Bill Would Require Schools To Notify Parents When Violence Is Recorded From The Desk Of Congressman Chris Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C. - During consideration of the Parents Bill of Rights Act (HR 5), the House of Representatives unanimously passed an amendment offered by Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) that would require school officials to notify parents of any video recordings of violent incidents that occur at school.

Smith’s amendment - which is now headed to the Senate as part of HR 5 - comes in response to the death of Adriana Olivia Kuch, a student at Central Regional High School

Farmland

Continued From Page 1 map of farms within the town borders of Howell.

“We have to do an update every ten years and we are just about past that date,” said Howard. “So that’s why we’re looking to do an update now.”

To continue to be eligible for state funds, the township must renew and address its open space and preservation plans, and the public forum meeting was one way to address the concerns and questions of the residents of Howell Township. Advanced notice had been posted on the township’s website on March 1, providing information about the publicly attended meeting.

“Howell Township’s elected officials and committee members are deeply committed to preserving our natural resources, open space and agricultural foundation,” the notice read. “The plan will identify and list potential properties that may be eligible for grant funding on a state, county and local level for farmland preservation.”

The township’s Farmland Preservation Plan, in its draft form, currently runs 107 pages. As she went through the plan, which was projected on the screen adjacent to the dais, Bell enumerated the numerous aspects of the comprehensive plan, including the newer elements which had been incorporated into the latest edition.

“New to this plan, but not new within the last few years in the area, we talked about COVID-19 and how there’s been an increase in demand for warehousing around and how that can impact farmland,” said Bell. Warehouse proliferation has been an increasingly controversial topic in New Jersey as well as the rest of in Berkeley Township, who tragically took her own life just days after a group of fellow students violently attacked her in the school hallway and then shared the video of the horrific assault online.

“Adriana’s family told the Asbury Park Press that she ‘took her own life after being threatened online, attacked on school grounds, and later harassed when video of the attack was spread via social media,’” said Smith.

“My amendment recognizes that bullying and violence are often compounded - and the victim further traumatized, further humiliated, and further mocked - when the crime is videotaped and shared on social media,” said Smith.

Specifically, Smith’s amendment would the United States, and proposals presented to the Planning Board by developers are closely scrutinized by the Howell FAC.

The FPP addresses agricultural support services and related industries, land use planning, in addition to development pressures, sewers, public water supply services and expanded farmland preservation funding. Both the Howell FAC and the Preservation Task Force function as the de facto monitoring system presently in place to ensure that current preserved farmland remains as such, and as Bell explained during the meeting, the township’s comprehensive plan also lays out the short- and long-term goals to purchase sites for preservation.

As Bell’s presentation concluded, the proceedings were then opened to public comment, and while there were a number of individuals who did ask questions, many chose to hold their questions until the end to approach Howard and Bell privately, as well as members of the Howell FAC, once the meeting had ended.

One of the major issues with farmland preservation is simple economics. Without state funding, the township is left to allocate funds from the municipal budget in order to secure the lands to be purchased for preservation.

“Unfortunately, as we all know, in this market property’s expensive,” Howard explained. “Property with development potential is significantly expensive, so the township going at it themselves to preserve large tracts of land is very difficult, because you’re paying top dollar.”

The project also considered other factors in identifying potential properties, including size (parcels need to be over ten acres), as well as soil quality and location. The list in its finalized form identified add to the Parents Bill of Rights’ disclosure requirement of violent incidences a provision that schools notify parents of whether recordings exist of such violence.

“Once informed, parents are empowered to better shield, comfort and protect their child,” said Smith.

In the wake of Adriana’s loss, Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato, Jr. and the Township Council introduced a resolution imploring elected officials to enact legislation to help prevent the revictimization of students who are attacked at school.

“We must continue to do everything we can to better protect our kids,” said Mayor Amato, who has taken a lead in promoting reform measures to enhance school safety.

“Congressman Smith’s important amendment will give parents added information about violence and bullying in schools and allow parents to make the best decisions to those farms that appeared to be the most feasible targets, as well as those that had the potential to be preserved.

“This list was put together with the help of the Farmers Advisory Committee,” Howard explained. “We spent more than a couple of nights, probably, looking at aerial maps, looking at wetlands mapping, and all kinds of different factors to come up with this list.”

With the list in place, the town is still inviting any commentary from the public before the plan moves forward through the steps for Planning Board approval.

“After this meeting, we’re going to notify existing present farms, the existing target list, and the potential target list just to say, ‘this is what we’re talking about, and if you have any comment or interest, just come forward’.”

Once adopted into the town’s Master Plan, officials will await funding to become available to move on approaching the current owners about having their properties protect their children.”

Smith noted that his amendment is a step in the right direction of what must be a fullcourt press to tackle online bullying at the federal, state, and local levels.

“There must be absolutely zero tolerance for bullying, harassment, and violence in our schools and in our community,” said Smith.

“What happened at Central Regional High School must never happen again,” Smith said. “There must be no higher priority for us than school safety and protecting every student from violence.” purchased and converted into preserved farms. But preserving farms, as well as open space, is seen not only as a quality of life issue to the residents of Howell.

The Parents Bill of Rights Act which empowers parents by requiring K-12 public schools to notify them of their rights on the education of their children - passed the House with Smith’s strong support and vote and now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

“It’s more than just farm preservation,” explained Leslie Chaillet, a member of the Farmers Advisory Council. “Take a look at our township flag, that was designed and sewn by hand in 1976. The flag depicts so much of what Howell history is about from the plow, to the forests, to the crops, each telling a story of why we need to continue to preserve our farms and support our local farmers who work so hard to maintain it.”

The next stage of the process, now that the public forum has been held, is to move the draft version of the FPP to the Planning Board subcommittee. The subcommittee will fine-tune and augment the document as currently constituted before it moves to the Planning Board proper for a full vote and eventual adoption into township policy.

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