Sponsored by:
Senator RAYMOND J. LESNIAK
District 20 (Union)
Senator DIANE B. ALLEN
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblywoman L. GRACE SPENCER
District 29 (Essex)
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman JAMEL C. HOLLEY
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman TIM EUSTACE
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Moriarty
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes establishment of recovery high school alternative education programs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the establishment of recovery high school alternative education programs and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Recovery High School Alternative Education Act.”
2. As used in this act:
“Alternative education program” means a comprehensive educational program designed to address the individual learning, behavior, and health needs of students who are not succeeding in a general education program or who have been mandated for removal from general education. The alternative education program shall provide a variety of approaches to meet State-adopted standards, including non-traditional programs, services, and methodologies to ensure curriculum and instruction are delivered in a way that enables students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills specified for all students.
“Recovery high school alternative education program” means an alternative education program that serves students diagnosed with substance use disorder or dependency as defined by the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and that provides a comprehensive four-year high school education in an alternative public school setting and a structured plan of recovery that is aligned with the national framework of evidence-based practices for recovery high schools.
3. Any board of education may operate an alternative education program including, but not limited to, a recovery high school alternative education program, upon approval by the board of education. The Commissioner of Education shall approve any alternative education program within a State agency, public college operated program, or department-approved school.
4. A sending district may enter into an agreement with a school district which has established a recovery high school alternative education program for the provision of services to a student who is currently enrolled in the sending district. If the student is admitted to the recovery high school alternative education program, the sending district shall pay tuition to that district calculated in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.18A:38-19.
5. The State Board of Education may adopt regulations pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the purposes of this act.
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes a school district to establish alternative education programs, including recovery high school alternative education programs, upon the approval of the board of education. A recovery high school alternative education program is defined as an alternative education program that serves students diagnosed with substance use disorder or dependency as defined by the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and that provides a comprehensive four-year high school education in an alternative public school setting and a structured plan of recovery that is aligned with the national framework of evidence-based practices for recovery high schools.
Under the bill’s provisions, a sending district may enter into an agreement with a school district that has established a recovery high school alternative education program for the provision of services to a student who is currently enrolled in the sending district. If the student is admitted to the recovery high school alternative education program, the sending district will pay tuition to that district.