This bill removes a requirement for New Jersey public schools to teach diversity and inclusion lessons to students in kindergarten through grade 8. It specifically eliminates the mandate that schools incorporate instruction on unconscious bias and its societal impact for these younger grades. The bill modifies existing law (P.L.2021, c.32), which previously required such lessons for all students in grades K-12, by narrowing the requirement to apply only to grades 9-12. The change directly affects K-8 students and school districts, removing specific curriculum obligations related to diversity education and unconscious bias examination.
This bill, S 1139 ("Parents Bill of Rights Act"), grants parents and guardians in New Jersey public schools a fundamental right to engage in and direct their child's education. It requires schools to provide parents with a curriculum summary, allow review of classroom materials (including textbooks and media), and permit opting a child out of any curriculum conflicting with their moral or religious beliefs - without academic penalties. The bill prohibits school districts from interfering with these rights or denying parent requests for educational information. It directly affects all parents/guardians of students in New Jersey public schools and mandates specific transparency and choice mechanisms for curriculum access.
This New Jersey bill (S 932) prohibits public school districts from teaching concepts defined as "critical race theory" in classroom instruction or allowing teachers to use materials promoting those concepts. It specifically bans teaching ideas like race-based superiority, assigning historical guilt to individuals, or claiming the U.S. government is fundamentally racist. The bill also prohibits teachers from engaging in political, ideological, or religious advocacy in class, such as endorsing candidates or legislation, and requires balanced presentation of controversial issues. It directly affects all public school teachers and districts in New Jersey, with enforcement through potential loss of state funding for violations. Exceptions allow teaching ethnic history, impartial historical discussion, and historical documents.
S 1968 requires New Jersey public schools to obtain written parental consent before students can participate in health, family life, or sex education programs. Parents gain access to all curriculum materials (including videos) through school online portals and in-person reviews during office hours. School districts must also post summaries of these programs on their websites to help parents understand the content. This replaces current law, which only allowed students to be excused for religious/moral conflicts without requiring prior consent.
S 335 prohibits New Jersey's State Board of Education from requiring teachers to use "student growth objectives" (assessments teachers design to measure student progress toward learning standards) in their evaluations. This bill directly affects all public school teachers in New Jersey, as these objectives currently account for 15-50% of a teacher's overall evaluation score. The key provision removes the State Board's authority to mandate this evaluation component, shifting how teacher performance is assessed. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.
This bill (S 854) allows parents or guardians of public school students to receive a voucher from their school district if they withdraw their child due to objections about curriculum materials or activities they consider harmful. The voucher covers 75% of the district's annual per-pupil spending (prorated for remaining school days) to help pay for nonpublic school tuition and fees. It specifically includes objections related to materials addressing sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or ethics. The bill requires school districts to provide this funding if parents withdraw their child for these reasons, and it takes effect immediately upon enactment.
This bill (S 2047) changes how the New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) Loan Program determines eligibility for student loans. It requires the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to consider the *combined income* of all cosigners (like parents or guardians) when evaluating a student’s application, rather than assessing each cosigner’s income individually. This directly affects students who rely on multiple cosigners to meet the program’s income requirement - preventing denial when individual cosigners fall short but their combined income meets the threshold. The key provision amends the program’s rules to explicitly mandate this combined income calculation for eligibility decisions. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.
This bill prohibits public school staff from distributing campaign materials to students that promote, favor, or oppose any candidate for general, municipal, or school elections, or ballot issues. It directly affects public school students and staff in New Jersey, preventing schools from giving such materials to students or asking them to distribute them. The key change extends an existing ban (which previously covered only school elections) to all election types, requiring school boards to create rules enforcing this prohibition. The amendment makes it illegal for schools to share election-related literature with students on school property or grounds.
This bill, S 247, would eliminate New Jersey's statewide high school graduation proficiency test requirement. It directly affects all New Jersey public high school students, removing the mandate to pass a state-administered test in reading, writing, and math for graduation. The bill deletes references to the "High School Proficiency Test" from existing education laws and shifts responsibility to local school districts to establish their own graduation standards. Instead of a statewide test, districts would set their own criteria for student proficiency, with the State Board of Education no longer requiring the test as part of graduation standards. The bill is pending before the Senate Education Committee.
