Title 18A, Title 18A: EDUCATION

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…

18A:35-5.1 Curriculum guidelines, Lyme disease, tick-borne disease prevention. 1. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, shall develop curriculum guidelines for the teaching of information on the prevention of Lyme disease and other tick-b…

18A:35-5.1a Findings, declarations. 1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. New Jersey is among the nationwide leaders in tick-borne diseases and was one of the 17 states that reported 95 percent of the confirmed Lyme disease cases in 2019. b. If not diagnosed and treated …

18A:35-5.2. Curriculum guidelines, availability, incorporation, consultation. 2. a. The commissioner shall make the curriculum guidelines available to all school districts in the State. b. A board of education shall incorporate the curriculum guidelines developed pursuant to sect…

18A:35-5.3. Guidelines for, training of teachers instructing infected students 3. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, shall also provide curriculum guidelines for the training of all teachers who instruct students with Lyme disease whic…

18A:35-5.4. Instruction on breast self-examination required 1. Each board of education which operates an educational program for students in grades 7 through 12 shall offer instruction in breast self-examination. The instruction shall take place as part of the district's implemen…

18A:35-6. Supervision of instruction Such courses, and the instruction therein, shall be subject to the general supervision and direction of the commissioner, who shall appoint, with the approval of the state board, such expert assistants as in the opinion of the state board shal…

18A:35-7. Course required Every pupil, except kindergarten pupils, attending the public schools, insofar as he is physically fit and capable of doing so, as determined by the medical inspector, shall take such courses, which shall be a part of the curriculum prescribed for the se…

18A:35-8. Time devoted to course The time devoted to such courses shall aggregate at least two and one-half hours in each school week, or proportionately less when holidays fall within the week. L.1967, c.271.

18A:35-9. Qualifications of teachers; instruction of college pupils The state board shall adopt rules fixing the necessary qualifications of teachers in such courses in the public school system and all students at the state colleges shall be required to receive thorough instructi…

18A:36-1. School year The school year for all schools in the public school system shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30. L.1967, c.271.

18A:36-10. Designation of Commodore Barry Day September 13 in each year shall be known as Commodore John Barry Day, except when such day shall fall on Saturday, then the day preceding, or on Sunday, then the day following. L.1967, c.271.