Morris County Prosecutor’s Office brings anti-bias, anti-bullying program to local schools
MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. — The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office continued its anti-bias and anti-bullying program at three local schools in September and October, addressing social media activity, digital communications and threats of school violence.
Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Samantha DeNegri and Sgt. Patrick LaGuerre presented the program at the Morris County School of Technology on Sept. 18, Chatham Middle School on Sept. 24 and Eisenhower Middle School in Roxbury on Oct. 16.
During the presentations, DeNegri and LaGuerre advised students to be mindful of their activities on social media and in digital communications, explaining that information posted or shared online can remain accessible indefinitely.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the presenters explained that while not every online action could result in a criminal investigation, law enforcement can use data warrants during criminal investigations to obtain information from electronic devices and applications, including material users believed had been deleted.
Students were also reminded that although the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, those protections do not supersede school codes of conduct, particularly regarding how students treat one another.
DeNegri and LaGuerre explained that Morris County takes a zero-tolerance approach to threats of school violence. They emphasized that consequences and corrective actions must be taken even when students claim threatening comments were intended as jokes or made out of frustration.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said, “Our children spend a considerable amount of time communicating with peers and even strangers online. Education is key to helping them understand the consequences of cyberbullying or sharing inappropriate material, with the goal of preventing them from making regrettable choices. I applaud SAP DeNegri and Sgt. LaGuerre for having these important discussions in our schools and for engaging with the students.”
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, DeNegri and LaGuerre have also conducted anti-bias and anti-bullying presentations at public and private schools in Morris, Sussex, Union and Warren counties during previous school years.
