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A1114
ASSEMBLY, No. 1114
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes position of Ombudsman of Student
Discipline to serve within Office of Secretary of Higher Education.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning the discipline of students enrolled
in institutions of higher education and supplementing chapter 3B 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.� The Secretary of
Higher Education shall appoint an Ombudsman of Student Discipline to serve
within the Office of the Secretary.� The ombudsman shall ensure that a student
who is subject to the disciplinary process established by the institution of higher
education in which the student is enrolled receives fair and impartial
treatment throughout the course of that process.�
���� The ombudsman shall:
���� (1)�� accept and review
requests from students enrolled in institutions of higher education in the
State who are seeking� information and assistance during the disciplinary
process, including any disciplinary hearing, or a request for a review of a
recently completed disciplinary hearing.� The ombudsman shall give priority to
requests on matters which may be time-sensitive, or which may result in a
financial or academic loss to the student including, but not limited to, the
student�s suspension or dismissal from an academic program or institution or
the student�s disqualification from a prospective academic program or
institution;�
���� (2)�� conduct further
investigation, as warranted, into select student requests to examine the nature
of the student�s alleged violation that is the subject of the disciplinary
process, the manner in which the disciplinary process is conducted, and, if the
process has been completed, the determination of the disciplinary board and the
sanctions imposed on the student; and�
���� (3)�� submit a report of
findings to the student, the institution�s disciplinary board, and the
governing board of the institution of higher education.
���� b.��� The institution shall
notify the ombudsman as to whether or not it will modify the disciplinary
process or the penalties imposed on the student in the event that the report of
the ombudsman finds that:
���� (1)�� the institution�s
student code of conduct lacked adequate clarity and guidance for students, or
that the institution did not provide adequate tools for students to protect
themselves against potential violations of the student code of conduct;
���� (2)�� the institution did not
provide adequate due process protections for the student; or
���� (3)�� the penalties imposed on
the student were unduly harsh.
���� c.���� The ombudsman shall
publish a list of those institutions that agree to accept and respond to the
findings of the ombudsman and those that do not agree.
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect on the 90th day after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
���� This bill directs the
Secretary of Higher Education to appoint an Ombudsman of Student Discipline to
serve within the Office of the Secretary.� The purpose of the ombudsman is to
ensure that a student who is subject to the disciplinary process established by
the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled receives
fair and impartial treatment throughout the course of that process.
���� Under the bill, the ombudsman
will accept and review requests from students enrolled in institutions of
higher education in the State who are seeking information and assistance during
the disciplinary process, including any disciplinary hearing, or a request for
a review of a recently completed disciplinary hearing.� The ombudsman will give
priority to requests on matters which may be time-sensitive, or which may
result in a financial or academic loss to the student including, but not
limited to, the student�s suspension or dismissal from an academic program or
institution or the student�s disqualification from a prospective academic
program or institution.� The ombudsman will conduct further investigation, as
warranted, into select student requests to examine the nature of the student�s
alleged violation that is the subject of the disciplinary process, the manner
in which the disciplinary process is conducted, and, if the process has been
completed, the determination of the disciplinary board and the sanctions
imposed on the student.� The ombudsman will then submit a report of findings to
the student, the institution�s disciplinary board, and the governing board of
the institution of higher education.� ��
���� The institution must notify
the ombudsman as to whether or not it will modify the disciplinary process or
the penalties imposed on the student in the event that the report of the
ombudsman finds that:
���� (1)�� the institution�s
student code of conduct lacked adequate clarity and guidance for students, or
that the institution did not provide adequate tools for students to protect
themselves against potential violations of the student code of conduct;
���� (2)�� the institution did not
provide adequate due process protections for the student; or
���� (3)�� the penalties imposed on
the student were unduly harsh.
���� Finally, the ombudsman is
required to publish a list of those institutions that agree to accept and
respond to the findings of the ombudsman and those that do not agree.�