Bill Text: NJ S1329 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides that public school parent who objects to learning material or activity that parent considers harmful may receive voucher from school district to enroll student in nonpublic school.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S1329 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-S1329-Introduced.html

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SENATE, No. 1329

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  MICHAEL L. TESTA, JR.

District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)

Senator  JOSEPH PENNACCHIO

District 26 (Morris and Passaic)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Steinhardt

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Provides that public school parent who objects to learning material or activity that parent considers harmful may receive voucher from school district to enroll student in nonpublic school.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  

An Act concerning vouchers for certain public school students and supplementing chapter 35 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    In the event that the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school district objects to a learning material or activity that is part of the curriculum, on the basis that the material or activity is harmful, withdraws his child from the school district and enrolls the child in a nonpublic school, the resident school district shall provide the parent or guardian with a voucher to support the tuition and fees of the nonpublic school.  The voucher shall equal 75 percent of the resident school district's annual spending per pupil prorated based upon the number of days remaining in the school year.

     An objection to a learning material or activity on the basis that it is harmful includes, but is not limited to, an objection that the material or activity questions, violates, or conflicts with the parent or guardian's belief or practice regarding sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, conscience, ethics, morality, or religion.

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill provides that in the event that the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school district objects to a learning material or activity that is part of the curriculum, on the basis that the material or activity is harmful, withdraws his child from the school district and enrolls the child in a nonpublic school, the resident school district is required to provide the parent or guardian with a voucher to support the tuition and fees of the nonpublic school.  The voucher will equal 75 percent of the resident school district's annual spending per pupil prorated based upon the number of days remaining in the school year.

     An objection to a learning material or activity on the basis that it is harmful includes, but is not limited to, an objection that the material or activity questions, violates, or conflicts with the parent or guardian's belief or practice regarding sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, conscience, ethics, morality, or religion.