Bill Text: NJ S3978 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: "Student-Parent Protection Act"; ensures equal rights and opportunities for parenting students enrolled in institutions of higher education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-16 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee [S3978 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S3978-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
"Student-Parent Protection Act"; ensures equal rights and opportunities for parenting students enrolled in institutions of higher education.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning parenting discrimination in higher education, and supplementing and amending P.L.2016, c.88.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be known and may be cited as the "Student-Parent Protection Act."
2. Section 1 of P.L.2016, c.88 (C.18A:3B-74) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. An institution of higher education offering associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree programs shall be prohibited from requiring a student to take a leave of absence, withdraw from an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate program, or limit the student's studies solely due to parenting, pregnancy, or pregnancy-related issues.
b. An institution of higher education offering associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree programs shall provide reasonable accommodations to a parenting or pregnant student to enable the student to complete coursework and research. Reasonable accommodations to a parenting or pregnant student shall include, but [need] not be limited to[,] :
(1) making allowances for the student's health and safety, [such as] including allowing the student to maintain a safe distance from hazardous substances[,] ;
(2) allowing the student to make up tests and assignments that are missed for parenting or pregnancy-related reasons[,] ;
(3) allowing a student to take a leave of absence[,] ; and
(4) excusing [medically-necessary] absences for medical necessities and urgent caregiving obligations. The student shall provide to the instructor of the course any documentation as required by the institution of higher education for the absence to be excused.
c. An institution of higher education offering associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree programs shall develop and adopt a written policy for students on parenting and pregnancy discrimination and procedures for addressing parenting and pregnancy discrimination complaints [under] pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. s.1681 et seq. or [under] P.L.2016, c.88 (C.18A:3B-74 et seq.). A copy of the policy shall annually be made available to all faculty, staff, and employees, and posted at an easily accessible location on the institution's Internet website. The policy shall be distributed to all students attending orientation sessions at the institution.
d. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), "parenting student" means a student enrolled in an institution of higher education who is the parent or legal guardian of a child under 18 years of age.
(cf: P.L.2016, c.88, s.1)
3. Section 3 of P.L.2016, c.88 (C.18A:3B-76) is amended to read as follows:
3. a. An enrolled student in good academic standing who chooses to take a leave of absence because she is pregnant or has recently given birth shall return to the associate, baccalaureate, or graduate program in good academic standing following a leave period consistent with the policies of the institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled or of up to one academic year, whichever period is longer, subject to the reasonable administrative requirements of the institution, unless there is a medical reason for a longer absence, in which case her standing in the associate, baccalaureate, or graduate program shall be maintained during that period of absence.
b. An enrolled student in good academic standing who is not the birth parent and who chooses to take a leave of absence because of the birth of the student's child shall return to the associate, baccalaureate, or graduate program in good academic standing following a leave period consistent with the policies of the institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled, or of up to one month, whichever period is longer, subject to the reasonable administrative requirements of the institution.
c. An enrolled student in good academic standing who chooses to take a leave of absence because the student is parenting shall return to the associate, baccalaureate, or graduate program in good academic standing following a leave period consistent with the policies of the institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled or of up to one academic year, whichever period is longer, subject to the reasonable administrative requirements of the institution.
d. Any student who takes a leave of absence pursuant to this section shall not be required to reapply for admission at the institution.
(cf: P.L.2016, c.88, s.3)
4. This act shall take effect
immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year following the
date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill, entitled the "Student-Parent Protection Act," ensures equal rights and opportunities for parenting students enrolled in institutions of higher education.
Under current law, an institution of higher education offering associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree programs is:
· prohibited from requiring a student to take a leave of absence, withdraw from an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate program, or limit associate, baccalaureate, or graduate studies solely due to pregnancy or pregnancy-related issues;
· required to provide reasonable accommodations to a pregnant student to enable the student to complete coursework and research; and
· required to develop and adopt a written policy for students on pregnancy discrimination and procedures for addressing pregnancy discrimination complaints under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 or under State law.
Current law further provides that an enrolled student in good academic standing who chooses to take a leave of absence because she is pregnant or has recently given birth is to return to the associate, baccalaureate, or graduate program in good academic standing following a leave period consistent with the policies of the institution of higher education or of up to one academic year, whichever period is longer. If there is a medical reason for a longer absence, her standing in the associate, baccalaureate, or graduate program is to be maintained during that period of absence.
This bill expands the protections provided under current law for pregnant students to parenting students. Under the bill, a parenting student is defined as a student enrolled in an institution of higher education who is the parent or legal guardian of a child under 18 years of age. The bill also requires the institution's discrimination policy to be posted at a publicly available location on its Internet website. The bill clarifies that a student is not required to reapply for admission at the institution following a leave period.
