Bill Text: NJ S3279 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires school districts to allow students receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school to participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities in student's resident district.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-16 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S3279 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S3279-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts to allow students receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school to participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities in student's resident district.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the participation of certain students in extracurricular activities and supplementing chapter 42 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A board of education shall permit students receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school to try out for, and participate in, any school-sponsored extracurricular activity including, but not limited to, clubs, musical ensembles, Statewide interscholastic sports programs, and theatrical productions in the student's district of residence in accordance with the same criteria established for students enrolled in the district. A student receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school who wishes to participate in an extracurricular activity in the resident district shall:
(1) provide proof that the student resides in the district;
(2) meet the eligibility and try out criteria for participation in the activity; and
(3) comply with all policies, rules, and regulations of the governing organization of the extracurricular activity.
b. In the event that the extracurricular activity is interscholastic athletics, the student shall demonstrate to the board of education that the student did not transfer to a program providing equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school for athletic advantage. A student who withdraws from a public school to enroll in a program providing equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school and who is ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics at the time of withdrawal from the public school due to a failure to meet academic, behavioral, or eligibility standards, shall be ineligible to compete in interscholastic athletic competition.
c. If the school-sponsored extracurricular activity requires the completion of a physical examination or medical test as a condition of participation and the school district of residence offers the requisite examination or test to the students enrolled in the school district, the school district shall permit a student receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school to access the examination or test and shall publish the dates and times of the examination or test on its website.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires school districts to allow students receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school to participate in any school-sponsored extracurricular activity including, but not limited to, clubs, musical ensembles, Statewide interscholastic sports programs, and theatrical productions in the student's district of residence in accordance with the same criteria established for students enrolled in the district.
Under the bill, a student receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school who wishes to participate in an extracurricular activity in the resident district is required to:
(1) provide proof that the student resides in the district;
(2) meet the eligibility and try out criteria for participation in the activity; and
(3) comply with all policies, rules, and regulations of the governing organization of the extracurricular activity.
In the event that the extracurricular activity involves participation in interscholastic athletics, the student is to demonstrate to the board of education that the student did not transfer to a program providing equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school for athletic advantage.
Under the bill, if the extracurricular activity requires the completion of a physical examination or medical test as a condition of participation and the school district of residence offers the examination or test to the students enrolled in the school district, then the school district is required to allow a student receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school to access the examination or test and publish the dates and times of the examination or test on its website.
