITERIA Participation in BPI will be based on the following criteria:

1) Quality of the application, including, but not limited to:  Documentation of need (e.g., extent and characteristics of bullying incidents)  The appropriateness of the proposed Bullying Prevention Leadership Team  A clear presentation of the information requested throughout the application 2) Ability to conduct ongoing assessment and evaluation of HIB, school climate, and current prevention and intervention strategies 3) Commitment to participate fully in all project activities, including attendance at all four workshops and participation in between workshop activities (e.g., climate assessment, consultation, feedback to BPI staff on outcomes)

Rutgers Bullying Prevention Institute 2011-2012 NOTE: In selecting districts for participation, BPI staff will use NJ School Report Card data to access district demographic information (e.g., district factor group, racial make-up, etc.) in order to ensure a diverse representation of districts across the state.

Instructions: Please provide information for all five sections of the application as well as the signature page. Type responses in the grey areas provided and follow application submission directions on the last page.

SECTION I: DISTRICT INFORMATION

SCHOOL DISTRICT

STREET ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP

TELEPHONE: FAX: E-MAIL:

 List contact information for your district’s Anti-bullying Coordinator as this will be the primary contact person for the project: Name Telephone E-mail

Street Address City State ZIP

 Indicate the total number of schools and student enrollment for each school type in your district. (For clarification on school type, please see the New Jersey School Report Card website http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc10/index.html). Also indicate the total Electronic Violence and Vandalism Reporting System (EVVRS) Harassment Intimidation Bullying-Threat (HIB-T) reportable incidents for each school type during the 2010—2011 school year. (Please see EVVRS website for incident definitions http://homeroom.state.nj.us/EVVRS.htm).

Number of Schools Total Student Total EVVRS HIB-T School Type in District Enrollment Incidents 2010-2011 Elementary Secondary

Charter

Vocational

Special Services

Other (describe: ) District Total

Rutgers Bullying Prevention Institute 2011-2012

Check which is most applicable to your district: Urban Suburban Rural

Please provide any additional clarifying comments if necessary:

NOTE: For open-ended questions, please limit responses to no more than 400 words.

SECTION II: DISTRICT NEED a. Explain the nature and scope of HIB incidents in your district. Include a description of the type of HIB incidents that the schools in your district currently deal with (e.g. bias-based, cyberbullying, locations) and the extent to which they occur.

b. Briefly describe past and current efforts to address HIB (e.g., programs and strategies, community involvement, staff training). Include a comment on the effectiveness of those strategies.

c. Explain why you would like to participate in BPI and how it might address any gaps in your current anti-bullying strategies.

SECTION III: PROPOSED BULLYING PREVENTION LEADERSHIP TEAM Bullying Prevention Leadership Teams (BPLT) are appointed by each school district and led by the district’s Anti-bullying Coordinator. All BPLT members are required to attend four BPI workshops and are encouraged to participate in onsite consultations with BPI staff. The district’s Anti-bullying Coordinator will be the team’s primary contact and is required to participate in all BPI activities, including workshops and follow-up consultative sessions. Leadership teams may consist of members from the district’s school safety teams or other staff in the district and community. A minimum of four team members is required; however, teams should not exceed seven members. Districts are encouraged to select members that represent schools within the district. BPLT’s must include, at a minimum, the following individuals:

 The District Anti-bullying Coordinator  A School Anti-bullying Specialist  A teacher  A community member

Districts are asked to select a community member (e.g., a parent, a law enforcement official, a member of a nonprofit organization, etc.), since the new anti-bullying laws require parent participation on the school safety team and community participation in policy development. Other members of the BPLT should include teachers, anti-bullying specialists, and/or other individuals that can meaningfully represent the schools in the district and contribute to BPI activities. Large districts may want to consider inclusion of more than one anti-bullying specialist. If you have any questions regarding selection of team members, please contact our project staff.

Please list proposed BPLT members:

TEAM LEADER (District Anti-bullying Coordinator) # YEARS IN DISTRICT

TEAM MEMBER TWO (Anti-bullying Specialist) # YEARS IN DISTRICT

TEAM MEMBER THREE (Teacher) CURRENT POSITION/TITLE # YEARS IN DISTRICT

TEAM MEMBER FOUR (Community member) CURRENT POSITION/TITLE # YEARS IN DISTRICT

TEAM MEMBER FIVE (Optional) CURRENT POSITION/TITLE # YEARS IN DISTRICT

TEAM MEMBER SIX (Optional) CURRENT POSITION/TITLE # YEARS IN DISTRICT

TEAM MEMBER SEVEN (Optional) CURRENT POSITION/TITLE # YEARS IN DISTRICT

Rutgers Bullying Prevention Institute 2011-2012 SECTION IV: PROJECT PARTICIPATION a. Describe how the proposed Bullying Prevention Leadership Team (BPLT) effectively represents your district.

b. Explain how your district will support and conduct a district-wide assessment of school climate and HIB in fall 2011 (e.g., consent for student survey participation if needed).

c. Describe your ability to gather feedback and communicate project plans effectively across the BPLT as well as to the larger school district throughout the year.

SECTION V: FINAL COMMENTS Please list any final comments, questions, and/or anticipated challenges regarding your district’s participation in the BPI.

If selected to participate, I commit our district to full participation, agreeing to comply with the following expectations (please check all boxes):

Select and support a Bullying Prevention Leadership Team (BPLT) involving key stakeholders within the district and the community in the development of a bullying prevention plan; Send BPLT members to four BPI training sessions during the 2011-2012 academic year; Conduct a district-wide climate assessment to assess the nature and scope of HIB; Collaborate with BPI consultants to gather and use climate assessment results in the prevention planning process; Document ongoing BPI activities and outcomes; and Serve as a mentor district to new districts entering the program in succeeding years.

SUPERINTENDENT SIGNATURE DATE

SUPERINTENDENT NAME (Please print)

STREET ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP

TELEPHONE: E-MAIL:

APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 TH

Options for Application Submission:

(1) Send the application electronically to: [email protected] *If an electronic signature is not available, print and fax or mail this page separately. OR (2) Print and send entire application to: Rutgers Bullying Prevention Institute Center for Applied Psychology/GSAPP Suite 102 112 Paterson Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 OR (3) Fax application to: 732-932-5910

Note: A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the superintendent upon receipt of this application. If you do not receive confirmation, please contact our project staff at 848-932-5908.