Bill Text: NJ A1198 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires charter school to achieve enrollment of student demographics of charter school district of residence and eliminates sibling enrollment priority in certain circumstances.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A1198 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A1198-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires charter school to achieve enrollment of student demographics of charter school district of residence and eliminates sibling enrollment priority in certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning charter school enrollment demographics and amending P.L.1995, c.426.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 8 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-8) is amended to read as follows:
8. a. Preference for enrollment in a charter school shall be given to students who reside in the [school district in which the] charter school [is located] district of residence. If there are more applications to enroll in the charter school than there are spaces available, the charter school shall select students to attend using a random selection process. A charter school shall not charge tuition to students [who reside in the district].
b. A charter school shall allow any student who was enrolled in the school in the immediately preceding school year to enroll in the charter school in the appropriate grade unless the appropriate grade is not offered at the charter school.
c. A charter school may give enrollment priority to a sibling of a student enrolled in the charter school ; however, if a charter school has not achieved the enrollment of the student demographics of the charter school district of residence as required under subsection e. of this section, the charter school may not give enrollment priority to a sibling until the charter school has achieved the required student enrollment demographics for at least one full school year.
d. If available space permits, a charter school may enroll non-resident students. The terms and condition of the enrollment shall be outlined in the school's charter and approved by the commissioner.
e. The admission policy of the charter school shall [, to the maximum extent practicable, seek] achieve the enrollment of [a cross section of the community's school age population including racial and] the student demographics of the charter school district of residence including race, ethnicity, eligibility for the federal free lunch program, eligibility for the federal reduced price lunch program, limited English proficient students, special education services students, and other appropriate academic factors.
(cf: P.L.1995, c.426, s.8)
2. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Under current law, the admission policy of a charter school must, to the maximum extent possible, seek the enrollment of a cross section of the community's school age population including racial and academic factors. This bill would require the admission policy of a charter school to achieve the enrollment of the student demographics of the charter school district of residence including race, ethnicity, eligibility for the federal free lunch program, eligibility for the federal reduced price lunch program, limited English proficient students, special education services students, and other appropriate academic factors. The bill also provides that a charter school may not give enrollment priority to a sibling of a student enrolled in the school until the charter school has achieved the enrollment of the student demographics of the charter school district of residence for at least one full school year.
