New Jersey-2024-S2227-Introduced

An Act concerning summer school programs.

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

1. a. Every school district, charter school, and renaissance school shall develop and implement a summer school program, the purpose of which shall be to mitigate the effects of learning loss experienced by students throughout the State as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, to be offered to students during the summer following the 2020-2021 school year and the 2021-2022 school year. The summer school program shall be open to students who will attend grades kindergarten through 12 in the school year immediately following the summer school program. The summer school program shall provide high-quality learning experiences and instruction to mitigate the effects of learning loss with a focus on language, literacy, mathematics, and social and emotional readiness and shall provide additional family support and resources, as applicable, to assist the students participating in the program. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school that currently offers a summer school program shall expand access to the summer school program to each school in the district and to all students enrolled in the schools, as applicable, or who are registered to attend kindergarten in the school year immediately following the summer school program. A summer school program offered by a school district, charter school, or renaissance school pursuant to the provisions of this section may include a weekend program option wherein students attend courses of instruction on Saturdays and Sundays.

b. (1) In order to be eligible to participate in a summer school program under the provisions of this section, a parent or guardian seeking to enroll a student in a summer school program shall submit a written request for enrollment in the summer school program to the principal or chief administrator of the school in which the student is enrolled during the preceding school year or, for a student who will attend kindergarten in the school year immediately following the summer school program, to the principal or chief administrator of the school in which the student is registered to attend kindergarten.

(2) A written request for summer school enrollment shall be submitted 45 days prior to the start of the summer school program. In the event that a parent or legal guardian registers a student to attend kindergarten less than 45 days prior to the start of the summer school program, the written request for summer school enrollment shall be submitted at the time of registration for admittance into a kindergarten program.

c. Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, and in addition to the requirements set forth in subsection b. of this section, a request for enrollment in a summer school program made on behalf of a student with disabilities who receives special education and related services shall not be granted unless the request is approved in conjunction with the individualized education program team or 504 coordinator, as applicable, in accordance with all applicable federal and State law.

d. Nothing herein shall be construed to limit, supersede, or preempt the rights, privileges, remedies, or procedures afforded to students with disabilities under federal or State law or any provision of an individualized education program or 504 plan developed and implemented pursuant to federal or State law.

e. Every school district, charter school, or renaissance school offering summer school programs pursuant to the provisions of this section shall submit a report to the Commissioner of Education by January 1 of each school year following the conclusion of a summer school program offered pursuant to the provisions of this section that details the instructional strategies underpinning the summer school program, with specific regard to the ways in which the summer school program mitigates the effects of learning loss.

f. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school offering summer school programs pursuant to the provisions of this section may, to the extent permitted by federal law, use federal funds, as necessary, to implement the provisions of this section.

g. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school may enter into an agreement with another school district or an outside organization to provide a summer school program pursuant to the provisions of this section, provided that the school district, charter school, or renaissance school is unable to offer a summer school program in the district or at the charter school or renaissance school.

h. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school may request a waiver from the Department of Education exempting the school district, charter school, or renaissance school from the provisions of this section. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school shall post any waiver granted pursuant to the provisions of this subsection in a prominent location on the district's, charter school's, or renaissance school's Internet website.

2. The Department of Education shall develop, and disseminate to school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools, guidelines governing the summer school programming required pursuant to section 1 of this act. The guidelines shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

a. a description, and examples, of summer school programs that are best suited to mitigate the effects of learning loss;

b. the appropriate length of time students should spend each day, and overall, in a summer school program;

c. a description, and examples, of appropriate family support and resources to assist students participating in a summer school program; and

d. information concerning the waiver requests permitted pursuant to subsection h. of section 1 of this act.

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill provides that every school district, charter school, and renaissance school is required to develop and implement, or in the event that a school district, charter school, or renaissance school currently offers a summer school program expand access to, a summer school program, the purpose of which will be to mitigate the effects of learning loss experienced by students throughout the State as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, that will be offered during the summer following the 2020-2021 school year and 2021-2022 school year. The summer school program must be made available to students who will attend grades kindergarten through 12 in the school year immediately following the summer school program. The summer school program must provide high-quality learning experiences and instruction to mitigate the effects of learning loss with a focus on language, literacy, mathematics, and social and emotional readiness and will provide additional family support and resources, as applicable, to assist the students participating in the program. Under the bill, a summer school program may include a weekend program option in which students would attend courses of instruction on Saturdays and Sundays.

In order to be eligible to participate in a summer school program, the parent or guardian seeking to enroll a student in a summer school program is required to submit a written request for enrollment in the summer school program to the principal or chief administrator of the school in which the student is enrolled or, for a student who will attend kindergarten in the fall, to the principal or chief administrator of the school in which the student is registered to attend kindergarten in the September that immediately follows the summer school program. The written request must be submitted 45 days prior to the start of the summer school program. In the event that a parent or legal guardian registers a student to attend kindergarten less than 45 days prior to the start of the summer school program, the written request for summer school enrollment shall be submitted at the time of registration for admittance into a kindergarten program.

Under the bill, a request for enrollment in a summer school program made on behalf of a student with disabilities who receives special education and related services would not be granted unless the request is approved in conjunction with the individualized education program team or 504 coordinator, as applicable, in accordance with all applicable federal and State law.

Under the bill, every school district, charter school, and renaissance school is required to submit a report to the Commissioner of Education by January 1 of each school year following the conclusion of the summer school program.

Under the bill, a school district, charter school, or renaissance school may enter into an agreement with another school district or an outside organization to provide a summer school program, provided that the school district, charter school, or renaissance school is unable to offer a summer school program in the district or at the charter school or renaissance school.

A school district, charter school, or renaissance school may request a waiver from the Department of Education (DOE) exempting the school district, charter school, or renaissance from the requirement to offer summer school programing under the provisions of the bill. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school must post any waiver granted by the DOE in a prominent location on the district's, charter school's, or renaissance school's Internet website. The DOE will develop and disseminate guidelines governing the summer school programming required under the bill.