The Hunterdon Central Regional High School Board of Education prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying of a pupil. A safe and civil school environment is necessary in order for pupils to learn and achieve high academic standards. Harassment, intimidation, or bullying, like other disruptive or violent behaviors, is conduct that disrupts both a pupil’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate its pupils in a safe and disciplined environment. Since pupils learn by example, school administrators, faculty, staff and volunteers should be commended for demonstrating appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

Definition of Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying

Harassment, intimidation or bullying means any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents, that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic - such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression - or by a mental, physical or sensory disability, or by any other distinguishing characteristic, that takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function, on a school bus, or off school grounds that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students. In addition to the above:

• a reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, that the act(s) will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a student or damaging a student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his person or damage to his property;
• has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students;
• creates a hostile educational environment for the student;
• interferes with a student’s education by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student.

Hunterdon Central's Board of Education Policies on Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying, Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying Investigation Procedure and Cyber-Bullying have been posted as a link on the right side of this webpage.