Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex)
Senator JOSEPH F. VITALE
District 19 (Middlesex)
Assemblyman PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
Assemblyman TIM EUSTACE
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Gordon and Greenstein
SYNOPSIS
Permits students made homeless by act of terrorism or natural disaster to attend tuition-free the school district in which they resided prior to being homeless for two school years after the event.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning certain homeless students and supplementing chapter 7B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.18A:38-1, section 19 of P.L.1979, c.207 (C.18A:7B-12), or section 3 of P.L.1989, c.290 (C.18A:7B-12.1), or any other section of law to the contrary, any student who moves from one school district to another as a result of being homeless due to an act of terrorism or due to a natural disaster which results in the declaration of a State of emergency or disaster by the State or by the federal government, may continue to enroll in the school district in which the parent or guardian last resided prior to becoming homeless for up to two full school years after the act of terrorism or natural disaster; and during the two-year period, if the student is enrolled in the district in which the parent or guardian last resided prior to becoming homeless and the student’s parent or guardian remains homeless for that period, the student shall attend that district tuition-free and that district shall provide the student transportation to and from school.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would allow a student who moves from one school district to another as a result of being homeless due to an act of terrorism or a natural disaster, to continue to enroll in the school district in which the parent last resided prior to becoming homeless for up to two full school years. The bill provides further that during the two-year period, if the student is enrolled in the district in which the parent last resided prior to becoming homeless and the student’s parent remains homeless for that period, no tuition will be required to be paid for the student’s attendance in that district and the district will be responsible for the student’s transportation to and from school.