Bill Text: NJ S371 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "The CAMPUS Act: Combating Antisemitism to Mitigate Prejudice in Universities and Schools"; addresses instruction on antisemitism and antisemitic harassment, intimidation, and bullying in public schools.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-01-13 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S371 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S371-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator DOUGLAS J. STEINHARDT
District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "The CAMPUS Act: Combating Antisemitism to Mitigate Prejudice in Universities and Schools"; addresses instruction on antisemitism and antisemitic harassment, intimidation, and bullying in public schools.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning antisemitic harassment, intimidation, and bullying in public schools and public institutions of higher education, amending various parts of the statutory law, and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) Sections 1, 2, and 4 of this act shall be known and may be cited as "The CAMPUS Act: Combating Antisemitism to Mitigate Prejudice in Universities and Schools."
2. (New section) The Legislature finds and declares:
a. A Hillel International Study tracking antisemitism on college campuses reported that as of January 30, 2025 a total of 2,912 antisemitic incidents had been reported on college campuses during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic year, and that since the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents against Jewish students on college campuses increased by 700 percent from the 2022-2023 academic year.
b. Given the alarming rise of antisemitism on college campuses and in schools, it is critical to address discrimination against Jewish students in these educational spaces.
c. Jewish students increasingly report feeling unsafe and harassed on campus.
d. The purpose of this bill is to combat antisemitism in public schools and public institutions of higher education throughout New Jersey and to ensure schools are safe and inclusive spaces for all students, regardless of their religious, ethnic, or national background.
3. Section 28 of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:3B-68) is amended to read as follows:
28. a. A public institution of higher education shall adopt a policy to be included in its student code of conduct prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying. The policy shall contain, at a minimum:
(1) A statement prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying;
(2) Disciplinary actions which may result if a student commits an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Disciplinary actions imposed for antisemitic incidents that constitute harassment, intimidation, or bullying may include, but not be limited to, academic probation, suspension, and expulsion; [and]
(3) A definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying that at a minimum includes any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents, that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory disability, or by any other distinguishing characteristic, that takes place on the property of the institution of higher education or at any function sponsored by the institution of higher education, that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the institution or the rights of other students and that:
(a) a reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a student or damaging the student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his person or damage to his property;
(b) has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students; or
(c) creates a hostile educational environment for the student by interfering with a student's education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student;
(4) a procedure for reporting an act of harassment, intimidation or bullying, including a provision that permits a person to report the act anonymously; however, this shall not be construed to permit formal disciplinary action solely on the basis of an anonymous report; and
(5) a procedure for prompt investigation of reports of harassment, intimidation, or bullying.
b. The institution shall distribute the policy by email to each student within seven days of the start of each semester and shall post the policy on its website.
(cf: P.L.2010, c.122, s.28)
4. (New section) a. A public institution of higher education shall include within its student conduct policy information on lawful acts of campus activism that maintain students' rights to protest, petition, and assemble. The guidelines shall clearly identify impermissible acts of campus activism that may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to:
(1) damage to school and public property, including acts of vandalism and defacement of school property;
(2) disruption of the institution's educational or business interests;
(3) obstruction of the movement of others through organization of encampments or blockades that interfere with other students' ability to enter or exit institution property;
(4) protests on private property without consent;
(5) acts of violence against students, faculty, staff, law enforcement, or any other individual;
(6) organizational affiliation with Foreign Terrorist Organizations as designated by the United States Secretary of State, such as Hamas; and
(7) student behavior that constitutes a violation of the institution's harassment, intimidation, or bullying policy developed pursuant to section 28 of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:3B-68).
b. A policy developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall include information on disciplinary action that may result if a student violates the institution's student conduct policy governing campus protests, including academic probation, suspension, expulsion, and referral to law enforcement.
5. Section 2 of P.L.1994, c.13 (C.18A:35-28) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. Every board of education shall include instruction on the Holocaust and genocides in an appropriate place in the curriculum of all elementary and secondary school pupils.
b. The instruction shall:
(1) include information on antisemitism and recent acts of terror and intimidation against the Jewish community;
(2) enable pupils to identify and analyze applicable theories concerning human nature and behavior; to understand that genocide is a consequence of prejudice and discrimination; and to understand that issues of moral dilemma and conscience have a profound impact on life[. The instruction shall further] ; and
(3) emphasize the personal responsibility that each citizen bears to fight racism and hatred whenever and wherever it happens.
(cf: P.L.1994, c.13, s.2)
6. Section 3 of P.L.2002, c.83 (C.18A:37-15) is amended to read as follows:
3. a. Each school district shall adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation or bullying on school property, at a school-sponsored function or on a school bus. The school district shall adopt the policy through a process that includes representation of parents or guardians, school employees, volunteers, students, administrators, and community representatives.
b. A school district shall have local control over the content of the policy, except that the policy shall contain, at a minimum, the following components:
(1) a statement prohibiting harassment, intimidation or bullying of a student;
(2) a definition of harassment, intimidation or bullying no less inclusive than that set forth in section 2 of P.L.2002, c.83 (C.18A:37-14);
(3) a description of the type of behavior expected from each student;
(4) consequences and appropriate remedial action for a person who commits an act of harassment, intimidation or bullying. The consequences for a student who commits an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying may include: for the first act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying committed by a student, a copy of the results of the investigation shall be placed in the student's record and the student may be subject to remedial actions, including the provision of counseling or behavioral intervention services, or discipline, or both, as determined by the principal in consultation with appropriate school staff; for the second act, a copy of the results of the investigation shall be placed in the student's record and the student may be subject to remedial actions, including the provision of counseling or behavioral intervention services, or discipline, or both, as determined by the principal, in consultation with appropriate school staff; and for the third and each subsequent act, a copy of the results of the investigation shall be placed in the student's record, and the principal, in consultation with appropriate school staff, shall develop an individual student intervention plan which shall be approved by the superintendent of schools or the superintendent's designee, and may include remedial actions including counseling or behavioral intervention services, or progressive discipline, or both, and may require the student, accompanied by a parent or guardian, to complete in a satisfactory manner a class or training program to reduce harassment, intimidation or bullying behavior.
Consequences and remedial action imposed for a first act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying may include suspension and expulsion when the basis for the complaint is antisemitic behavior.
The superintendent of schools or the superintendent's designee and the principal shall consult law enforcement, as appropriate, pursuant to the provisions of the Uniform State Memorandum of Agreement Between Education and Law Enforcement Officials, if the student's behavior may constitute a possible violation of the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice;
(5) a procedure for reporting an act of harassment, intimidation or bullying, including a provision that permits a person to report an act of harassment, intimidation or bullying anonymously; however, this shall not be construed to permit formal disciplinary action solely on the basis of an anonymous report.
All acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying shall be reported verbally to the school principal on the same day when the school employee or contracted service provider witnessed or received reliable information regarding any such incident. The principal shall inform the parents or guardians of all students involved in the alleged incident, and may discuss, as appropriate, the availability of counseling and other intervention services. The principal shall keep a written record of the date, time, and manner of notification to the parents or guardians. All acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying shall be reported in writing to the school principal within two school days of when the school employee or contracted service provider witnessed or received reliable information that a student had been subject to harassment, intimidation, or bullying. The written report shall be on a numbered form developed by the Department of Education. A copy of the form shall be submitted promptly by the principal to the superintendent of schools. The form shall be completed even if a preliminary determination is made under the school district's policy that the reported incident or complaint is a report outside the scope of the definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2002, c.83 (C.18A:37-14), and shall be kept on file at the school but shall not be included in any student record, unless the incident results in disciplinary action or is otherwise required to be contained in a student's record under State or federal law. A redacted copy of the form that removes all student identification information shall be confidentially shared with the board of education after the conclusion of the investigation, if a hearing is requested by a parent or guardian pursuant to subparagraph (d) of paragraph (6) of this subsection.
The school district shall provide a means for a parent or guardian to complete an online numbered form developed by the Department of Education to confidentially report an incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying.
The principal shall report to the superintendent if a preliminary determination is made under the school district's policy that the reported incident or complaint is a report outside the scope of the definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, and the superintendent may require the principal to conduct an investigation of the incident, if the superintendent determines that an investigation is necessary because the incident is within the scope of the definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. The superintendent shall notify the principal of this determination in writing;
(6) a procedure for prompt investigation of reports of violations and complaints, which procedure shall at a minimum provide that:
(a) the investigation shall be initiated by the principal or the principal's designee within one school day of the report of the incident and shall be conducted by a school anti-bullying specialist. The principal may appoint additional personnel who are not school anti-bullying specialists to assist in the investigation. The investigation shall be completed as soon as possible, but not later than 10 school days from the date of the written report of the incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying or from the date of the written notification from the superintendent to the principal to initiate an investigation pursuant to paragraph (5) of this subsection. In the event that there is information relative to the investigation that is anticipated but not yet received by the end of the 10-day period, the school anti-bullying specialist may amend the original report of the results of the investigation to reflect the information;
(b) the results of the investigation shall be reported to the superintendent of schools within two school days of the completion of the investigation, and in accordance with regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), the superintendent may decide to provide intervention services, establish training programs to reduce harassment, intimidation, or bullying and enhance school climate, impose discipline, order counseling as a result of the findings of the investigation, or take or recommend other appropriate action including seeking further information;
(c) the results of each investigation shall be reported to the board of education no later than the date of the board of education meeting next following the completion of the investigation, along with information on any services provided, training established, discipline imposed, or other action taken or recommended by the superintendent;
(d) parents or guardians of the students who are parties to the investigation shall be entitled to receive information about the investigation, in accordance with federal and State law and regulation, including the nature of the investigation, whether the district found evidence of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, or whether discipline was imposed or services provided to address the incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. This information shall be provided in writing within 5 school days after the results of the investigation are reported to the board. A parent or guardian may request a hearing before the board after receiving the information, and the hearing shall be held within 10 days of the request. The board shall meet in executive session for the hearing to protect the confidentiality of the students. At the hearing the board may hear from the school anti-bullying specialist about the incident, recommendations for discipline or services, and any programs instituted to reduce such incidents;
(e) at the next board of education meeting following its receipt of the report pursuant to subparagraph (c) of paragraph (6) of this subsection, the board shall issue a decision, in writing, to affirm, reject, or modify the superintendent's decision. The board's decision may be appealed to the Commissioner of Education, in accordance with the procedures set forth in law and regulation, no later than 90 days after the issuance of the board's decision; and
(f) a parent, student, guardian, or organization may file a complaint with the Division on Civil Rights within 180 days of the occurrence of any incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying based on membership in a protected group as enumerated in the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.);
(7) the range of ways in which a school will respond once an incident of harassment, intimidation or bullying is identified, which shall be defined by the principal in conjunction with the school anti-bullying specialist, but shall include an appropriate combination of services that are available within the district such as counseling, support services, intervention services, and other programs, as defined by the commissioner. In the event that the necessary programs and services are not available within the district, the district may apply to the Department of Education for a grant from the "Bullying Prevention Fund" established pursuant to section 25 of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-28) to support the provision of out-of-district programs and services;
(8) a statement that prohibits reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports an act of harassment, intimidation or bullying and the consequence and appropriate remedial action for a person who engages in reprisal or retaliation;
(9) consequences and appropriate remedial action for a person found to have falsely accused another as a means of retaliation or as a means of harassment, intimidation or bullying;
(10) a statement of how the policy is to be publicized, including notice that the policy applies to participation in school-sponsored functions;
(11) a requirement that a link to the policy be prominently posted on the home page of the school district's website and distributed annually to parents and guardians who have children enrolled in a school in the school district;
(12) a requirement that the name, school phone number, school address and school email address of the district anti-bullying coordinator be listed on the home page of the school district's website and that on the home page of each school's website the name, school phone number, school address and school email address of the school anti-bullying specialist and the district anti-bullying coordinator be listed. The information concerning the district anti-bullying coordinator and the school anti-bullying specialists shall also be maintained on the department's website; and
(13) a requirement that the school district and each school in the district with a website post on its homepage the current version of the document, Guidance for Parents on the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act, developed by the Department of Education. The School Climate State Coordinator shall ensure that this document is updated as needed and then promptly disseminated to all school districts.
c. A school district shall adopt a policy and transmit a copy of its policy to the appropriate executive county superintendent of schools by September 1, 2003. A school district shall annually conduct a re-evaluation, reassessment, and review of its policy, making any necessary revisions and additions. The board shall include input from the school anti-bullying specialists in conducting its re-evaluation, reassessment, and review. The district shall transmit a copy of the revised policy to the appropriate executive county superintendent of schools within 30 school days of the revision. The first revised policy following the effective date of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-13.1 et al.) shall be transmitted to the executive county superintendent of schools by September 1, 2011.
d. (1) To assist school districts in developing policies for the prevention of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, the Commissioner of Education shall develop a model policy applicable to grades kindergarten through 12. This model policy shall be issued no later than December 1, 2002.
(2) The commissioner shall adopt amendments to the model policy which reflect the provisions of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-13.1 et al.) no later than 90 days after the effective date of that act and shall subsequently update the model policy as the commissioner deems necessary.
e. Notice of the school district's policy shall appear in any publication of the school district that sets forth the comprehensive rules, procedures and standards of conduct for schools within the school district, and in any student handbook.
f. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a school district from adopting a policy that includes components that are more stringent than the components set forth in this section.
(cf: P.L.2021, c.338, s.3)
7. Section 5 of P.L.2002, c.83 (C. 18A:37-17) is amended to read as follows:
5. a. Schools and school districts shall annually establish, implement, document, and assess bullying prevention programs or approaches, and other initiatives involving school staff, students, administrators, volunteers, parents, law enforcement and community members. The programs or approaches shall be designed to create school-wide conditions to prevent and address harassment, intimidation, and bullying. A school district may implement bullying prevention programs and approaches that may be available at no cost from the Department of Education, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, or any other entity. A school district may, at its own discretion, implement bullying prevention programs and approaches which impose a cost on the district.
A school district may apply to the Department of Education for a grant to be used for programs, approaches, or personnel established pursuant to this act, to the extent funds are appropriated for these purposes or funds are made available through the "Bullying Prevention Fund" established pursuant to section 25 of P.L.2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-28). A school district may make an application for a grant only after exploring bullying prevention programs and approaches that are available at no cost, and making an affirmative demonstration of that exploration in its grant application.
b. A school district shall: (1) provide training on the school district's harassment, intimidation, or bullying policies to school employees and volunteers who have significant contact with students; (2) ensure that the training includes instruction on preventing bullying on the basis of the protected categories enumerated in section 2 of P.L.2002, c.83 (C.18A:37-14) and other distinguishing characteristics that may incite incidents of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying; including information on how to identify and address antisemitic incidents of harassments, intimidation or bullying; and (3) develop a process for discussing the district's harassment, intimidation or bullying policy with students.
A school district may satisfy the training required pursuant to this subsection by utilizing training that may be provided at no cost by the Department of Education, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, or any other entity. A school district may, at its own discretion, implement a training program which imposes a cost on the district.
c. Information regarding the school district policy against harassment, intimidation or bullying shall be incorporated into a school's employee training program and shall be provided to full-time and part-time staff, volunteers who have significant contact with students, and those persons contracted by the district to provide services to students.
(P.L.2012, c.1, s.2)
8. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes "The CAMPUS Act: Combating Antisemitism to Mitigate Prejudice in Universities and Schools," directs public institutions of higher education to include within its student conduct policy information on lawful acts of campus activism that maintain students' right to protest, petition, and assemble, and makes updates to various provisions of the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act" (ABR).
Under the bill, a public institution of higher education's HIB policy is to include a procedure for reporting an act of HIB and a procedure for prompt investigations of HIB reports. The bill also permits a public institution of higher education to impose disciplinary action on a student found to have committed an antisemitic act of HIB that includes academic probation, suspension, and expulsion.
The bill directs a public institution of higher education to include within its student conduct policy information on lawful acts of campus activism that maintain students' rights to protest, petition, and assemble. The guidelines are to clearly identify impermissible acts of campus activism that may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to: (1) damage to school and public property; (2) disruption of the institution's educational or business interests; (3) obstruction of the movement of others through the organization of encampments or blockades that interfere with other students' ability to enter or exit institution property; (4) protests on private property without consent; (5) acts of violence; (6) organizational affiliation with Foreign Terrorist Organizations as designated by the United States Secretary of State; such as Hamas; and (7) student behavior that constitutes a violation of the institution's HIB policy. The policy is to include information on disciplinary action that may result if a student violates this student conduct policy governing campus protests, including academic probation, suspension, expulsion, and referral to law enforcement.
The bill also makes the following updates to the ABR for school districts: (1) provides that consequences and remedial action imposed for a first act of HIB may include suspension and expulsion when the basis for the complaint is antisemitic behavior; and (2) requires training on a school district's HIB policies that is provided to applicable school employees and volunteers to include information on how to identify and address antisemitic incidents of HIB.
Finally, the bill requires instruction provided to students on the Holocaust and genocides to also include information on antisemitism and recent acts of terror and intimidation against the Jewish community.
