ASSEMBLY, No. 920

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblymen ROCCO and DORIA

An Act authorizing local boards of education to adopt dress code policies and supplementing chapter 11 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

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

    1. The Legislature finds and declares that many educators believe that school dress can significantly influence pupil behavior and that schools that have adopted dress codes, including dress codes which require school uniforms, experience greater school pride and improved behavior in and out of the classroom. The Legislature further finds that to assist in controlling the environment in public schools, to facilitate and maintain an effective learning environment, and to keep the focus of the classroom on learning, school districts should be specifically authorized to implement uniform clothing requirements for their students;

    2. a. A board of education may adopt a dress code policy, which may include a requirement that students wear a school uniform, if the board approves a plan that is initiated by an individual school's principal, staff, and parents and determines that the policy will enhance the school learning environment.

    b. If the dress code policy adopted by a board of education requires students to wear a school uniform, the specific uniform selected shall be determined by the principal, staff, and parents of the individual school.

    c. The board of education shall provide a method whereby parents may choose not to comply with an adopted school uniform policy. A student shall not be penalized academically or otherwise discriminated against nor denied admittance to school if the student's parents choose not to comply with the school uniform policy. The board of education shall continue to have responsibility for the appropriate education of such students.

    d. A dress code policy adopted pursuant to this section shall not preclude students that participate in a nationally recognized youth organization which is approved by the board of education from wearing organization uniforms to school on days that the organization has scheduled a meeting.

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill authorizes boards of education to adopt dress code policies which may include a requirement that students wear a school uniform. The board would adopt the policy if it approves a plan that is initiated by an individual school's principal, staff and parents and determines that the policy will enhance the school learning environment. If the adopted policy requires students to wear uniforms, the specific uniform shall be selected by the principal, staff and parents.

    The bill provides that if a board of education adopts a dress code policy which requires students to wear a school uniform, the board shall provide a method whereby parents may choose not to comply with the uniform policy and stipulates that a student shall not be penalized academically or otherwise if his parents choose not to comply with the uniform policy. Nothing in the bill is to preclude students that participate in a nationally recognized youth organization from wearing organization uniforms to school on the day of scheduled meetings.

Authorizes boards of education to adopt dress code policies.