ASSEMBLY, No. 1242

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblyman AZZOLINA

An Act concerning admission to kindergarten and amending N.J.S.18A:38-5 and 18A:44-2.44.

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

    1. N.J.S.18A:38-5 is amended to read as follows.

    18A:38-5. No child [under] attaining the age of five [years] on or after September 1 of that school year shall be admitted to any public school, except such as may be provided pursuant to law for children of his age.

    No board of education shall be required to accept by transfer from public or private school any pupil who was not eligible by reason of age for admission on October 1 of that school year[, but the board may in its discretion admit any such pupil if he or she meets such entrance requirements as may be established by rules or regulations of the board].

(cf: N.J.S.18A:38-5)

    2. N.J.S.18A:44-2 is amended to read as follows:

    18A:44-2. The board of education of any district may establish a kindergarten school or kindergarten department in any school under its control[,and may admit to such kindergarten school or department any child over the age of four and under the age of five and shall admit to such kindergarten school or department any child over the age of five and under the age of six years who is a resident of the district].

    a. Any school establishing a kindergarten school or kindergarten department shall admit to such kindergarten school or department any child attaining the age of five prior to Setember 1 of that school year and under the age of six years who is a resident of the district.

    b. Any school establishing a kindergarten school or kindergarten department may establish an auxiliary kindergarten school or department for children over the age of four and under the age of five who are residents of the district.

(cf: N.J.S.18A:44-2)

    3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the 1994-95 school year.

STATEMENT

    This bill alters the eligibility age for admission to enter kindergarten. Currently, a board of education that establishes a kindergarten school or department in a school under its control must admit a child over the age of five who is not over the age of six. Also, the current law permitted the establishment of a kindergarten program for any child four years of age in addition to a kindergarten school for five year olds.

    This bill provides that any school establishing a kindergarten school or department shall admit only a child that has attained the age of five prior to September 1 of that school year and who has not reached the age of six. The bill permits a school with a kindergarten to admit any child of four into an auxiliary kindergarten school or department for children of similar age.

    This bill would cause the starting age of children for kindergarten to be consistent throughout the State yet allow districts to maintain a distinct kindergarten for younger children of comparable age and development.

Alters age requirement to enroll in kindergarten.