Bill Text: NJ A1329 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires each school district to adopt a dating violence policy to prevent and address incidents involving dating violence.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Failed) 2010-06-14 - Withdrawn from Consideration [A1329 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1329-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman DAVID W. WOLFE
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Assemblywoman JOAN M. VOSS
District 38 (Bergen)
Assemblyman JAMES W. HOLZAPFEL
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Pou, Assemblyman Ramos, Assemblywoman Jasey, Assemblyman Diegnan, Assemblywoman Handlin, Assemblymen Malone, Giblin, Assemblywoman Angelini and Assemblyman Biondi
SYNOPSIS
Requires each school district to adopt a dating violence policy to prevent and address incidents involving dating violence.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act requiring each public school district to adopt a dating violence policy and supplementing chapter 37 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a safe and civil environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards; a student who is a victim of dating violence suffers academically, and the student's safety at school is jeopardized; and since all students have a right to learn and study in a safe, supportive environment that is free from violence, each school district should adopt a dating violence policy to prevent and address incidents involving dating violence.
2. As used in this act:
a. "Dating violence" means a pattern of behavior where one person threatens to use, or actually uses physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse to control his dating partner.
b. "Dating partner" means any person, regardless of gender, involved in an intimate relationship with another, that is primarily characterized by the expectation of affectionate involvement whether casual, serious, or long-term.
c. "At school" means on school property, at a school-sponsored function, or on a school bus.
3. a. Each school district shall adopt a policy to address incidents of dating violence at school by September 1, 2010.
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 that dating violence will not be tolerated;
(2) dating violence reporting procedures;
(3) guidelines to responding to at-school incidents of dating violence; and
(4) discipline procedures specific to at-school incidents of dating violence.
c. To assist school districts in developing policies for the prevention and response of dating violence incidents, the Commissioner of Education shall develop a model policy applicable to grades 7 through 12. This model policy shall be issued no later than December 1, 2009.
d. 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.
4. a. To the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, a school district shall provide dating violence training to school employees and volunteers who have significant contact with students. The dating violence training shall cover, at a minimum, the following components:
(1) basic principles of dating violence;
(2) warning signs of dating violence; and
(3) the school district's dating violence policy.
b. Each school district shall inform the parents or guardians of students enrolled in grades 7 though 12 of the school district's dating violence policy. If requested, the school district shall provide the parents or guardians with the school district's dating violence policy and relevant information.
5. This act shall not be interpreted to prevent a victim from seeking redress under any other available law, either civil or criminal. This act does not create or alter any tort liability.
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each school district to adopt a policy of preventing and addressing dating violence at school by September 1, 2010. "Dating violence" is defined in the bill to mean a pattern of behavior where one person threatens to use, or actually uses physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse to control his dating partner. "Dating partner" is defined in the bill to mean any person, regardless of gender, involved in an intimate relationship with another, that is primarily characterized by the expectation of affectionate involvement whether casual, serious, or long-term.
Under the bill, the Commissioner of Education must develop a model policy in order to assist the school districts by December 1, 2009. Each school district, however, will determine the content of its policy, except that the policy must contain, at a minimum, the following components:
- a statement that dating violence will not be tolerated;
- dating violence reporting procedures;
- guidelines to responding to at-school incidents of dating violence; and
- discipline procedures specific to at-school incidents of dating violence.
Furthermore, to the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose, the bill requires each school district to provide dating violence training to school employees and volunteers who have significant contact with students. Lastly, under the bill, school districts are required to provide the parents or guardians of students enrolled in grades 7 through 12 with the school district's dating violence policy.
