The Item of Millburn and Short Hills from Millburn, New Jersey • B1

Education High honors Merit semifinalists announced. Page B2 Section The Item of Millburn and Short Hills September 22, 2011 www.theitemonline.com M-SPEC FALL FLOWER FUNDRAISER A delicate balance Antibullying law considers special needs PHOTO COURTESY OF SENIOR CELEBRATION COMMITTEE From left, Millburn High School seniors Melissa Roberts and Eugenie Hagemann display some of the colorful mums that were sold at the Senior Celebration plant sale Tuesday, Sept. 20. Proceeds from the sale will support Senior Celebration 2012, a group which organizes and supervises a week of graduation activities that are substance-free, fun and safe. Crisfield said the schools only call police "if we feel something is of a criminal nature," but parents of a bullying victim are free to call the police.

Crisfield said Millburn Police Det. Edward de la Fuente, who handles juvenile matters, is a "masterful community resource," so police response will not always be threatening. Cyberbullying is one of the relatively new areas being addressed by the law, but one mother said cyber bullies may be students who "feel powerless and use the Internet to justify their perceived wrongs." Crisfield said this situation happened in his former district. "The students were victims of bullying but I still had to come down on them hard," he said. "Cyberbullying can be the response to something that happened in school." Crisfield said there will be a spike in harassment, intimidation and bullying reports while the law is still new, but reports are encouraged.

"If it's reportable, we want it," he said. "This isn't out to get anyone; it's about protecting everyone." The board's anti-bullying policy will also be revised to include language preventing retaliation on those who report bullying. There will be a presentation on how the new anti-bullying law affects all students at the Monday, Sept. 26 Board of Education meeting. E-mail: hughesnorthjersey.com ACTIVITIES Sneakers recreation program kicks off By Andrea Hughes of The Item Students with special needs or disabilities have long been victims of bullying, but impulse control problems or other issues could cause them to be seen as aggressors.

The local special education community has been concerned that New Jersey's Anti-bullying Bill of Rights, considered one of the toughest laws on bullying, may not be fully sensitive to the problems of children with special needs. It is with this concern in mind that members of the parent advocacy group Millburn Special Education Committee (M-SPEC) invited Superintendent of Schools James Crisfield to speak at their first meeting of the year Sept. 19. Crisfield told parents there have always been provisions for students who need accommodations or have IEPs (Individualized Education Plans), and "none of those things have been compromised by this new legislation." He read passages from the board's new anti-bullying policy -revised to comply with the law -that list life skill deficiency and developmental age among the factors that have to be considered when determining consequences for harassment, intimidation and bullying. "We are allowed in fact we are required to take these things into consideration," he said.

In addition, Crisfield said not every reported incident will be determined to be harassment, intimidation or bullying (HIB). The total number of reports will be collected, but only the bullying reports will go to the superintendent and Board of Education. Parents gained insight into how the law would apply to their children during a question-and-answer session with the superintendent. Summing up several concerns, an M-SPEC officer asked, "Is there going to be some common sense here, some compassion?" "Our goal is to stop the behavior, not to classify something as harassment, intimidation or bullying," Crisfield said. He said a graduated approach to consequences might work better for students with special needs.

One parent asked whether there would be training so students could recognize whether they are a victim of bullying. "Some of these children have very low self esteem," she said. "They think it's okay for people to call them things." Crisfield said the district will "ramp up" training around what it means to be a victim. The Anti-bullying Bill of Rights can also be a help in this regard, as anyone, including other students, can report bullying they witness. "We have more ears around," Crisfield said.

Bystander training, a program already in place, teaches students about standing up for others. Another question asked was whether a parent could act as support for his or her child in the principal's office during an investigation of an incident. "Some children have communication challenges," one mother said. Crisfield said there will be appropriate safeguards through a case manager or guidance counselor. In addition, a child's teacher can be notified if their pupil has been traumatized by bullying and needs extra attention, just as if the child were ill.

Another parent asked if reported incidents would go on the students' educational record. Crisfield explained the record that could be shown to colleges is from ninth grade on. Harassment, intimidation and bullying does not necessarily have to be reported to colleges; it depends how egregious the behavior is. He confirmed, however, that a victim of bullying could go to the Board of Education and let them know they think an incident should be reported to colleges. "As a matter of due process, they can come to the board and plead their case," he said.

Part of the anti-bullying law allows parents of either student involved in a bullying incident to request a hearing in closed session before the board. "How are my child's special needs going to be protected in that hearing?" one parent asked. Crisfield said parents of victims are not entitled to information about the perpetrator's special needs or the consequences. They are entitled to know what the preventative measures are and they can appeal these measures in a hearing. For example, they might not be satisfied with an assembly that is not connected with other efforts to prevent bullying.

"If they don't like what we're going forward with preventatively they can appeal." Another measure of protection is that board members will see student ID numbers instead of their names when bullying is reported to them. One parent wanted to know at what point the police would be involved in an incident of bullying. Sneakers, a Millburn Recreation Department program for children with special needs, will provide a variety of activities this year. The goal of the program is to build children's social skills in various leisure settings. Afternoon trips will be provided to local attractions such as pumpkin picking and hay rides, Watchung Stables, Kings Cooking Studio and Turtleback Zoo.

Trips include transportation and snacks. Children in third through Extraordinary CANCER CARE LOCATED IN BASKING RlDGE. eighth grade can participate in Sneakers, which runs Thursdays, Oct. 6 to Dec. 15, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Children are dropped off and picked up at a Town Hall parking lot. The fee for the program is $35. Primary funding is provided by the United Way of Mfllbum-Short Hills and private donations. Program leaders Dazanne Baigent and Susan Wolfgang have many years of experience working with children with special needs. Both are paraprofes- can make all the difference.

Medical Oncology Deena M. Atieh Graham, Ephraim Casper, MD Mila Gorsky, MD Shilen Patel, MD Han Xiao, MD Audrey Hamilton, MD Radiology Linda R. Aboody, MD Stefanie S. Jacobs, MD Karen Karlson, MD Marc Simmons, MD Jean Torrisi, MD sionals working within the Mill-burn school system. Children should be comfortable in a group setting and, if necessary, a one-on-one mentor may be required, provided by the parent.

Registration forms can be obtained at the Millburn Recreation Department, 375 Millburn Ave. For general recreation information, visit the department's online at www.twp.millburn.nj.usrecre-ation. MD When the diagnosis is cancer, you shouldn't have to choose between getting the very best care and the convenience of being treated close to home. In Basking Ridge, we offer the same level of expert care we provide at our Manhattan locations. where you're treated first BOOKS Town native's children's story to be released Oct.

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Traditional storytelling is important to Errico, who believes that children truly understand tone and context, and that playful narration can make a tale more enjoyable. "I want kids to see that persistence is what makes you unstoppable," he said. "There's conflict around every corner, but the gnarble never fights a single fish. I want them to see that a strong will and resolve are more powerful than anything that stands in your way. or even swallows you whole." Errico's also runs a website, www.FreeChildrenStories.com, that provides access to literature for children who might not be able to afford books.

Township native and multimedia children's author Daniel Errico is releasing his first physical picture book for children, "The Journey Errico of the Noble Gnarble," on Oct. 1. The color picture book is being published through Greenleaf Book Group, a publisher and distributor dedicated to independent authors and small presses. The book tells the story of a fish who dreams of reaching the surface of the see and seeing the sun for the first time. A gnarble, as the author describes it, is a "funky looking fish," with a long body, thin stout, oversized tail and oddly small fins which lives at the bottom of the ocean." When he tries to turn that dream into a reality, the gnarble begins to see why no fish of his kind has ever made it before.

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