Students Come Forward in Hazing Incident

A group of Millburn High School students have come forward to take responsibility for the hazing incident on the first day of school.

Schools Supt. Richard Brodow said during the Board of Education meeting Monday night the students had come forward, but he did not give many details. He did say he could not give specifics on discipline, but it would include community service and atonement.

School officials have been working to address complaints about an incident of hazing on the first day of school. There were allegations a group of seniors hazed a select group of freshmen, including forcing them to wear camouflaged shirts, pushing them into lockers, blowing whistles in their faces and creating a "slut list" about them.

The school board said at a meeting in September it wanted a plan to end the hazing, which apparently was a tradition of up to 20 years, and for sensitivity training.

The incident went from a local to national story and was covered by a number of national news outlets including Good Morning America and the Today Show. The story was also picked up by a news outlet in India.

Brodow also said Monday night school officials are forming a committee building off of a task force created a year ago at the high school to address discipline, student behavior and substance abuse issues.

The original task force included high school administrators, a high school PTO representative, a Millburn Police Department representative and the student assistance counselor. Brodow said the plans are to expand it to include school board members and parents and revisit and expand the conversation.

The school board will vote to approve the committee and its charge during its next meeting.

Meanwhile, school officials are examining how to respond to the media and are considering bringing in a professional to advise them on what to do in such situations. They are also looking at a policy about cooperating with the media.

Lise Chapman, a board member, said the incident was an education for everyone in instant knowledge. People need to learn about being responsible for what they say and to who, she said. "A story can be picked up and it's gone," she said.

Scott Kamber, board vice president, said the incident is a teaching moment about how being in the news and famous isn't all that it's cracked up to be and there is value in privacy. "The Internet doesn't have an erase button," he said. If a teenager posts something on Facebook, it will be there in 10 years when they are applying for jobs.