BOE releases results of self-assessment
The Mt. Laurel Board of Education released the results of the district’s self-assessment for determining grades under the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act.
Out of a maximum 75 points, Mt. Laurel’s schools scored 65 or approximately 87 percent. The score is an average of all reported incidents of HIB (harassment, intimidation, bullying) in the district’s eight schools.
“We are happy that we scored that highly, and a ‘thank you’ goes to our amazing counselors and teaching staff who work with our children every day,” superintendent Antoinette Rath said. “That being said, no incident of bullying will be tolerated. Our goal is to score 75, so we do have room to grow.”
The eight core elements of The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act outline a number of different tactics for schools to enact to stop bullying. Staff training, parent outreach, student awareness and HIB programs are just some of the policies schools must have in place.
“With this information, and with more training in the future, we will be able to continue to improve our schools and the experience our children have,” Rath said.
The assessment period began on Jan. 5, 2011, and ended on June 30 of this year. The results of the self-assessment are now submitted to the state Department of Education for feedback. Once reviewed, the score will be made official later this year and posted on the district’s website so residents have access to the information.
In other news:
The Mt. Laurel Public Education Fund, Inc. will host its annual golf tournament on Sept. 16 at Laurel Creek Country Club. The day’s activities will begin at 11 a.m. with check-in and lunch. Afternoon golfing begins at noon with a shotgun start and scramble format rules, which will enable each foursome to proceed at a pace commensurate with their particular skill levels. Following the afternoon of golf, there will be cocktails, entertainment, dinner and an awards presentation.
The fund is an independent non-profit corporation formed in 1994 to benefit the schools in the district. A board of trustees comprised of volunteers from across the community governs the fund. The group’s largest fund-raising effort is the annual golf tournament held each fall.
Since its inception, the fund has donated more than $700,000 to the district’s eight elementary schools. Proceeds of this year’s activities will be dedicated to the continuation of after-school clubs and related activities deleted from the district’s budget due to funding cuts, scholarships to students in need of tutoring and grants for teachers to support innovative programs.
For more information or registration forms, visit www.mtlaurelschools.org.
