ANNUAL REPORT TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
2024–2025 HIB Grade Report
Keansburg School District
Self-Assessment Results under the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act
District Code: 25-2400
Presented by the Office of the Superintendent | April 2026
Presenter: Dr. John Bird
District HIB Coordinator
OFFICIAL NJDOE RELEASE
KEANSBURG • TITANS
STATUTORY REQUIREMENT
Why This Report Is Being Presented Tonight
N.J.S.A. 18A:37-13 et seq.
Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act
The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (ABR) requires every New Jersey school district to complete an annual self-assessment measuring the implementation of its HIB policies and programs.
Per statute, the Superintendent must:
Tonight's Purpose
This presentation provides the Board and the public with a transparent review of the district's 2024–2025 HIB grade, school-by-school scores, identified strengths, and targeted areas for continued improvement.
4
Schools Assessed
8
Core Elements
78
Maximum Grade
2024–25
Reporting Period
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
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HOW THE GRADE IS CALCULATED
The Eight Core Elements of the Self-Assessment
Each school is scored on eight core elements of HIB practice. Points are summed to produce a School Grade (out of 78). The District Grade is the average of school grades.
1
MAX 15 PTS
HIB Programs, Approaches or Other Initiatives
2
MAX 9 PTS
Training on the BOE-Approved HIB Policy
3
MAX 15 PTS
Other Staff Instruction and Training Programs
4
MAX 6 PTS
Curriculum and Instruction on HIB
5
MAX 9 PTS
HIB Personnel
6
MAX 6 PTS
School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedure
7
MAX 12 PTS
HIB Investigation Procedure
8
MAX 6 PTS
HIB Reporting
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
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2024–2025 OFFICIAL DISTRICT GRADE
Keansburg School District
63
out of 78 possible points
81%
District Attainment
4
Schools Assessed
0
Incidents Outside Definition of HIB
DISTRICT OVERVIEW
School-by-School Grade Summary
All four Keansburg schools completed the 2024–2025 self-assessment. Grades below reflect the official NJDOE release.
School
Grade Level
Grade
of 78
Performance
Joseph C. Caruso School
School Code 050
Grades 2 – 5
69
/ 78 • 88%
Commendable
Keansburg Early Learning Center
School Code 040
Pre-K – Grade 1
67
/ 78 • 86%
Commendable
Keansburg High School
School Code 010
Grades 9 – 12
65
/ 78 • 83%
Effective
Joseph R. Bolger Middle School
School Code 030
Grades 6 – 8
52
/ 78 • 67%
Developing
DISTRICT GRADE (Average)
63
/ 78 • 81%
Effective
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
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SCHOOL CODE 040 | PRE-K – GRADE 1
Keansburg Early Learning Center
SCHOOL GRADE
67
out of 78
86% Attainment
Commendable
Preliminary incidents determined outside the HIB definition: N/A
Core Element Breakdown
1. HIB Programs, Approaches or Other Initiatives
13 / 15
2. Training on the BOE-Approved HIB Policy
7 / 9
3. Other Staff Instruction and Training Programs
11 / 15
4. Curriculum and Instruction on HIB
6 / 6
5. HIB Personnel
7 / 9
6. School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedure
6 / 6
7. HIB Investigation Procedure
12 / 12
8. HIB Reporting
5 / 6
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
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SCHOOL CODE 050 | GRADES 2 – 5
Joseph C. Caruso School
SCHOOL GRADE
69
out of 78
88% Attainment
Commendable
Preliminary incidents determined outside the HIB definition: N/A
Core Element Breakdown
1. HIB Programs, Approaches or Other Initiatives
12 / 15
2. Training on the BOE-Approved HIB Policy
8 / 9
3. Other Staff Instruction and Training Programs
14 / 15
4. Curriculum and Instruction on HIB
5 / 6
5. HIB Personnel
9 / 9
6. School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedure
6 / 6
7. HIB Investigation Procedure
10 / 12
8. HIB Reporting
5 / 6
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
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SCHOOL CODE 030 | GRADES 6 – 8
Joseph R. Bolger Middle School
SCHOOL GRADE
52
out of 78
67% Attainment
Developing
Preliminary incidents determined outside the HIB definition: N/A
Core Element Breakdown
1. HIB Programs, Approaches or Other Initiatives
10 / 15
2. Training on the BOE-Approved HIB Policy
6 / 9
3. Other Staff Instruction and Training Programs
10 / 15
4. Curriculum and Instruction on HIB
4 / 6
5. HIB Personnel
6 / 9
6. School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedure
4 / 6
7. HIB Investigation Procedure
8 / 12
8. HIB Reporting
4 / 6
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
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SCHOOL CODE 010 | GRADES 9 – 12
Keansburg High School
SCHOOL GRADE
65
out of 78
83% Attainment
Effective
Preliminary incidents determined outside the HIB definition: N/A
Core Element Breakdown
1. HIB Programs, Approaches or Other Initiatives
12 / 15
2. Training on the BOE-Approved HIB Policy
6 / 9
3. Other Staff Instruction and Training Programs
10 / 15
4. Curriculum and Instruction on HIB
4 / 6
5. HIB Personnel
9 / 9
6. School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedure
6 / 6
7. HIB Investigation Procedure
12 / 12
8. HIB Reporting
6 / 6
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Core Element Performance Across All Four Schools
Each group of bars shows one core element. Bars are scaled to percent of maximum points possible for that element, enabling fair comparison across elements with different scales.
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR COMPARISON · 2023–24 → 2024–25
Positive Movement in HIB Procedures
Comparing official NJDOE self-assessment results across two reporting cycles. Highlighted gains reflect targeted procedural improvements in incident reporting, investigation rigor, and pre-screening practice.
School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedure
83%
→
92%
+9 pts
District average attainment
Joseph C. Caruso School Grade
63
→
69
+6 pts
School total grade out of 78
Incidents Outside HIB Definition
N/A
→
0
Sustained
Full-investigation pre-screening
PROCEDURAL WINS, BY ELEMENT
District averages, 2023–24 → 2024–25
Reporting Procedure
5.0/6 → 5.5/6
+9% attainment
Caruso — Investigation
9 → 10 / 12
+11%
Caruso — Reporting Proc.
4 → 6 / 6
Now full marks
Caruso — Staff Training
12 → 14 / 15
+13%
Pre-screen rigor
N/A → 0 outside HIB
Every report fully reviewed
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
Year-over-Year · Page 11
HIB PRE-SCREENING METHODOLOGY
Why Keansburg Investigates Every Report
Keansburg pre-screens by running a full HIB investigation on every reported incident, even those that may ultimately fall outside the statutory definition. This drives our reported numbers and explains differences between Keansburg and many comparable districts.
TYPICAL DISTRICT APPROACH
Pre-screen, then decide whether to investigate
1
Report received
Building administrator logs the concern
2
Brief screening
Quick administrative review for HIB criteria
3
Filtering decision
Many reports never become HIB investigations
4
Resulting count
Fewer total reported HIBs on the official record
KEANSBURG PRACTICE
Run every HIB report through full investigation
1
Report received
Any concern, from any source, is logged
2
Full HIB investigation
Same statutory protocol applied to every case
3
Determination on the record
Confirmed HIB or formally documented as outside definition
4
Resulting count
Higher reported numbers, by design, not by problem
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE NUMBERS
Keansburg may show a higher count of reported HIBs than peer districts — not because more bullying occurs, but because every concern is fully investigated. The trade-off is transparency, due process, and a defensible record.
Keansburg School District | 2024–2025 HIB Annual Report to the Board of Education
Pre-Screening Methodology · Page 12
DISTRICT ANALYSIS
Strengths — What's Working Across the District
These three core elements posted the highest average attainment across all four schools in 2024–2025.
#1
School-Level HIB Incident Reporting Procedure
Consistent, well-documented reporting channels at every building; clear pathways for students, staff, and families to report concerns.
92%
district average
#2
HIB Investigation Procedure
Standardized, timely investigation protocols followed at all four schools with strong documentation practices.
88%
district average
#3
HIB Personnel
Dedicated Anti-Bullying Specialists and building-level Anti-Bullying Coordinators in place at every school.
86%
district average
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DISTRICT ANALYSIS
Areas for Continued Improvement
These elements scored lowest across the district and will be the focus of targeted improvement during 2025–2026.
1
Training on the BOE-Approved HIB Policy
Planned action: Refresh annual training with interactive scenario work; add mid-year booster session for all staff.
75%
district average
2
Other Staff Instruction and Training Programs
Planned action: Broaden training to include paraprofessionals, cafeteria, custodial, and athletic staff with verifiable sign-in logs.
75%
district average
3
HIB Programs, Approaches or Other Initiatives
Planned action: Audit existing programs for evidence-based outcomes.
78%
district average
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NEXT STEPS & COMMITMENT
Moving Keansburg Forward in 2025–2026
1
Post & Publish
Post each school grade and the district grade on every school homepage within 10 days of this public meeting, with a link to the NJDOE report.
2
Targeted Training
Implement enhanced annual HIB policy training and expand staff training to include all certificated and non-certificated personnel.
3
Curriculum Strengthening
Audit and expand HIB-related curriculum and SEL instruction at every grade level, with documented pacing and evidence of instruction.
4
Transparent Reporting
Continue twice-yearly public reporting to the Board and publish a parent-friendly dashboard summary of HIB data.
Thank you | Questions & Board Discussion