It starts with an Instagram or Facebook post or even a 15-second video on TikTok before bullying reaches the classroom in Jersey City public schools.
“It happens at night. It happens on Saturdays and Sundays,” Elementary Division Director Joseph Galano said about bullying cases. “Social media has made it a lot easier to bully and harass somebody.”
The number of confirmed Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) incidents in the 27,000-student district swelled to 49 in 2023, more than double the 24 credible incidents that occurred in 2022. The school district saw a slight increase in reporting of HIB incidents from 94 in 2022 to 115 in 2023, according to a presentation made by the district on HIB.
Superintendent Norma Fernandez and Galano point to many of the incidents starting on social media and then carrying into the school building, which seems like the modern-day version of an old-school playground or ballfield dispute boiling over in the school building.
Lincoln High School Principal Chris Gadsden calls social media “the worst,” noting that many of the conflicts fester online.
“Students can have a conflict over liking a post,” Gadsden said.
The reported incidents resulted in 194 altercations on school grounds, from the classroom to the hallway and playground.
“There is a very much heightened effort to identify and address (HIB cases),” Fernandez said. “What continues to creep up is the cyberbullying ... it is not just the schoolyard or the walk home. Many of these are not a dragged-out fight, it’s more over time. It’s nasty notes, a comment a social media.”
Sometimes an uptick in the number of cases is simple a case of better reporting of incidents. Galano and Fernandez say teachers and parents are getting better at identifying a possible HIB case.
“We see in the state and around the country the tragedies that occur with this, kids harming themselves and hurting themselves,” Galano said. “We are really on it and being diligent and that is why the numbers are going up.”
So now Jersey City is taking some extra precautions.
For the staff, at least 280 training sessions related to crisis intervention, anti-bullying programs, technology integration, restorative/community practices and trauma-informed practices and mental health/wellness support have been held in the district this year.
The school district provides the public with a monthly HIB report that appears on every board of education meeting agenda. From September to December 2023, President Barack Obama Elementary School 34 had the most reported incidents, 17, of which eight were deemed credible.
The school district reported 38 HIB incidents in January, 15 of which were deemed credible. HIB cases can be deemed unfounded if no bullying was involved.
According to the state anti-bullying task force report, an “alarming” 7,672 HIB incidents were confirmed out of a “staggering” 19,138 incidents reported in New Jersey schools during the 2021-22 school year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HIB incidents dropped to an all-time low because of remote learning, not as a result of school climate and culture improvements.
According to a state Attorney General’s Office report released Thursday, schools have become the “most frequent” location for bias incidents in the state. Incidents in schools more than doubled from 205 in 2021 to 451 in 2022.
“The significant uptick in reported bias incidents occurring in or around schools in recent years is likely a result of the mandatory reporting requirement placed on schools to report all suspected bias incidents to law enforcement,” the 76-page report read. “The proliferation of social media use and the spread of bias and hate in cyberspace has also likely contributed to the increase in bias incidents in schools.”
Not all schools are seeing increases in HIB cases. There have been just six bullying cases in Hoboken schools between 2021and 2024, Hoboken Superintendent Christine Johnson said.
“First, our schools stayed open during the pandemic and we did not see the same level of isolationism among students,” Johnson said. “We also have a lot of supports in place, in addition to full-time guidance counselors and a fully staffed child study team in all schools.”
Galano said that schools like Barack Obama, where you see more HIB incidents, are reflective of what is happening in the neighborhood, especially if there are gangs.
Although many schools have looked to ban cellphones, Gadsden says it would require buy-in from the community and parents, who bought their kids the phones to use in case of emergency.
“We have to do something. We have to limit signal strength and signal use inside the school,” Gadsden said. “It is a general distraction. (Cellphones) are part of their arms now.”
