Important Decision Handed Down in Hostile School Environment Case (Student-on-Student Harassment)

The Director of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights recently concluded that a school district violated the NJ Law Against Discrimination (LAD) in permitting a bias-based hostile environment to deprive the harassed student of the same educational opportunities afforded to other students. In effect, this case means that bullying and harassment based on bias (on a protected category under the LAD) can be filed with the Division of Civil Rights, as a hostile environment cases in a place of public accommodation. To read the case summary visit the website of the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law and Safety (http://www.state.nj.us/lps/dcr/orders.html). The entire decision is available on the NJ Division of Civil Rights website:http://www.state.nj.us/lps/dcr/downloads/orders/LW-v-Toms_River.pdf