Title 18A, Title 18A: EDUCATION

18A:35-4.22 Avoidance of IV drug use stressed. 4. In addition, any course, program or material concerning methods for the prevention of HIV/AIDS shall stress the importance of avoiding intravenous drug use. L.2001,c.303,s.4.

18A:35-4.23. Domestic violence, child abuse, instruction on those problems 1. A board of education may include instruction on the problems of domestic violence and child abuse in an appropriate place in the curriculum of elementary school, middle school and high school pupils. Th…

18A:35-4.23a Dating violence education incorporated into health education curriculum. 6. a. Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, each school district shall incorporate dating violence education that is age appropriate into the health education curriculum as part of the distr…

18A:35-4.24 Definitions relative to alternative education projects. 1. As used in this act: "Alternative education project" means the use of video tapes, models, films, books, computers, or any other tools which provide an alternative method for obtaining and testing the knowledg…

18A:35-4.25 Refusal to participate in certain school activities related to animal dissection, etc. 2. a. A public school pupil from kindergarten through grade 12 may refuse to dissect, vivisect, incubate, capture or otherwise harm or destroy animals or any parts thereof as part o…

18A:35-4.26 Instruction in gang violence prevention; required for elementary school students. 1. Each board of education that operates an educational program for elementary school students shall offer instruction in gang violence prevention and in ways to avoid membership in gang…

18A:35-4.27 Instruction on responsible use of social media. 1. a. Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, each school district shall incorporate instruction on the responsible use of social media into the technology education curriculum for students in grades 6 through 8 as par…

18A:35-4.28 Instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of automated external defibrillator for certain students. 1. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the board of education of a public school district that includes grades 9 …

18A:35-4.29 Instruction provided. 2. The instruction provided pursuant to section 1 of this act shall: a. be modeled from an instructional program established by the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or other nationally-recognized association with expertise in instr…

18A:35-4.3. Sexual assault prevention education program The Department of Education in consultation with the advisory committee provided for in section 2 of this act, shall develop and establish guidelines for the teaching of sexual assault prevention techniques for utilization b…

18A:35-4.30 Weighting of certain courses in calculating pupil grade point averages. 1. a. A school district shall weight courses in the visual and performing arts equally with other courses of the same level of academic rigor and worth the same number of credits in calculating a …

18A:35-4.31 Recess period required; exceptions. 1. a. Beginning with the first full school year following the effective date of this act, a public school district shall provide a daily recess period of at least 20 minutes for students in grades kindergarten through 5. The recess …

18A:35-4.32 Findings, declarations relative to "sexting." 1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. The teenage practice of "sexting," sending a sexually explicit text message, is a nationwide issue for students, parents, school administrators, and law enforcement officials.…

18A:35-4.33 Information provided to students. 2. A board of education shall include instruction on the social, emotional, and legal consequences of distributing and soliciting sexually explicit images through electronic means once during middle school in an appropriate place in t…

18A:35-4.34 Financial literacy instruction. 1. The State Board of Education shall require that a school district incorporate in each of the grades six through eight financial literacy instruction to pupils enrolled in those grades. The purpose of the instruction shall be to provi…

18A:35-4.35. History of disabled and LGBT persons included in middle and high school curriculum 1. A board of education shall include instruction on the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, …

18A:35-4.36. Policies, procedures pertaining to inclusive instructional materials 2. A board of education shall have policies and procedures in place pertaining to the selection of instructional materials to implement the requirements of section 1 of this act. When adopting instr…

18A:35-4.36a Curriculum to contain instruction on diversity and inclusion. 1. a. Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, each school district shall incorporate instruction on diversity and inclusion in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in grades kindergarten thro…

18A:35-4.37. Finding and declaration relative to sexual assault 1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Over the last several years, media and government attention has been focused on addressing the high rate of sexual assault on college campuses. A 2015 study by the Assoc…

18A:35-4.38. Incorporation of age-appropriate instruction relative to consent for physical contact and sexual activity 2. A school district shall incorporate age-appropriate instruction in grades six through 12 on the law and meaning of consent for physical contact and sexual act…

18A:35-4.39 Health curriculum to include instruction on mental health. 1. a. A school district shall ensure that its health education programs for students in grades kindergarten through 12 recognize the multiple dimensions of health by including mental health and the relation of…

18A:35-4.4 Advisory Council. 2. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Department of Children and Families, Division on Women, shall appoint an advisory council to assist and advise the State Board of Education in the development and implementation of educational…

18A:35-4.40 Information about "New Jersey Safe Haven Infant Protection Act" included in public school curriculum. 1. The Department of Education shall review the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education to ensure that information on th…

18A:35-4.41 Age appropriate information required. 2. a. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Children and Families, shall take appropriate action to ensure that each school district shall incorporate education on the "New Jersey Safe Haven Infant Pr…

18A:35-4.42 Findings, declarations relative to the Amistad Commission. 3. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Since the days of slavery, public school curricula have consistently omitted or misrepresented the history of African Americans. b. To correct these omissions, al…

18A:35-4.43 Infusion of African American accomplishments into school curricula. 4. a. Every board of education shall include, in the curriculum of all elementary and secondary school students, instruction that infuses into all courses on the United States, the centuries of accomp…

18A:35-4.44 Asian American, Pacific Islander history, contributions; instruction included in curriculum. 1. a. A board of education shall include instruction on the history and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in an appropriate place in the curriculum of stu…

18A:35-4.45 New Jersey Student Learning Standards, Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, grief. 1. a. The State Board of Education shall adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education pertaining to grief. b. A school district sha…

18A:35-4.46 Standards adopted, New Jersey Student Learning Standards updates, concurrent. 2. This act shall take effect immediately. The standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2023, c.201 (C.18A:35-4.45) shall occur concurrent with each upd…

18A:35-4.47 Labor movements history instruction. 1. a. The State Board of Education shall adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies pertaining to the history of labor and labor movements in the United States and New Jersey. b. A board of education shall includ…

18A:35-4.48 Standards concurrent with updates to New Jersey Student Learning Standards. 2. This act shall take effect immediately. The standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to subsection a. of section 1 of this act shall occur concurrent with each update to t…

18A:35-4.49 Latino and Hispanic history, required instruction. 1. a. The State Board of Education shall adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies on Latino and Hispanic history. b. A board of education shall include instruction on the history and contributions…

18A:35-4.5. Establishment of program; voluntary participation One year after the effective date of this act each board of education may establish a sexual assault prevention education program in accordance with the guidelines developed by the department; provided, however, that n…

18A:35-4.50 Concurrent occurrence, updates to New Jersey Student Learning Standards. 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following the date of enactment. The standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to se…

18A:35-4.51 Short title. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Illicit Opioid Supply Substances Poisoning Awareness Act.” L.2025, c.278, s.1.

18A:35-4.52 Illicit opioid substance danger, instruction, grades six through 12. 2. a. A school district shall include instruction on the dangers of substances that are the most prevalent or emerging in the illicit opioid supply in New Jersey in an appropriate place in the curric…

18A:35-4.53 Cursive handwriting instruction in the grade school curriculum. 1. A school district shall incorporate instruction on cursive handwriting into the curriculum for students in grades three through five. The curriculum shall include activities and instructional materials…

18A:35-4.5a Sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education. 1. Each school district shall incorporate age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education in grades preschool through 12 as part of the district's implementation of the New Jersey…

18A:35-4.6. Title of act This act shall be known as the "Parents Rights to Conscience Act of 1979." L.1979, c. 428, s. 1, eff. Feb. 11, 1980.

18A:35-4.7. Parent's statement of conflict with conscience Any child whose parent or guardian presents to the school principal a signed statement that any part of the instructions in health, family life education or sex education is in conflict with his conscience, or sincerely h…

18A:35-4.8 Medical treatment or examination; objection of parent or guardian. 3. No pupil whose parent or guardian objects to such pupil receiving medical treatment or medical examination or physical examination shall be compelled to receive such treatment or examination; provide…

18A:35-4.9. Pupil promotion, remediation policies, procedures Local boards of education shall adopt policies and procedures for: a. Pupil promotion and remediation, related to district goals, objectives and pupil proficiency; b. Notification to parents of policies and procedures …

18A:35-40 Findings, declarations relative to civics education in public schools. 1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. New Jersey law requires school districts to provide a two-year course of United States history in high school, which is supposed to include curriculum o…

18A:35-41 Provision of course of study in civics. 3. Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, each board of education shall provide a course of study in civics, which shall be taken by all students in an appropriate middle school grade. The course shall address: the values and pri…

18A:35-42. Provision of materials, online resources. 4. The New Jersey Center for Civic Education at Rutgers, the State University shall provide a clearinghouse of materials, an online resource center, technical assistance, professional development and any other activities to enc…

18A:35-5. Maintenance of physical training courses; features Each board of education shall conduct as a part of the instruction in the public schools courses in health, safety and physical education, which courses shall be adapted to the ages and capabilities of the pupils in the…