Anthony Ruggeri (NJ) on Blogger: New Jersey’s Rigorous Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights for Schools

Saturday, April 13, 2019

New Jersey’s Rigorous Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights for Schools

A program manager for Armour Risk Management Limited Anthony Ruggeri is a well-established risk management and insurance professional who has practiced in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. While working with the New Jersey Schools Insurance Group, Anthony Ruggeri focused on ways that school districts can ensure quality education and avoid legal liability in matters ranging from ethics complaints to bullying in schools.

In 2011, New Jersey took a major step in addressing bullying through the passing of the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights (ABR). Signed into law by Governor Chris Christie, the new law was described by the The New York Times as the toughest law against bullying nationwide.

One major ABR requirement is that school personnel particularly teachers must report bullying incidents within a single school day, with the investigation to be completed in a timeframe of no more than ten school days. Each district appoints an anti-bullying coordinator, with each school fielding an anti-bullying specialist who brings together teams comprised of a parent, teacher, and the principal.

Schools statewide are graded on how well they are addressing bullying, with suicide prevention training part of the quality-focused mandate. The anti-bullying law applies to both students in grades K-12 and those who are in higher education. To promote public awareness, schools are required to distribute anti-bullying policy materials during the first week of school each fall.

As with any new law, the complex web of interrelated responsibilities shared between schools, districts, and educators have also resulted in new insurance liability risks. This can cause difficulty in meeting anti-bullying compliance mandates.

About Anthony Ruggeri

A graduate of Rowan University in NJ, insurance professional Anthony Ruggeri belonged to the debate team and served as the president of the Forensics Society while completing his bachelor of arts in communications. Since receiving his undergraduate degree, Anthony Ruggeri has completed graduate education in business at Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, NJ, and has received multiple certifications from the Insurance Institute of America.

Ruggeri began his insurance career in 1984 as a claims adjuster at Crawford and Company, a role in which he gained experience handling claims from across the insurance sector. He furthered his knowledge in this area in his next position as a claims supervisor and manager for the CNA/Continental Insurance Company. During his nearly decade-long tenure with CNA, he maintained a closing ratio of greater than 95 percent and was selected to serve on the firm’s Home Office Re-engineering team.

Since that time, Anthony Ruggeri has held claims management positions with insurance companies such as the Legion Insurance Company, GAB Robins North America, Inc., and the Farm Family Insurance Company. He draws on this experience in his current role as a claims program manager for Armour Insurance Group in Philadelphia, where he leads a team of supervisors and agents who handle general liability, auto, litigated and non-litigated property, and other claims throughout the United States.