Education

This New Jersey bill authorizes school districts to issue alternate high school diplomas to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities starting in the 2027-2028 school year. These diplomas are standards-based and require students to complete specific curriculum units in subjects like language arts, mathematics, and science using alternate academic achievement standards. The legislation ensures that receiving an alternate diploma does not end a student's right to special education services until they turn 21 and allows these diplomas to be counted in state graduation rate reports. Additionally, the bill permits students participating in the alternate assessment program to still attempt to meet the requirements for a standard State-endorsed diploma.

This bill requires school district boards in New Jersey to create and maintain policies governing the responsible use of artificial intelligence within their schools. To assist districts in this effort, the state Department of Education must develop and provide a model policy that outlines best practices for implementation. The required district policies must include a process for community feedback, address equity issues for students with limited technology access or disabilities, and establish clear standards for safe AI integration. Additionally, each district must post its final policy prominently on its website and review it annually to ensure it remains current.

This bill designates December 18 of each year as "New Jersey History Day" to honor the state's role in American history, particularly its early ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation for the date and allows school districts to observe the day with educational activities such as student projects, local history exploration, and visits to historic sites. The New Jersey Historical Commission will support these efforts by creating resource materials, promoting participation, and offering grants to schools and community groups.

This bill creates a new trust fund to provide health benefits, including medical, pharmacy, dental, and vision coverage, to public school employees and their dependents in New Jersey. It establishes a board of trustees to manage the fund and defines eligibility to include full-time employees working at least 25 hours a week and their spouses, domestic partners, and unmarried children up to age 31. The legislation also clarifies that dependents who enlist in the military are not covered during their service and gives the board final authority on determining employee and dependent status.

This bill creates the School-Based Partnerships for Access and Resilience for Kids program within the Department of Children and Families to support student mental health. It requires school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools to develop specific mental health support programs that connect students with high behavioral health needs to the new SPARK program navigator. The SPARK program, operated by the New Jersey Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative, will provide same-day psychiatric consultations, referrals to community providers, and assistance with school re-entry after a mental health crisis. Access to these services is limited to students in kindergarten through grade 12 and requires written consent from a parent or legal guardian. Additionally, the bill mandates that schools have designated staff or formal agreements with external providers to ensure ongoing counseling support for their students.

This bill changes how the state calculates financial aid for preschool programs in school districts that are newly receiving this funding for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. Currently, these districts must split the cost of preschool programs between state aid and local taxes, but the legislation exempts them from this requirement. Instead, the state will provide a larger share of funding based on the total number of enrolled students and program costs. This change allows affected districts to receive more state money without needing separate voter approval to raise local taxes to cover the remaining expenses. The bill is estimated to increase state spending by approximately $7.5 million in the 2027 fiscal year.

This New Jersey bill expands the Volunteer Tuition Credit Program to include active members of volunteer fire companies and rescue squads, as well as their spouses and dependent children, allowing them to attend four-year public colleges and universities. Under the new provisions, eligible volunteers must commit to four years of service and maintain a "C" grade average to receive up to $1,000 in tuition credit per year, with a total maximum benefit of $4,000 over the service period. The legislation also clarifies that while tuition is covered, institutions may still charge registration and laboratory fees, and it requires volunteers to submit transcripts annually to verify their academic progress and service.

This bill requires public school districts in New Jersey to provide a daily lunch period of at least 30 seated minutes and a daily recess period of at least 20 minutes for students in grades kindergarten through eight. The legislation expands current recess requirements, which previously applied only to students in grades kindergarten through five, to include older elementary and middle school students. While districts must generally provide these breaks, they may deny recess to a student no more than twice per week for code violations, provided the student participates in restorative justice activities instead, and may also deny recess based on medical advice or a 504 plan. The law does not require recess on days when the school schedule is substantially shortened due to early dismissal or delayed opening.

This New Jersey bill, titled the "Fully Funding Schools and Cutting Property Taxes Act," aims to reduce property taxes for residents by directing an additional $2.9 billion in state funding to school districts. The legislation requires school districts that receive increased state aid to lower their adjusted tax levies by an equal amount, ensuring that the financial benefit of the new funding translates directly to lower taxes for local homeowners. Furthermore, the bill mandates that districts receiving this aid must cut their budgets to match the increase, preventing the use of extra state money to raise overall spending. By establishing these conditions, the law seeks to balance the need for adequate school funding with the goal of making education more affordable for New Jersey families.

This bill amends New Jersey's assault laws to impose stricter penalties for attacking specific protected groups, including elderly and disabled individuals. Under the proposed changes, any simple assault committed against these vulnerable victims would be automatically classified as an aggravated assault, carrying a more severe criminal charge. The legislation also expands the list of protected persons to include a wide range of workers such as school staff, utility employees, and healthcare providers when they are performing their official duties. By reclassifying attacks on these groups as aggravated offenses, the bill ensures that perpetrators face harsher legal consequences than those who assault the general public.