May 28, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 15 Survey assesses students’ perception of school climate Midland Park Public Schools students in grades two through 12 will again be participating in an anonymous School Climate Survey before the end of the school year. This is the fourth year of the survey, which is part and In recognition parcel of the district’s anti-bullying initiatives. The instrument was created by Dr. Paula Rodriguez- Rust, a sociologist and diversity educator, who also inter- preted the results in the previous three years. Dr. Rust will Charles ‘Chuck’ Ryan, center, receives an award from Midland Park Memorial Day Parade Committee Chairman Lorraine DeLuca, as VFW Post 7086 Commander Bruce Strengberg looks on. Ryan served as master of ceremonies for Midland Park Memorial Day observances for 35 years before stepping down last year. interpret the results of this year’s survey as well, according to Craig Rush, the district’s student assistance counselor and anti-bullying coordinator. The survey is administered electronically during school hours. In the fall, Dr. Rust will make an evening presentation to parents/guardians in which she will compare the survey results of the previous surveys with the spring survey of 2014. Last year 57 percent of the potential participants com- pleted the survey. At that time, Dr. Rust reported that the majority of students in all grades in Midland Park schools feel safe ‘always’ or ‘most of the time’. The majority of the students who completed the survey also said that they had noticed positive changes in their teachers’ attitudes toward bullying during the year, including taking the problem more seriously, trying harder to address it and increasing vigilance. The voluntary survey is administered to obtain infor- mation for the purpose of strengthening the standards and procedures used for preventing, reporting, investigating, and responding to incidents of harassment, intimidation, (continued on page 22)