Bill Text: NJ A3920 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Office of School Climate in DOE and directs School Climate State Coordinator to develop central repository of resources for parents on harassment, intimidation, and bullying in schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-04 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A3920 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A3920-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VICTORIA A. FLYNN
District 13 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Office of School Climate in DOE and directs School Climate State Coordinator to develop central repository of resources for parents on harassment, intimidation, and bullying in schools.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning school climate and supplementing and amending P.L.2021, c.338.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) a. There is established in the Department of Education the Office of School Climate, to be headed by the School Climate State Coordinator. The purpose of the office is to support the development and maintenance of positive school climates and to assist the School Climate State Coordinator in meeting the responsibilities of the position as established pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2021, c.338 (C.18A:37-37.1) and section 2 of this act.
b. The office shall be responsible for the work of the professional and clerical staff as may be necessary to carry out its responsibilities.
2. (New section) The School Climate State Coordinator shall develop and make available on the website of the Office of School Climate a central repository of resources for parents and guardians on harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the schools. The repository shall include an online tutorial for parents and guardians that, at a minimum, includes: best practices in the identification and prevention of harassment, intimidation, and bullying; procedures for reporting an incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying or responding to a report of an incident; and any other information that the coordinator determines to be appropriate. The online tutorial shall, to the greatest extent feasible, be made available in the various languages most commonly spoken in the homes of students enrolled in the public schools.
3. Section 9 of P.L.2021, c.338 (C.18A:37-37.5) is amended to read as follows:
9. The Legislature shall appropriate such monies as necessary to fund the position of School Climate State Coordinator established pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2021, c.338 (C.18A:37-37.1) , the Office of School Climate established pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and the "Bullying Prevention Fund" established pursuant to section 25 of P.L. 2010, c.122 (C.18A:37-28), and such other monies as necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
(cf: P.L.2021, c.338, s.9)
4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month beginning after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes in the Department of Education the Office of School Climate, to be headed by the School Climate State Coordinator. Under the bill, the purpose of the office is to support the development and maintenance of positive school climates and to assist the School Climate State Coordinator in meeting the responsibilities of the position.
The bill directs the School Climate State Coordinator to develop and make available on the website of the Office of School Climate a central repository of resources for parents and guardians on harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the schools. The repository shall include an online tutorial for parents and guardians on harassment, intimidation, and bullying. The bill requires that the online tutorial, to the greatest extent feasible, be made available in the various languages most commonly spoken in the homes of students enrolled in the public schools.
The bill provides that the Legislature will appropriate the monies necessary to fund the Office of School Climate.
This bill implements certain recommendations of the report from the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Task Force, dated December 28, 2023.
