Commissioners gave a proclamation to the Haddonfield Human Relations Commission and the Board of Education for School Bullying and Violence Awareness Week for the week of Oct. 20 at its meeting last week.
There to receive the proclamation were Chairman Carl Maugeri and Ellen Stone of Haddonfield’s Human Relations Commission, Andrew Berlin of the Board of Education, Dan Dortone, Haddonfield Memorial High School’s anti-bullying specialist, and two members of HMHS’ safety team, Brooke Jordan and Meredith Zanotti.
“I’m happy that we are doing this proclamation,” Mayor Jeff Kasko said. “Thank you all for your efforts.”
Kasko read the proclamation that asked residents to join the commissioners as well as the members of the Haddonfield Humans Relations Commission and Haddonfield Board of Education in working to end acts of student intimidation, bullying and violence in schools.
The Board of Education has already worked within schools to stop bullying. It has instituted an official policy prohibiting acts of bullying and commending all who demonstrate appropriate behavior and refuse to tolerate harassment, intimidation and bullying.
It has also designated a staff coordinator, Dortone, to prevent this behavior and deploy the STOPit app for students to report bullying incidents.
“Along with the STOPit app, we’ve tried fostering a climate where the kids feel comfortable to talk to teachers or any trusted adults, even other students if they want to report anything. So it’s not just through technology, it’s through face-to-face means also,” Dortone said.
On behalf of the Board of Education, Berlin said it is very strongly supportive of the anti-bullying initiative and was very happy with the STOPit app’s success in the high school. He even heard students from other schools in the district asking when they would get it. Dortone responded by saying that if it already isn’t employed in the middle school, that it will be soon.
“It was terrific to hear how robust the program is. The idea of using technology to make students feel like they have a voice was very, very exciting for us to hear. Part of our job is to stay on top of issues, and we are very interested in this issue. So thank you for the opportunity,” Maugeri said.
Dortone also reported that the school has had interest from other districts and news outlets asking about the STOPit app since Haddonfield was one of the first schools in the area to use it.
“We’re spreading the word,” Dortone said.
Commissioners thanked those there who received the proclamation, giving the official copy to Berlin. Commissioner Neal Rochford rounded up the proclamation, commending those present for their work.
“I’ll just add you’re doing a great job. It’s an important issue not only here in Haddonfield, but across the nation. Unfortunately, many of the school shootings you read about stem from bullying situations, and I think as a society, we need to have effective means to deal with it. I think some of the things you’re doing are very cutting edge, so I’m happy to be here tonight to honor you,” Rochford said.
In other news:
• Commissioners renewed their shared service arrangement with Cherry Hill for the Victim’s Services Domestic Violence Response Team for the 2105 calendar year.
• From Friday, Nov. 28 to Thursday, Dec. 25, free parking will be offered to shoppers of downtown Haddonfield on Kings Highway between Grove Street and the PATCO bridge with the exceptions of the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• The next meeting has been changed to Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. due to Veterans Day.
