ASSEMBLY, No. 1260
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
211th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2004 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CRAIG A. STANLEY
District 28 (Essex)
Assemblywoman LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Van Drew, Conaway, Conners and Eagler
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts to notify DYFS of certain pupil absences.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning public school district reporting of certain pupil absences to the Division of Youth and Family Services and supplementing chapter 36 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. If any child enrolled in a school district has an unexcused absence from school for five consecutive school days, the attendance officer of the district shall investigate the absence and notify the district superintendent of the absence. The district superintendent shall then notify the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Human Services for its determination of whether the division is or has been involved with the child and whether action, as appropriate, is warranted.
b. When a child's parent, guardian or other person having charge and control of the child notifies a school district that the child will be withdrawing from the district and transferring to another school district, the principal of the school from which the child is withdrawing shall request that the parent, guardian or other person having charge and control of the child provide the principal with the name and location of the school district in which the child will subsequently be enrolled and the expected date of enrollment. The principal shall provide the information supplied by the parent, guardian or other person having charge and control of the child to the district superintendent. Five school days following the expected date of enrollment, the superintendent of the district of last attendance shall contact the school district in which the child is to be subsequently enrolled to determine if the child has enrolled in the district. If the child has not been so enrolled, the attendance officer of the transfer district shall investigate the failure to enroll and notify the superintendent of the transfer district of the failure to enroll. The superintendent of the transfer district shall then notify the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Human Services for its determination of whether the division is or has been involved with the child and whether action, as appropriate, is warranted. If the child has been so enrolled, the district of last attendance and the transfer district shall arrange for the transfer of the child's records in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1986, c.160 (C.18A:36-19a) and subsection b. of section 4 of P.L.1995, c.395 (C.18A:36-25.1).
c. School district policies for the early detection of missing and abused children required pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1984, c.228 (C.18A:36-25) shall include provisions to implement the requirements of this section.
2. The Commissioner of Education, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), and in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires school districts to report, and the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) in the Department of Human Services to investigate, certain unexcused student absences from school.
Specifically, the bill provides as follows:
* If any child enrolled in a school district has an unexcused absence for five consecutive school days, the attendance officer of the district will investigate the absence and notify the district superintendent of the absence. The district superintendent is to notify DYFS for its determination of whether DYFS is or has been involved with the child and whether action, as appropriate, is warranted.
* When a parent, guardian, or other person having charge and control of a child notifies a school district that the child will be withdrawing from the district and transferring to another school district, the principal of the school from which the child is withdrawing must request that the parent, guardian, or other person having charge and control of the child provide the principal with the name and location of the school district in which the child will subsequently be enrolled and the expected date of enrollment. The principal is to provide this information to the district superintendent. Five days following the expected date of enrollment, the superintendent of the district of last attendance must contact the school district to which the child is transferring to determine if the child has enrolled in the district. If the child has not enrolled, the attendance officer of the transfer district is required to investigate the failure to enroll and notify the superintendent of the transfer district of the failure to enroll. The superintendent of the transfer district must then notify DYFS for its determination of whether DYFS is or has been involved with the child and whether action, as appropriate, is warranted.
* The Commissioner of Education, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," and in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, is to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the bill.