This bill updates New Jersey laws to require criminal history record checks for all paid school employees and volunteers who have regular contact with students. It mandates that schools verify these records through state and federal databases before hiring or utilizing individuals in positions involving student interaction. The legislation specifies that candidates are permanently disqualified if their records show convictions for serious crimes, including violent offenses, drug-related crimes, and certain lesser felonies or crimes involving minor victims. Additionally, the bill ensures that individuals have the right to challenge the accuracy of any disqualifying information found in their criminal history checks.
This bill allocates up to $50 million from the Property Tax Relief Fund to help school districts cover tax increases caused by rising health care costs. To qualify, a district must have seen its adjusted tax levy rise by more than 9.9 percent between the 2024-2025 and 2026-2027 school years. The specific amount each eligible district receives is calculated based on its proportional share of the statewide increase in health care expenses. This measure aims to offset the financial burden on taxpayers resulting from a significant allowable adjustment to property taxes for health care purposes.
This bill requires school districts in New Jersey that include preschool through fifth-grade students to offer the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program. The program teaches children four simple rules to follow if they encounter a firearm: stop, do not touch, leave the area, and tell an adult. It mandates that instruction must not involve real firearms or make value judgments about guns, focusing solely on safety protocols endorsed by law enforcement agencies.
This bill requires the New Jersey Commissioner of Education to create specific criteria for identifying dangerous walking routes for students and provides state funding to districts that offer busing for students on those routes. The proposed criteria include measurable factors such as high traffic volume, lack of sidewalks, dangerous crossings, and environmental or social risks, with stricter standards for younger children and urban areas. Once a route is officially designated as hazardous, school districts must submit joint certifications to the state, and eligible students will receive state aid to cover the cost of courtesy busing services.
This bill allows county vocational school districts in New Jersey to choose their own names to better reflect their modern educational missions. It grants the local board of education the authority to rename these districts, overriding previous legal restrictions that limited their naming options. The legislation ensures that any official reference to these schools will recognize them by their new chosen names, regardless of past designations like "institutes of technology" or "trade schools." By updating the legal framework, the bill aims to align the official titles of these institutions with the diverse career and technical programs they currently offer.
This bill directs the New Jersey State Board of Education to create a program that covers the fees for high school equivalency exams for low-income individuals, defined as those living in households earning 150 percent or less of the federal poverty guidelines. To fund these payments, the legislation establishes a dedicated, nonlapsing fund within the Department of Education that accepts public donations and state appropriations. The bill also provides tax deductions for both individual and corporate taxpayers who contribute to this fund, making it easier for donors to support the initiative.
This bill creates the New Jersey Student Emergency Aid Program to provide one-time financial grants to undergraduate students at public colleges and universities facing unexpected crises. The program covers essential living expenses such as food, housing, and childcare, but explicitly excludes payment for tuition, fees, or student loans. A new revolving fund will be established to manage these grants, initially seeded with $1.5 million from the state's general fund. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority will set specific rules for eligibility and distribution, while colleges must report annually on how the aid is used and its impact on student retention.
This bill requires New Jersey county colleges to automatically notify graduating high school students in their county of acceptance into the college. The notification must be sent by December 1 and include instructions on how to enroll, register for classes, and access financial aid and support services, while eliminating the need for a separate application or application fee. Although students receive an offer of admission, the bill clarifies that this does not guarantee placement in a specific major or specialized program. Additionally, the legislation mandates the creation of guidelines for identifying eligible students and requires an annual report on the program's impact, including data on enrollment and out-of-state migration.
This bill creates a four-year grant program to provide funding to New Jersey school districts for improving performing arts education. To qualify, districts must demonstrate that a majority of their schools serve high concentrations of multilingual learners, students in resource family care, rural students, or at-risk pupils. Selected districts can use the funds to purchase arts materials, train teachers, and develop programs that help students transition between school levels or pursue careers in the arts. The program requires recipients to submit annual reports on their progress and includes a final review to determine if the initiative should be continued or expanded.
This bill mandates that New Jersey school districts offering elementary education must provide free, full-day preschool programs for three- and four-year-olds starting in the 2029-2030 school year. Districts that do not currently have such programs must submit a detailed implementation plan to the state by June 30, 2027, and may partner with neighboring districts to meet this requirement. The legislation also clarifies that these preschool programs must meet specific quality standards and outlines eligibility for state funding assistance for districts that establish them.
