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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Incident Reporting, Risk Management, School Safety

  If you missed part one of this blog, please click here for teachable moments and bullying laws… Now that you have reviewed Part 1, my other concern with this story involves communities and their taxpayers.  Is the complaint by school administrators and this vote by the Council on Local Mandates putting communities and taxpayers in a more vulnerable situation with even more liabilities and costs? Do these school administrators know what happens when a school does not take appropriate actions by equipping everyone to report incidents, investigating all reports, intervening, preventing a hostile environment and documenting their actions?  Are the Council on Local MandatesRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Incident Reporting, Risk Management, School Safety

  A recent news story involving the NJ Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, the Council on Local Mandates and a school district in Warren County in New Jersey caught my attention.  After reviewing related articles, are New Jersey school administrators missing out on a significant teachable opportunity? http://legalclips.nsba.org/?p=11962&utm_source=NSBA+e-Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=b060639842-Legal+Clips+Newsletter&utm_medium=email The Council on Local Mandates voted 7-2 that the New Jersey state law regarding anti-bullying must be amended because it includes an unfunded mandate for local school districts.  Is this really the message school administrators want to send to their students about doing the right thing?  Are these school leaders saying student safety and anti-bullying issues are notRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Education, Legal, School Safety

  In case you missed it, federal authorities are investigating “incidents involving harassment and bullying” in Minnesota’s largest school district. The civil rights investigation is underway in Anoka-Hennepin, a suburban Minneapolis school district, and based on the seven-month “landmark federal investigation” that recently ended involving Tehachapi Unified School District in California, the Office of Civil Rights is serious about protecting the rights and safety of students. School leaders at every school in the U.S. should be taking a serious look at their ability to prevent the preventable involving harassment, bullying, cyber bullying and other alarming trends in schools.  School leaders should review their ability toRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Education, School Safety

  The parents of a bullied student who committed suicide in 2009 have filed a lawsuit against the Hillsborough School Board claiming school officials failed to take proper steps after learning their daughter showed signs of being suicidal. Lessons Learned:  If a student signs “a formal contract in which she expressly agreed not to commit suicide” at school with a school social worker…does the school have the responsibility to tell the student’s parents about the signed contract? School boards and school leaders need to make sure their policies and procedures define situational awareness – what steps should be taken in different situations – so counselors,Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Incident Reporting, Risk Management, School Safety

  Do you know what the legal definition of “deliberate indifference” is? The conscious or reckless disregard for the consequences of one’s acts or omissions. If you are a school leader, school board member or community leader, you might do a quick web search using the words below:                 deliberate indifference lawsuit school 2010 Over 8,000 results came up from my search and many of the results were related to lawsuits being brought against schools and universities under violation of Title IX.  I heard the term “deliberate indifference” over the weekend when one of the national news channels did a bullying feature on a schoolRead More →