Bill Text: NJ S3052 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-08 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [S3052 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S3052-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Concerns grade options at public institutions of higher education for service member and dependents unable to complete course due to military obligation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning service members and their dependents enrolled at public institutions of higher education and amending P.L.1997, c.377.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.1997, c.377 (C.18A:62-4.2) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. A [student at a New Jersey] service member or dependent of the service member, enrolled in a public institution of higher education who is unable to complete a course due to an unplanned deployment, mobilization, reassignment, or other military obligation of the service member, shall be entitled to the options set forth in this section with respect to the [student's] service member's or dependent's grade for the course.
b. A [student] service member or dependent who has completed at least [eight weeks of attendance in a] 55 percent of the course duration may choose, subject to approval from the faculty member or department, as applicable, to:
(1) receive a letter grade if the faculty member teaching the course determines that the service member or dependent has completed sufficient work, and there is sufficient evidence of progress toward meeting the requirements of the course, to justify the grade; [or]
(2) receive a grade of pass or fail based on whether the faculty member teaching the course determines that the service member or dependent has completed sufficient work and there is sufficient evidence of progress toward meeting the requirements of the course, to justify the grade; [or]
(3) receive a grade of incomplete; [or]
(4) withdraw from the course;
(5) receive a temporary grade, if applicable; or
(6) transfer into an equivalent online section of the course, if available, with department approval.
c. A [student] service member or dependent who has completed less than [eight weeks of attendance in a] 55 percent of the course duration may choose, subject to approval from the faculty member or department, as applicable, to:
(1) receive a grade of incomplete if the faculty member teaching the course determines that the service member or dependent has completed sufficient work, and there is sufficient evidence of progress toward meeting the requirements of the course, to justify the grade; or
(2) withdraw from the course; or
(3) transfer into an equivalent online section of the course, if available, with department approval .
d. [A letter grade or a grade of pass shall only be awarded if, in the opinion of the faculty member teaching the course, the student has completed sufficient work, and there is sufficient evidence of progress toward meeting the requirements of the course, to justify the grade.] Deleted by amendment, P.L. c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill)
e. A grade of incomplete shall remain valid for a period of one year after the [student] service member or dependent returns to the [New Jersey] public institution of higher education.
f. A [student] service member or dependent who chooses to accept a grade of pass or fail may, within one year after returning to the [New Jersey] public institution of higher education, contact the faculty member who taught the course or the academic chair of the department offering the course to establish a plan to receive a letter grade for the course by completing the work required for the course, in which case the letter grade shall replace the pass or fail grade as the [student's] service member's or dependent's grade for the course.
g. A [student] service member or dependent who chooses to withdraw from a course shall receive a full refund of tuition and fees attributable to that course.
h. A [student] service member or dependent who has paid amounts for room, board or fees shall, except as provided in subsection g. of this section, receive a refund of that portion of those amounts attributable to the time period during which the student or dependent did not use the services for which payment was made.
i. Any refund payable to a [student] service member or dependent who is a financial aid recipient shall be subject to the applicable State and federal regulations regarding refunds.
j. As used in this section [, "service member"]:
"Dependent" means an individual who is the dependent child or spouse of a service member.
"Service member" means an individual who is serving as a member of a Reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States, or as a member of the National Guard, or on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States.
(cf: P.L.2021, c.174, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect
immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year next
following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill extends certain options in regard to grades to dependents of service members enrolled in public institutions of higher education who cannot complete a course due to an unplanned military obligation of the service member. The bill also clarifies the scope of existing grade options and establishes additional grade options.
Under current law, a student enrolled in public institution of higher education who is unable to complete a course due to a deployment, mobilization, reassignment, or other military obligation as a service member has four options in regard to the grade for the course. If the student has completed at least eight weeks of the course, the student may choose to receive a (1) letter grade; (2) pass or fail grade; (3) grade of incomplete; or (4) withdrawal. If the student has completed fewer than eight weeks of the course, the student's options are limited to choosing between receiving an incomplete grade and withdrawing from the course. Current law also specifies that a student who accepts a grade of pass or fail may, within a year of returning to the institution, complete the course work to receive a letter grade.
Under the bill, these grade options are to also be made available to the dependents of the service member. The bill defines a "dependent" as a dependent child or spouse of the service member.
The bill clarifies that the deployment, mobilization, reassignment or other military obligation preventing the service member or dependent from completing the course be unplanned.
The bill also changes the demarcating line of course completion from eight weeks to 55 percent of the duration of the course. If the service member or dependent has completed 55 percent of the duration of the course, receipt of a letter grade would only be granted if the faculty member teaching the course determines that the service member or dependent has completed sufficient work, and there is sufficient evidence of progress toward meeting the requirements of the course, to justify the grade. A grade of pass or fail would also be based on whether the faculty member determines the member or dependent completed sufficient work and there is sufficient evidence of meeting the course requirements. The bill also adds the options of receiving a temporary grade or transferring into an equivalent online section of the course when available and with department approval.
If the service member or dependent has completed less than 55 percent of the duration of the course, the service member or dependent may receive an incomplete for the grade only if the faculty member teaching the course determines that the student or dependent has completed sufficient work, and there is sufficient evidence of progress toward meeting the requirements of the course, to justify the grade. The service member or dependent also has an added option of transferring into an equivalent online section of the course when available and with department approval.
Finally, the bill specifies that the service member or dependent who initially chose to accept a pass or fail grade, but subsequently returns to the institution within a year to complete course work to receive a letter grade, may contact the faculty member who taught the course or the academic chair of the department offering the course to establish a plan for completing the course work to receive the grade.
