§1 - C.18A:33-28

§2 - Note

P.L. 2019, CHAPTER 178, approved July 19, 2019

Senate, No. 2489

An Act concerning the State child abuse hotline and supplementing chapter 33 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 board of education shall prominently display information about the Department of Children and Families’ State Central Registry, a toll free hotline for reporting child abuse, in each school of the district.  The information shall give instructions to call 911 for emergencies and shall include directions for accessing the department’s website or social media platforms for more information on reporting abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

     The information shall be in a format and language that is clear, simple, and understandable.  The information shall be on a poster and displayed at each school in at least one high-traffic, highly and clearly visible public area that is readily accessible to and widely used by students.

     2.    This act shall take effect on the 30^th day after the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

     This bill requires a board of education to prominently display information about the Department of Children and Families’ State Central Registry, a toll free hotline for reporting child abuse, in each school of the district.  The information must give instructions to call 911 for emergencies and must include directions for accessing the department’s website or social media platforms for more information on reporting abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

     Under the bill, the information is required to be in a format and language that is clear, simple, and understandable.  The information must be on a poster and displayed at each school in at least one high-traffic, highly and clearly visible public area that is readily accessible to and widely used by students.

     Requires board of education to post information about child abuse hotline in each school.