New Jersey has been a leader in the establishment of a strong statutory, regulatory policy and program framework to support the prevention, remediation and reporting of HIB in schools.  This webpage provides access to information and resources regarding the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (ABR) and how the ABR is implemented in New Jersey’s public schools through their HIB policies and procedures.

Definition of bullying as per New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act

N.J.S.A. 18A:37-14 defines "Harassment, intimidation or bullying" as 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 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 as provided for in section 16 of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-15.3), that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students and that: 

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

Statutes

Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (ABR) Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act - 2012 Amendments Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act - 2022 Amendments The laws referenced below can be found at the New Jersey Legislature and at Rutgers School of Law: N.J.S.A. 18A:37-13 through 17 N.J.S.A. 2C:16-1 Bias Intimidation

Regulations

The following codes can be found at the NJDOE Administrative Code page. N.J.A.C. 6A:3, Controversies and Disputes N.J.A.C. 6A:16-5.2, Violence Awareness N.J.A.C. 6A:16-5.3, Incident Reporting of Violence, Vandalism and Alcohol and other Drug Abuse N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.7, Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying N.J.A.C. 6A:32, School District Operations

Information for Families and Caregivers

Information for Families and Caregivers Information on the ABR Resources to support your child

Information for Schools and School Districts

Information for Schools and School Districts Information on the ABR Materials to support your school with implementing the ABR Resources for developing your HIB policies

Government Agencies

Reports