Sponsored by:
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex)
Senator JOSEPH F. VITALE
District 19 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires schools that participate in Statewide interscholastic sports programs to annually inform student-athletes about National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility standards for participation in collegiate athletics.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the dissemination of certain information to student-athletes and supplementing chapter 11 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 school district or nonpublic school that participates in Statewide interscholastic sports programs sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association shall annually disseminate to each student enrolled in the district or nonpublic school who participates in interscholastic athletics the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s freshman eligibility standards for participation in collegiate athletics.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each school district or nonpublic school that participates in Statewide interscholastic sports programs sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to annually disseminate to each student enrolled in the district or nonpublic school who participates in interscholastic athletics the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) freshman eligibility standards for participation in collegiate athletics.
In addition to providing healthy forms of exercise, fostering friendships and camaraderie, and promoting sportsmanship and fair play, athletics often provide student-athletes with opportunities to attend institutions of higher education on athletic scholarships. Many high school students, however, are unaware of the NCAA eligibility standards to participate in collegiate athletics. Annually providing high school students who participate in interscholastic athletics with the eligibility standards will help ensure that students who wish to compete at the college level will take all requisite courses while achieving necessary grade point averages and standardized test scores required by the NCAA to participate in collegiate athletics.