Schools
Governor Murphy renews call for more gun control following Texas massacre
In the wake of the deadly attack at a Texas elementary school Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy again urged action on legislators to advance a stalled package of gun control measures. His proclamation follows a similar call issued last week after 10 people were killed by a white supremacist gunman in Buffalo. Tuesday’s attack left 21 […]
Public school enrollment dropped 18K since start of pandemic, state data shows
Enrollment in New Jersey’s traditional public schools fell by about 18,000 in the two years since the pandemic led to school closures and other classroom disruptions, according to new enrollment data from the state Department of Education. The losses came in the state’s urban centers and suburban districts alike. In October, Passaic reported 800 fewer […]
Assembly panel advances curriculum transparency bill
Discussion at an Assembly education committee hearing Thursday on a bill that would require schools to post health curriculum online devolved into a shouting match over the state’s new sex ed standards, with critics warning the standards are not age-appropriate. The heated hearing came after a similar outcry erupted at a Senate meeting last week […]
Proposed constitutional amendment takes aim at school redistricting
While a Superior Court judge weighs whether New Jersey schools are unconstitutionally segregated, two Republican lawmakers want to amend the state constitution to bar the kind of school redistricting experts say could help desegregate schools in the Garden State. Sussex County Assemblymembers Hal Wirths and Parker Space introduced a proposed constitutional amendment last week that aims […]
Bills on school transparency, menstrual products spark outcry during N.J. senate hearing
The lawmakers who sit on New Jersey’s Senate Education Committee usually hear from the public on things like learning loss, bullying, students’ mental health, and school lunches. On Monday, their meeting veered into uncharted territory. “Let’s ban Dr. Seuss, but books normalizing children having sex, using sex toys, experiencing glory holes, and crossing boundaries of […]
N.J. school officials stand firm on new sex education standards
New Jersey education officials didn’t act Wednesday to change new state standards on health and sex education, despite outcry from some parents, lawmakers, and even members of the board that passed the standards. Acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan spoke for nearly a half-hour during the state Board of Education’s monthly meeting, saying she “wholeheartedly disagrees” […]
Bill would require more drug testing for bus drivers
As lawmakers debate whether police officers should be able to consume cannabis while off duty, two Republican say they plan to introduce a bill requiring all public and private school bus drivers be drug tested twice a year. Under current federal law, school bus drivers are subject to annual random drug tests. School districts or […]
College presidents urge lawmakers to expand higher education aid
New Jersey’s public colleges and universities need more state funding to counter long-standing deficiencies in how the state funds higher education and to offset challenges the pandemic created, several university presidents told lawmakers Monday. The presidents, who appeared before the Assembly’s budget committee, said despite Gov. Phil Murphy’s plans to boost state aid for higher […]
Gender identity a lightning rod in N.J. sex ed curriculum debate
Avery Heimann knew before they even started school that they were queer. Their classmates caught on to their difference immediately and were not kind. “From kindergarten to fifth grade, when my parents pulled me out of public school and put me into a private school, it was nonstop bullying,” Heimann remembered. As unwelcome as that […]
Education advocates praise boosted school aid, but some worry over cuts
Lawmakers on the Senate Budget Committee heard praise Thursday for Gov. Phil Murphy’s plan to boost state school aid, but they also heard familiar complaints about how changes to New Jersey’s school funding formula impacted some districts. The governor’s $48.9 billion budget proposal, announced in March, provides for an extra $650 million in state funding […]
Sex-ed curriculum controversy inspires bill intended to increase transparency
With the furor still in full-swing over New Jersey’s new school standards on health and sex education, one state lawmaker said Tuesday he’ll introduce legislation intended to increase transparency and squash “misinformation and false claims.” Schools would be required to post all curriculum to district websites two weeks before the start of the school year […]
As judge mulls school segregation case, lawmakers look at potential solutions
The biggest difference Kelly Ribeiro saw when she switched schools was how people reacted to the Brazilian cuisine her mom packed for her lunch. At Roosevelt Middle School in Lyndhurst, kids would make fun of her for the way her food smelled or tease her for the way it looked. She asked her mom to […]