Requires parental consent for student to participate in health, family life education, or sex education program.

This New Jersey bill (A 857) requires public school students to have their parent or guardian provide written consent before participating in health, family life education, or sex education programs. It directly affects students in public schools and changes current law, which allows parents to opt children out by submitting a statement about beliefs, to instead mandate written permission for participation. Under the bill, students whose parents do not provide written consent will be automatically excused from those specific lessons with no academic penalty. The law would take effect immediately upon passage, shifting the requirement from parental objection to active consent.