Bill Text: NJ S2481 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: "Transparency in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Curriculum Act"; requires public schools to solicit parental input on health and physical education curriculum; sets standards for curriculum delivery in all subject areas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-09 - Reported from Senate Committee, 2nd Reading [S2481 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S2481-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)
Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
"Transparency in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Curriculum Act"; requires public schools to solicit parental input on health and physical education curriculum; sets standards for curriculum delivery in all subject areas.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning curriculum and instruction 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. Section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be known and may be cited as the "Transparency in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Curriculum Act."
2. a. A board of education or the board of trustees of a charter school or renaissance school project shall offer an annual opportunity for parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school district, charter school, or renaissance school project, and for any other residents, to provide public comment on any curriculum necessary to implement the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education proposed for the succeeding school year. A board may satisfy this requirement with a public meeting of the board or of the appropriate committee of the board. The annual opportunity to provide public comment on curricula pursuant to this subsection shall be open to the public and meet all of the requirements of the "Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act," P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-6 et seq.), even if the annual opportunity does not meet the definition of a "meeting" pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-8).
b. A board of education or the board of trustees or a charter school or renaissance school project shall post in a prominent location on their website information regarding:
(1) the board-approved curriculum for any instruction necessary to implement the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education;
(2) how a parent or guardian may provide public comment on any curriculum developed to implement the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education pursuant to subsection a. of this section; and
(3) the right of the parent or guardian to decline their child's participation in any portion of the health, family life education, or sex education curriculum pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1979, c.428 (C.18A:35-4.7) and the procedure for exercising that right.
3. a. A board of education or the board of trustees of a charter school or renaissance school project shall ensure that curriculum and instruction are designed and delivered in such a way that all students are able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills specified by the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
b. The Department of Education shall provide boards of education and the boards of trustees of charter schools and renaissance school projects with learning standards support materials that suggest a variety of activities and strategies that may assist in the development of local curricula aligned with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards pursuant to subsection a. of this section. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require a board of education or a board of trustees of a charter school or renaissance school project to use learning standards support materials provided by the Department of Education.
4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires boards of education and boards of trustees of charter schools and renaissance school projects to offer an annual opportunity for parents and guardians of students enrolled in the school district, charter school, or renaissance school project, or for any other residents, to provide comments on any curriculum necessary to implement the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education proposed for the succeeding school year. A board may satisfy this requirement with either a public meeting of the board or of the appropriate committee of the board.
The boards would be required to post in a prominent location on the board's official website information regarding:
(1) the board-approved curriculum for any instruction necessary to implement the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education;
(2) how a parent or guardian may provide public comment on any curriculum developed to implement the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education pursuant to subsection a. of this section; and
(3) the statutory right of the parent or guardian to decline their child's participation in any portion of the health, family life education, or sex education curriculum and the procedure for exercising that right.
The bill also requires a board of education and a board of trustees of a charter school or renaissance school project to ensure that curriculum and instruction are designed and delivered in such a way that all students are able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills specified by the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. The Department of Education would be responsible for providing boards of education and boards of trustees of charter schools and renaissance school projects with learning standards support materials that suggest a variety of activities and strategies that may assist in the development of local curricula aligned with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards pursuant to the bill. Nothing in the bill would be construed to require a board of education or board of trustees of a charter school or renaissance school project to use learning standards support materials provided by the Department of Education.
