“Disappointing” “Highly unfortunate” “Unnecessary” this gentleman is the leader and chief of one of the most recognized and largest schools districts on northern NJ. All he cares about is nothing that it was not during school hours. Yet the most damming angle of this is the bullying is concerning ANOTHER bullying experience that has been active for some time.
“I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do.”
Don’t Ridgewood families deserve better? If you care about nothing else and you may care about your housing values when no one wants to move to your town because you school and it’s ineptitude are plastered all over NYC/NJ news.That was yesterday.
Personally, Fishbein is a nice guy, but he is a weak and feckless leader both in and out of the school.
The Village Idiot needs to go!
RE: “If you care about nothing else and you may care about your housing values when no one wants to move to your town because you school and it’s ineptitude are plastered all over NYC/NJ news.“
Worse.
It’s gone national… its on Drudge.
https://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2017/11/teen_severely_beaten_in_attack_recorded_by_classmates.html#incart_river_index
Nonsensical blabber. There is an ongoing investigation and DF should not be yapping away until the actual facts are confirmed. Do you also think Fishbein’s responsible if your kid sneaks alchohol from your cabinet before going to an event? The portrayal of the incident and its participants has been set forth by the injured boy’s Aunt and apparently everyone takes it as defacto despite some conflicting reports to the contrary. What if the original storyline is incorrect ? What is known is that both boys prearranged a fight an there were spectators that intervene after two punches were landed within a span of seconds and the other boy was injured . Maybe we should reserve making nasty comments and rushing to judgements until the true story comes out.
Well said 11:14
How do you know it was a prearranged fight? How do you know spectators interviened after 2 punches?
“Do you also think Fishbein’s responsible if your kid sneaks alchohol from your cabinet before going to an event?”
NO, I do NOT, but he does.
The school will discipline students who don’t behave according to the school’s “standard of conduct” even if the child (not student) acts off school property, after school hours.
This is the twisted world we live in.
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That said, Fishbein SHOULD NOT PRETEND to be transparent and dispel rumors when he does not (and cannot) disseminate any tangible information about the incident. But he is too busy patting himself on the back, being pious and covering his behind. He is more interested in guilt spreading and punishing the 99% innocent children who WERE NOT at the fights and DID NOT have any knowledge of the incidents until after the fact by forcing useless “witness training” on them. Instead, he should JUST address the guilty.
No “witness reeducation training” assembly is necessary. If he feels compelled to have an assembly, it could just identifying the bad actors for all of their peers to see.
Why is this man smiling?
The “incident” is also covered by CBS news. Google it.
I’ve known Dan for more than 40 years…we’re lucky to have him.
“Disappointing Dan”
The boy who ended up in the hospital reportedly tried to defend his girlfriend’s honor on Friday night but was knocked unconscious by another boy. Thereafter he was having his own honor challenged by multiple kids and was baited into a second fight Saturday at which he was both knocked unconscious and suffered a crushing blow to the skull. The wrestling team was reportedly involved. What kid wants to drop dime on an entire high school athletic team when the members of that team can expect to receive air cover from the police, the high school administration, the high school athletic director”s office, the district superintendent”s office, and the board of education? Anonymous video recording and anonymous leaking of information might seem to a frustrated observer like the only way to get the precious truth out without being directly “bullied” by the above entities, all composed of adults!
BTW, the account at this link is more detailed and bone-chilling than anything yet posted on TheRidgewoodBlog.net:
https://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewood/nj-teen-beaten-videotaped-attack-ridgewood-high-school
I have written in this Blog before about this: There is a tremendous undercurrent of anger among Ridgewood residents. It comes out in how they drive , even speeding in supermarket parking lots, speeding down local streets AND in the temperment of their dogs who try to lunge after you when you walk on sidewalk. The dog walkers do not guide their dogs away from other walkers.
And, as you all know , their have been a number of dog bitings recently in the neighborhood.
Now, I visit another state frequently and the atmosphere is people friendly, and people are considerate of others and you do not experience an undercurrent of anger. Dogs are not a problem when walking.
Just face it, the kids are reflecting their parents as dogs reflect their owners.
Deny what happened , make excuses for it , call it and “incident” instead of a brutal beating.
You are revealing your attitude toward other people. Any decent person, and those are hard to find here, would just say any beating is unjustified. Let alone a “brutal beating.”
Haven’t other schools and even professional athletes been suspended from their teams for this sort of behavior? If you wrestling team is behind this they should be suspended.
6:57 – I think your facts are a little off based on what I’ve heard. This just goes to show we’ll never really know the truth.
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What I heard is the boy in the hospital was the one with the pictures of another (non-fighter) freshman’s girlfriend. The junior was the one bullying the non-fighting freshman, his girlfriend and causing issues. The fight was arranged by the fighting-freshman to stand up for his friend and girlfriend against the junior. That fight on Friday lasted a couple of punches.
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After the fight, texts were going back and forth including derogatory terms by the junior. He had planned on getting a bunch of his friends to jump the freshman at the rematch. The freshman found out about this and I assume had his team show up to back him up.
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Unfortunately during the Saturday melee, the freshman went to far with the fight and the junior is now in the hospital.
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Neither party is without fault.
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As far as they videotape, that’s the norm these days. I know 40 years ago when I was in school there were fights with people all in a circle watching. Not sure why all of a sudden all bystanders are to blame.
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How do we know the wrestling team was involved? Maybe a few kids from the team? Season hasn’t started yet so they wouldn’t have been at practice. They don’t hang out together. So maybe a few wrestlers were there (and maybe some footballers, runners, etc). Is that reason to indict the entire team?
Hook, line and sinker storyline. Alot more to this story and it is being gathered
How do we know the wrestling team was involved? Maybe a few kids from the team? Season hasn’t started yet so they wouldn’t have been at practice. They don’t hang out together. So maybe a few wrestlers were there (and maybe some footballers, runners, etc). Is that reason to indict the entire team? There is enough blame and bad decisions going on in this matter.
Looking for transparency (don’t need names ) just some details and actions
The incident was almost 2 weeks ago, what is the delay in getting the details? The village deserves to know what happened, what is the punishment, what school supported teams or number of members that have been disciplined ? how many expelled, thrown off teams, suspended, etc.
What are the police doing, why the delays?
We need some meaningful information, this can’t be ignored
Anon, even in your accounting, which put both kids to blame for the incident, shows the lack of good judgment and character by the wrestling team. Back up your friend by making sure no one fights. They had the numbers to do so, but choose to film and cheer instead. Shameful.
9:41am, the set of facts you present, if true, would seem to portray the fighting freshman in a much better light than has previously been related by others, including the family of the fighting junior. Granted, under no version of the facts related thus far does the fighting freshman come out smelling like a rose. But the new twist you’ve described, once again–if true!, seems like it could actually clear things up pretty well. For example, if you are correct, and it was the fighting freshman, and not the fighting junior, who was coming to the defense of the bullied girl, it becomes much easier to understand what motivated the fighting freshman to do what he did over the space of a couple of weekend days (even if he did end up taking things too far, and DEFINITELY screwed up by not getting a responsible adult involved before managing to put the fighting junior in the hospital).
Did you read what 9:41 said ? This is far from cut and dry. Authorities are doing the right thing by exercising due diligence and making sure they have the full story and truth rather than rushing out to appease with a half informed statement that could expose them to a potential suit especially by the accused. Fishbein’s generalized comments are appropriate at this time , the immediate concern should be injured’s recovery regardless of who and what .When the real story comes out then people can assess whether suspensions or penalties are warranted . This is not going away for anyone anytime soon
1:18 one also backs a friend by being there to protect that no one else jumps in. No one is condoning the fight but sometimes people are present on both sides to ensure that any fight is a fair one. Most times they help to break up but sometimes they jump in .The presence of parties for either combatant and their activities before, during and after this rather quick encounter will be another needed discovery before condemning any or all
guess were left to wonder about the intent of the juniors family coming forward with a story that presented him in that light. we’re they misled?
what if a girl texted naked photos of herself to 2 freshman? What if one of the freshmen was bi-racial and the other was small for his age? What if the girl who texted these naked pictures had a boyfriend in 11th grade, that was REALLY mad that someone had pics of his gal? What if the girls boyfriend, a Junior born and bred in Ridgewood, challenged the small freshman to a fight and taunted him via social media. What if the other freshman, who also received the naked pics from this girl, came to his smaller friends defense because of the disparity in size between the two boys? What if the Junior then called him a Nigger. Over and over again, called him a Nigger and challenged him to a fight, on social media with everyone standing by. What if this freshman accepted, who had been called a Nigger on social media over and over again, accepted the challenge to fight and met the Junior? And what if, when the freshman showed up, not only was the Junior there and ready to fight, but 40 of his closest friends armed with their phones video taping? What if the wrestling team wasn’t there? What if there was a fight and the freshman, the “Nigger” punched twice, and the second punch knocked the Junior flat on his back? What if the Juniors friends were cheering and videotaping? What if the Junior’s friends chased the “nigger” off the field instead of calling 911? What if the Junior came home and was unable to share the truth with his family, because he was ashamed and embarrassed? And what if, he embellished the truth to save face? What if an enraged and upset Aunt posted the Juniors embellished story on Facebook? What if we all believed the “story” because the media picked it up and what if there was a modern day lynching of this so called “brutal animal” on social media because we believe anything that’s posted, must be true? What if the Juniors grandfather misspoke at the BOE meeting indicating the “victim” didn’t know the attacker, but yet a simple Facebook search could indicate otherwise? What if we blamed the BOE for not expelling the brutal animal immediately when quite possibly he could be the victim? What if it were your kid?
what if a girl texted naked photos of herself to 2 freshman? What if one of the freshmen was bi-racial and the other was small for his age? What if the girl who texted these naked pictures had a boyfriend in 11th grade, that was REALLY mad that someone had pics of his gal? What if the girls boyfriend, a Junior born and bred in Ridgewood, challenged the small freshman to a fight and taunted him via social media. What if the other freshman, who also received the naked pics from this girl, came to his smaller friends defense because of the disparity in size between the two boys? What if the Junior then called him a Nigger. Over and over again, called him a Nigger and challenged him to a fight, on social media with everyone standing by. What if this freshman accepted, who had been called a Nigger on social media over and over again, accepted the challenge to fight and met the Junior? And what if, when the freshman showed up, not only was the Junior there and ready to fight, but 40 of his closest friends armed with their phones video taping? What if the wrestling team wasn’t there? What if there was a fight and the freshman, the “Nigger” punched twice, and the second punch knocked the Junior flat on his back? What if the Juniors friends were cheering and videotaping? What if the Junior’s friends chased the “nigger” off the field instead of calling 911? What if the Junior came home and was unable to share the truth with his family, because he was ashamed and embarrassed? And what if, he embellished the truth to save face? What if an enraged and upset Aunt posted the Juniors embellished story on Facebook? What if we all believed the “story” because the media picked it up and what if there was a modern day lynching of this so called “brutal animal” on social media because we believe anything that’s posted, must be true? What if the Juniors grandfather misspoke at the BOE meeting indicating the “victim” didn’t know the attacker, but yet a simple Facebook search could indicate otherwise? What if we blamed the BOE for not expelling the brutal animal immediately when quite possibly he could be the victim? What if it were your kid?
Well 8:24, surely, if all those things had happened, Facebook groups would not come to the unconditional defense of bullying and hate speech. Surely adults, having grown wise in their years of hearing transparent one-sided fiction, would have seen through a thin sheen of people trying to set the story before real facts could come out. They would not just react disproportionately to rumor and fiction. Surely that crowd would not become simply another version of a 15 year old with a smartphone recording video – voyeuristically gazing into the hurt of three, no four (maybe more) families that are their friends and neighbors. Surely that would not happen, even IF all that you say had happened. Right? Never. Not here. After all, this is Ridgewood.