Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying -- HIB

Well it has finally occurred enough to warrant my venting about it... The new HIB laws and Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights allows students to continue to identify incidents they feel are bullying. Most are not. Most end up being code of conduct violations or conflicts between two students. However, the offshoot of the new law, that many educators saw coming, is that when we tell parents that we are looking into an allegation, we are automatically branded as unreasonable, over-reacting and in some cases-- liars.

This has happened because in previous instances here at OCS, prior to the Bill of Rights, we could look into the conflicts, talk to the students and the teachers and let the parents know what we found out. Now with a different path of investigation that might take a few days to resolve, we are seen as stalling, fabricating or lying. That is the shame of this. When the previous laws allowed for us to resolve conflict, now we are investigating HIB. When told we are looking into a case that is alleged to be HIB, we are told we are blowing it out of proportion or wrong, since no one's child is capable of bullying, even though the students tell us they still see it occasionally happening.

Just a rant of disappointment from a school leader who has seen the winds of change on this issue change many, many times...

Some pretty neat things

happen here at OCS everyday.... In one day, today, OCS students did the following:

Some travelled to the College of NJ to attend the State Student Council workshop!

8th Grade students worked with second grade students on a science activity!

Kids played outside for recess!

First grade students took part in the Read Outloud Creates Knowledge (ROCK) program!

Students learned about the important messages from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

Students used netbooks to create essays and score them electronically!

Students learned about properties and mixtures!

Students learned about division and multiplication!

Pretty cool stuff!

Till next time...

A new day

Friday was a busy day here at OCS. Unfortunately I had to spend many hours away from school attending meetings. Friday was also the final day here at Oxford for Ms. Martucci our School Business Administrator and School Board Secretary. I hesitate to add the second title because most people do not think of this position in the complex light that the job entails. The board secretary is the official business branch of the school board and is a very difficult position, in fact one that is included in school law as a vital and necessary position.

Ms. Martucci leaves us after fighting for Oxford students for the past six years. She was instrumental in refinancing, rebidding and restructuring our Business Office -- SAVING the district millions of dollars!! She will be missed.

She will be replaced by Ms. Christina Moskal who come to us from the Florence Township School District. Ms. Moskal will begin on January 17th. Welcome to Oxford.

Till next time...