Bill Text: NJ S2603 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires school districts to notify DOE whenever law enforcement is called to respond to incident occurring at school.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-09-29 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S2603 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S2603-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator DIANE B. ALLEN
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts to notify DOE whenever law enforcement is called to respond to incident occurring at school.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the reporting of certain incidents at public schools and amending and supplementing P.L.1982, c.163.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) a. In addition to the reporting requirements established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1982, c.163 (C.18A:17-46), a school principal shall file a report with the superintendent of the school district whenever a law enforcement agency is called to the school to respond to an incident occurring in a school building, on school grounds, or at a school-sponsored event.
b. Upon receiving a report from a school principal pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the superintendent shall immediately notify the Department of Education of the incident. The superintendent shall also include the information in his reports to the board of education required pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1982, c.163 (C.18A:17-46).
2. (New section) The Commissioner of Education shall monitor the accuracy of the information submitted to the department pursuant to P.L.1982, c.163 (C.18A:17-46 et seq.) and section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) by collecting school incident data from law enforcement agencies. The commissioner, pursuant to N.J.S.18A:55-2, shall direct the State Treasurer to withhold funds from any school district which reports inaccurate data.
3. Section 2 of P.L.1982, c.163 (C.18A:17-47) is amended to read as follows:
2. It shall be unlawful for any board of education to discharge or in any manner discriminate against a school employee as to his employment because the employee had filed a report pursuant to section 1 of [this act] P.L.1982, c.163 (C.18A:17-46) or section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). Any employee discriminated against shall be restored to his employment and shall be compensated by the board of education for any loss of wages arising out of the discrimination; provided, however, if the employee shall cease to be qualified to perform the duties of his employment he shall not be entitled to restoration and compensation.
(cf: P.L.1982, c.163, s.2)
4. Section 3 of P.L.1982, c.163 (C.18A:17-48) is amended to read as follows:
3. The Commissioner of Education shall each year submit a report to the Education Committees of the Senate and General Assembly detailing the extent of violence, vandalism, and harassment, intimidation, or bullying in the public schools and making recommendations to alleviate the problem. The report shall also include the number of times and types of incidents for which a law enforcement agency is called to a school to respond to any incident occurring in a school building, on school grounds, or at a school-sponsored event. The report shall be made available annually to the public no later than October 1, and shall be posted on the department's website.
(cf: P.L.2010, c.122, s.8)
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires a school principal to file a report with the superintendent of the school district whenever a law enforcement agency is called to the school to respond to an incident occurring in a school building, on school grounds, or at a school-sponsored event. Upon receiving the report from a school principal, the superintendent must immediately notify the Department of Education of the incident. The superintendent must also include the information in his semi-annual reports to the board of education that are required under current law for violence, vandalism, harassment, intimidation, and bullying.
The bill also requires the Commissioner of Education to monitor the accuracy of the information submitted to the department by collecting school incident data from law enforcement agencies. The commissioner is to direct the State Treasurer to withhold State aid funds from any school district which reports inaccurate data.
The bill also amends current law to require the commissioner to include the number of times and types of incidents for which law enforcement agencies were called to the schools in his annual report on violence, vandalism, harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the public schools.
