S3531

An Act concerning summer school programs.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. Every school district, charter school, and renaissance school shall develop and implement a summer school program to be offered to students during the summer following the 2020-2021 school year and the 2021-2022 school year. The summer school program shall be open to students who will attend grades kindergarten through 12 in the school year immediately following the summer school program. The summer school program shall provide high-quality learning experiences and instruction to mitigate the effects of learning loss with a focus on language, literacy, mathematics, and social and emotional readiness and shall provide additional family support and resources, as applicable, to assist the students participating in the program. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school that currently offers a summer school program shall expand access to the summer school program to each school in the district and to all students enrolled in the schools, as applicable, or who are registered to attend kindergarten in the school year immediately following the summer school program. A summer school program offered by a school district, charter school, or renaissance school pursuant to the provisions of this section may include a weekend program option wherein students attend courses of instruction on Saturdays and Sundays.

b. (1) In order to be eligible to participate in a summer school program under the provisions of this section, a parent or guardian seeking to enroll a student in a summer school program pursuant to the provisions of this section shall submit a written request for enrollment in the summer school program to the principal or chief administrator of the school in which the student is enrolled during the preceding school year or, for a student who will attend kindergarten in the school year immediately following the summer school program, to the principal or chief administrator of the school in which the student is registered to attend kindergarten.

(2) A written request for summer school enrollment shall be submitted 45 days prior to the start of the summer school program. In the event that a parent or legal guardian registers a student to attend kindergarten less than 45 days prior to the start of the summer school program, the written request for summer school enrollment shall be submitted at the time of registration for admittance into a kindergarten program.

c. Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, and in addition to the requirements set forth in subsection b. of this section, a request for enrollment in a summer school program made on behalf of a student with disabilities who receives special education and related services shall not be granted unless the request is approved in conjunction with the individualized education program team or 504 coordinator, as applicable, in accordance with all applicable federal and State law.

d. Nothing herein shall be construed to limit, supersede, or preempt the rights, privileges, remedies, or procedures afforded to students with disabilities under federal or State law or any provision of an individualized education program or 504 plan developed and implemented pursuant to federal or State law.

e. (1) A school district, charter school, or renaissance school offering summer school programs pursuant to the provisions of this section shall submit a report to the Commissioner of Education by January 1 of each school year following the conclusion of a summer school program offered pursuant to the provisions of this section. The report shall include, at a minimum:

(a) the number of students enrolled in the summer school programs offered in the school district, charter school, or renaissance school;

(b) a demographic breakdown of the students enrolled in the summer school program by race, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic status, and English Language Learner status;

(d) feedback from teachers who taught students who attended a summer school program;

(e) voluntary feedback collected from parents of students who attended the program; and

(f) the views of the school district, charter school, or renaissance school on the success and benefits of the program.

(2) After receiving the reports from each school district, charter school, and renaissance school, the commissioner shall annually submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the implementation and effectiveness of the summer school programs. The report shall include the commissioner’s recommendation on the advisability of continuing the expanded summer school programing required under this section.

f. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school offering summer school programs pursuant to the provisions of this section may, to the extent permitted by federal law, use federal funds, as necessary, to implement the provisions of this section.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

Under this bill, every school district, charter school, and renaissance school is required to develop and implement, or in the event that a school district, charter school, or renaissance school currently offers a summer school program expand access to, a summer school program that will be offered during the summer following the 2020-2021 school year and 2021-2022 school year. The summer school program must be made available to students who will attend grades kindergarten through 12 in the school year immediately following the summer school program. The summer school program must provide high-quality learning experiences and instruction to mitigate the effects of learning loss with a focus on language, literacy, mathematics, and social and emotional readiness and will provide additional family support and resources, as applicable, to assist the students participating in the program. Under the bill, a summer school program may include a weekend program option in which students would attend courses of instruction on Saturdays and Sundays.

In order to be eligible to participate in a summer school program, the parent or guardian seeking to enroll a student in a summer school program is required to submit a written request for enrollment in the summer school program to the principal or chief administrator of the school in which the student is enrolled or, for a student who will attend kindergarten in the fall, to the principal or chief administrator of the school in which the student is registered to attend kindergarten in the September that immediately follows the summer school program. The written request must be submitted 45 days prior to the start of the summer school program. In the event that a parent or legal guardian registers a student to attend kindergarten less than 45 days prior to the start of the summer school program, the written request for summer school enrollment shall be submitted at the time of registration for admittance into a kindergarten program.

Under the bill, a request for enrollment in a summer school program made on behalf of a student with disabilities who receives special education and related services would not be granted unless the request is approved in conjunction with the individualized education program team or 504 coordinator, as applicable, in accordance with all applicable federal and State law.

Under the bill, every school district, charter school, and renaissance school is required to submit a report to the Commissioner of Education by January 1 of each school year following the conclusion of the summer school program. The provisions of the bill require the commissioner, after receiving the reports, to submit an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature on the implementation and effectiveness of the summer school programs. The report must include the commissioner’s recommendation on the advisability of continuing the expanded summer school programing.

The purpose of this bill is to address the learning loss that has been experienced by students throughout New Jersey as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.