Bill Text: NJ S1583 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires public school districts to provide an annual, in-school community service opportunity for high school pupils; requires DOE to include community service statistics in annual school report card.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-27 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S1583 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S1583-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator CHRISTOPHER "KIP" BATEMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires public school districts to provide an annual, in-school community service opportunity for high school pupils; requires DOE to include community service statistics in annual school report card.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning community service opportunities for public high school pupils, amending P.L.1995, c.235, 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. (New section) a. A board of education shall ensure that pupils enrolled in grades 9 through 12 in the district have at least one opportunity in each school year to engage in a structured, in-school volunteer or community service activity. The activity shall at all times be monitored by a teaching staff member.
The district shall encourage each student to participate in the volunteer or community service activity; however, nothing in this section shall be construed to require a pupil to participate in the activity.
b. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a district that is participating in the community service pilot program established pursuant to P.L.2005, c.220.
2. Section 3 of P.L.1995, c.235 (C.18A:7E-3) is amended to read as follows:
3. Report cards issued pursuant to section 2 of this act shall include, but not be limited to, the following information for:
a. the school district and for each school within the district, as appropriate:
(1) results of the elementary assessment programs;
(2) results of the Early Warning Test;
(3) results of the High School Proficiency Test;
(4) daily attendance records for students and professional staff;
(5) student graduation and dropout rates;
(6) annual student scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test;
(7) total student enrollment, percentage of limited English proficient students, percentage of students in advanced placement courses, and any other school characteristics which the commissioner deems appropriate;
(8) instructional resources including teacher/student ratio, average class size and amount of instructional time per day, as calculated by formulas specified by the commissioner;
(9) a written narrative by the school principal or a designee which describes any special achievements, events, problems or initiatives of the school or district; and
(10) data identifying the number and nature of all reports of harassment, intimidation, or bullying; and
b. the school district, as appropriate:
(1) per pupil expenditures and State aid ratio;
(2) percent of budget allocated for salaries and benefits of administrative personnel;
(3) percent of budget allocated for salaries and benefits of teachers;
(4) percentage increase over the previous year for salaries and benefits of administrative and instructional personnel;
(5) the number of administrative personnel and the ratio of administrative personnel to instructional personnel;
(6) a profile of the most recent graduating class concerning their educational or employment plans following graduation; [and]
(7) the number of students in grades 9 through 12 who participated in a school-approved volunteer or community service activity; and
(8) any other information which the commissioner deems appropriate.
For the purposes of this section, the Commissioner of Education shall establish a uniform methodology for the reporting of the data concerning administrative personnel on a full-time equivalent basis.
(cf: P.L.2010, c.122, s.5)
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the second school year following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires public school districts to ensure that pupils enrolled in grades 9 through 12 in the district have at least one opportunity in each school year to engage in a structured, in-school volunteer or community service activity. The activity would be supervised by a teaching staff member. The purpose of this provision is to promote civic responsibility and ensure that all public high school pupils have at least one safe, structured, and supervised opportunity in each school year to experience the rewards of community service.
The bill also adds a community service component to the School Report Card issued annually by the Department of Education. Under the bill's provisions, the annual School Report Card would include information on the number of students in grades 9 through 12 who participated in school-approved volunteer or community service activities.
