This bill creates the Task Force on Student Mental Health in New Jersey to study mental health issues affecting public school students, such as depression, anxiety, and trauma. The 16-member task force includes state officials, educators, parents, and public members with relevant expertise, who will examine current programs and recommend ways to improve access to mental health care services. The group will review topics like student identification, counseling expansion, school safety connections, funding needs, and successful programs from other states, then submit a final report to the Governor and Legislature within one year of organizing. The task force will operate without compensation for members but may receive reimbursement for necessary expenses, and it will dissolve 30 days after issuing its report.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution urges the President of the United States to expand access to menstrual products in schools nationwide by interpreting Title IX to include free provision of these items. The bill directly affects students who menstruate and aims to address period poverty by ensuring adequate toilet facilities and lenient bathroom policies in federally funded schools. It argues that current Title IX protections should be broadened through federal guidance to prevent educational disparities and health risks associated with lack of access to menstrual hygiene products. The resolution does not mandate funding or policy changes but serves as a formal request to the federal government to consider these expansions.
This bill establishes stricter penalties for criminal acts committed on school property in New Jersey, directly affecting students, staff, visitors, and anyone interacting with school facilities. It creates a fourth-degree crime for unauthorized entry, providing false information to security personnel, tampering with security devices, interfering with safety protocols, or intentionally causing alarms that trigger emergency responses. Additionally, the legislation restricts access to school safety plans and prohibits filming or posting security procedures online without official permission to protect sensitive information.
This bill requires New Jersey school districts to create procedures for reporting harassment, intimidation, and bullying online through their official websites. It mandates that districts update their existing anti-bullying policies to include an electronic reporting form accessible to students, parents, and staff. The law also maintains current requirements for written reports to principals within two school days and prohibits formal discipline based solely on anonymous reports. School districts must allow anonymous reporting while still following established investigation and disciplinary processes for confirmed incidents.
This bill directs New Jersey's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to create security risk assessment guidance for public and private colleges and universities that receive state funding. The guidance will help institutions evaluate hazards related to campus safety, data security, emergency planning, infrastructure, and mental health access, while also providing a standardized checklist for annual reviews. Institutions must submit completed checklists to the office each year, and these documents will remain confidential but may inform decisions about state grants for safety upgrades. The office will also offer technical assistance to ensure consistent completion of assessments across all affected schools.
This bill requires New Jersey school districts to mandate that students identified as engaging in bias-related conduct meet with a certified school psychologist weekly for at least nine months. The law defines bias acts as any behavior motivated by protected characteristics such as race, gender, or sexual orientation that creates a hostile environment, and includes actions like displaying hate symbols or using discriminatory language. Districts must employ psychologists trained in implicit bias and racial equity to provide restorative interventions aimed at understanding underlying causes and preventing future incidents. The legislation emphasizes support and education over purely punitive measures, requiring staff training and transparent reporting to address rising bias incidents in schools.
New Jersey's A4348 bill establishes a 10-member task force to examine school discipline policies and practices in public schools, with a specific focus on racial disparities and effectiveness. The task force will study current discipline methods - including their impact on preschool students and racial groups - and evaluate how well policies promote school safety while reducing problem behaviors. It will also review federal guidance (like the 2014 Dear Colleague Letter) and best practices to recommend improvements for equitable discipline. The task force must submit a final report with findings and recommendations within 12 months of organizing.
This bill requires all New Jersey school districts to submit their emergency communication plans to the Department of Education by October 1 of the first full school year after the law takes effect. School districts must review and resubmit these plans every five years or immediately after any emergency incident occurs at a school. The Department of Education, working with homeland security and emergency management agencies, will review the plans to ensure they comply with state laws and may suggest improvements. The law defines "emergency communication policies" as procedures for schools to contact emergency responders, staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders during crises.
This bill requires New Jersey's Commissioner of Education to create a free emergency notification system for schools to alert students, staff, parents, and law enforcement during active shooter incidents on school grounds. The system must allow students (with parental permission), parents, teachers, and staff to register any mobile device (like phones or tablets) for alerts, work with all device types, and automatically contact local police or state police upon activation. Each school must customize the system to include only registered contacts, and the system must be provided at no cost to all public and nonpublic schools. The bill takes immediate effect and directly affects all New Jersey schools and their registered users.
This bill establishes "gun-free" and "weapon-free" zones around schools by prohibiting the possession of firearms within 1,000 feet of school buildings, grounds, or school buses without written permission from the school. It also bans certain weapons, such as those that can be assembled into firearms, in these zones without authorization. Possessing firearms in these areas is classified as a third-degree crime, while possessing the banned weapons is a fourth-degree crime. Local governments can use approved maps to define the zone boundaries for enforcement purposes.
