On June 23-25, Delbarton School hosted Investigative Interviewing in Schools, a training program designed for Catholic school professionals responsible for investigating Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) incidents or other serious student conduct concerns. Nineteen Catholic school educators from six area schools registered for the three-day program. The schools included Academy of Saint Elizabeth, DePaul Catholic, Morris Catholic, Mount St. Mary Academy, Union Catholic and Delbarton.

In promoting the program to fellow educators, program organizer and Delbarton Director of Guidance Dr. Matt D’Urso ’96 said, “We believe this training is especially valuable for deans of students, guidance staff, HIB coordinators, administrators, and others involved in student conduct investigations. Whether you are conducting interviews with student complainants, witnesses, or faculty, this training equips you with the tools to gather reliable, actionable information in a manner that supports both school policy and student well-being.”

This week’s training, which took place in Spada Commons on Delbarton campus, was conducted by three experts in the field of forensic interviewing of children,  Dr. Anthony D'Urso, Dr. Jason Dickinson, and Dr. Nicole Lytle. Dr. D'Urso is a licensed psychologist and a Delbarton parent of '96 and '05 graduates who has worked for thirty years as a forensic and clinical psychologist. Dr. Dickenson (shown presenting below) is the Chairperson of Psychology at Montclair State University and Dr. Lytle is an Associate Professor of Social Work and Child Advocacy in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, also at Montclair State University.

The goal for the training was how to uncover the truth in the aftermath of an alleged HIB incident, then developing appropriate next steps. 

During the training sessions, participants explored the basics of evidence-based questioning and memory recall and developing communication strategies to enhance the effectiveness of school-based interviews. Participants were introduced to protocols tailored for both cooperative and hesitant respondents, with practical exercises reflecting real-world school scenarios. Training included effective questioning techniques, managing expectations and building rapport, integrating evidence-based principles into fact-finding interviews, using memory retrieval strategies and determining appropriate student interventions.

Particpants acquired knowledge and skills they intend to share with others in their school communities. One attendee later commented, "I appreciated the wealth of knowledge that was shared and hope I can better apply some techniques into my conversations with students, teachers and parents." Another said, 'I'd love to make this an annual thing and get together more to share perspectives/challenges we are facing. I loved the sense of community I felt in speaking with other attendees."

We thank our three presenters, and the men and women who took the time to attend this important training program that ultimately benefits the school communities of all who participated.