Exempts certain students with disabilities from requirement to take college credits during Bridge Year Pilot Program; modifies age eligibility criteria under program.

A1778

ASSEMBLY, No. 1778

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Exempts certain students with disabilities from
requirement to take college credits during Bridge Year Pilot Program; modifies
age eligibility criteria under program.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning certain students participating in the Bridge
Year Pilot Program and amending P.L.2020, c.41.

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

���� 1.��� Section 2 of P.L.2020,
c.41 is amended to read as follows:

���� 2.��� a. �The Commissioner of
Education shall establish a three-year �Bridge Year Pilot Program,� under which
each school district with a high school shall offer students
in the graduating class of 2021 and the graduating class of
2022 the opportunity to pursue a bridge year during the year immediately
following their senior year of high school, in accordance with the provisions
of this act.� The purpose of the pilot program shall be to provide
participating students an additional year to address learning loss and missed
opportunities in extracurricular activities, including spring sports programs,
as a result of the public health state of emergency caused by the coronavirus
disease 2019 pandemic.�

���� A nonpublic school may elect
to participate in the Bridge Year Pilot Program.�

���� Under the pilot program, each
high school in a school district shall designate a school staff member as a
bridge year liaison to serve as the school�s central point of contact for
students interested in pursuing a bridge year pursuant to this act and for
students participating in a bridge year.� Nothing in this subsection shall be
construed to require a school district to hire an individual to serve as a
bridge year liaison.�

���� b.���
(1)
�
A student in the graduating class of 2021 or the graduating class of 2022 who
has met all applicable high school graduation requirements by the end of the
senior year of high school may defer graduation from high school to pursue a
bridge year.� A student who intends to pursue a bridge year shall notify his
host high school�s bridge year liaison of that intent no later than the first
day of the second semester of the student�s senior year of high school.� The
host high school shall permit students participating in the bridge year to
participate in graduation ceremonies with the graduating class of 2021 or class
of 2022, as applicable, but shall not issue diplomas to those students until
the conclusion of the bridge year.� Nothing in this section shall be construed
to require a student to pursue a bridge year
.� To be eligible to
participate in the bridge year program, a student shall be 19 years of age or
younger and shall not turn 20 years of age at any time during the bridge year,
except that a classified student shall be eligible to participate if the
student will turn 20 years of age
or 21 years of age
during the bridge
year due to services provided pursuant to the student�s individualized
education program.� ��

����
(2)�� Notwithstanding the
provisions of subsection c. of this section to the contrary, a classified
student shall not be required to take college credits during the student�s
bridge year if the student�s parent or legal guardian and the individualized
education program team determine that taking college credits would not achieve
the goals set out in the student�s individualized education program.� As deemed
appropriate by the parent or guardian and the individualized education program
team and as provided in a student�s individualized education program, a
classified student may participate in school district-sponsored vocational and
educational programs and receive appropriate transition services in place of
the requirement to take college credits pursuant to subsection c. of this
section.� A school district�s bridge year liaison shall collaborate with the
student�s individualized education program team to ensure that a classified
student�s individual learning plan developed pursuant to subsection c. of this
section is consistent with the student�s individualized education program.�����

���� c.���� (1) �A student pursuing
a bridge year shall remain enrolled in the host high school while participating
in the Bridge Year Pilot Program.� A bridge year liaison shall develop, in
consultation with a student pursuing a bridge year, an individual learning plan
for the student.� The individual learning plan shall define academic and
co-curricular goals for the bridge year and detail activities and strategies
for accomplishing those goals including, but not limited to, counseling,
academic support, coursework, and co-curricular or athletic participation.�
During the fall semester of the student�s bridge year, the student shall take
between nine and 12 credits at the host high school, the county college that
serves the county of the host high school, or a combination thereof.� During
the spring semester of the student�s bridge year, the student shall take
between nine and 12 credits at the county college that serves the county of the
host high school.� The credits taken by a student pursuant to this paragraph shall
together form a coordinated sequence of academic content that prepares the
student for high-skill, high wage, or in-demand occupations.� At the conclusion
of each semester of the bridge year, the host high school shall update the
student�s high school transcript to reflect any high school credits earned
during the bridge year.� For the purpose of enrolling in college credits
pursuant to this paragraph, the student shall be considered a non-matriculated
student of the county college.� A student who pursues a bridge year and
participates in a spring sport sanctioned by the New Jersey State
Interscholastic Athletic Association pursuant to section 3 of this act shall
enroll in less than 12 college credits, or otherwise be enrolled in a number of
college credits as to not be considered a full-time college student, in each of
the fall and spring semesters during the student�s bridge year.�

���� (2)�� The student shall
maintain a grade point average of 2.0 in order to remain in the Bridge Year
Pilot Program.� The county college or other institution of higher education
which a student pursuing a bridge year is attending shall report at least
quarterly to the bridge year liaison at a student�s host high school, in a
manner specified by the student�s individual learning plan developed pursuant
to paragraph (1) of this subsection, concerning the student�s academic progress
and performance.

���� (3)�� A county college shall
charge students participating in a bridge year pursuant to this act a maximum
of $145 per credit inclusive of all fees, except that fees associated with
specific courses or with the use of on-campus science laboratories may be charged
at a maximum of $45 per course.

���� (4)�� During a semester of the
bridge year, a student may take three credits offered by a four-year
institution of higher education at any high school in the State or at any other
location to fulfill the student�s credit requirement.� The four-year
institution shall charge the student no more than is permitted pursuant to
paragraph (3) of this subsection and shall report to the student�s bridge year
liaison as required pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection.�

���� d.��� Notwithstanding the
requirement established under the Community College Opportunity Grant Program
to be enrolled in a course of study or a curriculum leading to a degree or
certificate and subject to the availability of funds in the annual
appropriations act, a student pursuing a bridge year shall be eligible for a
financial aid grant under the Community College Opportunity Grant Program if
the student meets all other applicable eligibility requirements.

���� e.���� A public institution of
higher education shall, pursuant to P.L.2007, c.175 (C.18A:62-46 et seq.),
accept all applicable credits

that a student, who completed a
bridge year pursuant to this act, earned during the bridge year. An independent
institution of higher education in the State may elect to accept the credits
that a student earned during the bridge year.�

���� f.���� In the event that a
student initially decides to pursue a bridge year in the fall semester but does
not continue the bridge year in the spring semester, the student�s host high
school shall release all final transcripts and other records as necessary and
as may be requested.� A student who decides not to continue the bridge year in
the spring semester shall not be eligible to participate in a spring sports
program or extracurricular activities pursuant to this act.

(cf: P.L.2020, c.41, s.2)

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.�

STATEMENT

���� This bill exempts students
with disabilities from the requirement to take college credits under the Bridge
Year Pilot Program established pursuant to P.L.2020, c.41, if it is determined
that taking college courses would not achieve the goals set out in the
student�s individualized education program (IEP).� As deemed appropriate by the
parent or guardian and the IEP team and as provided in a student�s
individualized education program, a classified student may participate in
school district-sponsored vocational and educational programs and receive
appropriate transition services in place of the requirement to take college credits.�
Under the bill, a school district�s bridge year liaison is required to
collaborate with the student�s IEP team to ensure that a classified student�s
individual learning plan under the Bridge Year Pilot Program is consistent with
the student�s IEP.�

���� The Bridge Year Pilot Program
was established with the purpose of providing students in the graduating
classes of 2021 and 2022 the opportunity to offset disruptions to learning
opportunities and participation in extracurricular activities that might have
resulted from the closure of schools to in-person instruction in the spring of 2020
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.� During the fall semester of a student�s bridge
year, a participating student is generally required to take between nine and 12
credits at the student�s host high school, the county college in the county in
which the host high school is located, or at a combination of the two.� During
the spring semester, a student is required to take between nine and 12 credits
at the county college in the county in which the host high school is located.

���� The bill also amends the law
establishing the pilot program to specify that a classified student, who will
turn 21 years of age during a bridge year due to services provided pursuant to an
IEP, is eligible to participate in the pilot program.� The law currently states
that a classified student is eligible to participate in the program if the
student will turn 20 years of age during the bridge year.�