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A4493
ASSEMBLY, No. 4493
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 9, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� DAWN FANTASIA
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Scharfenberger
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes grant program for school districts to
establish substance abuse prevention programs for eighth grade students.�
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning substance abuse education for public
school students and supplementing chapter 40A 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 Commissioner of
Education shall establish a program to provide grants to school districts to
finance a substance abuse prevention program for eighth grade students.� The
substance abuse prevention program shall include the following two components:
���� a.���� a faculty and parent
education component to raise the awareness levels of school staff and parents;
sensitize them to issues surrounding substance abuse; and promote the success
of the program by reinforcing their roles as stakeholders in the program�s outcomes.�
This component shall include workshops for the faculty and staff of the school
district on the signs, symptoms, habits, behavioral patterns, social
conditions, and other factors that relate to substance abuse; and sessions to
provide parents with knowledge and skills needed to help reduce the risk of
children developing substance abuse problems; and
���� b.��� a student education
component consisting of a four-phase approach to the problem of substance
abuse.
���� (1)�� The first phase shall
consist of teenage residents of drug rehabilitation programs discussing with
the students their own personal experiences with drug and alcohol abuse and the
dangers of abuse.
���� (2)�� The second phase shall
consist of an individual addressing the students who has personal family
knowledge on the devastating effects of drug and alcohol abuse on young
adults.� This personal address shall be accompanied by an appropriate video
presentation that educates students on the dangers of substance abuse.
���� (3)�� The third phase shall
consist of minimum custody offenders from a State correctional facility
speaking to the students about their personal experiences with drugs and
alcohol, with the goals of reducing the use of drugs and alcohol by youths and
promoting responsible decision-making as they face choices in their lives.� The
discussion by the offenders shall include the crimes committed in which drugs
and alcohol played a major role, the amount of time being served in prison, and
what life is like while being incarcerated.
���� (4)�� The fourth phase shall
consist of a full day of interactions with positive role models from all facets
of life.� Celebrities shall be invited to spend the day speaking with students
about the success they have achieved by making positive choices and without
resorting to drugs and alcohol.� This phase is the culminating phase of the
program and shall occur at the end of the school year.
���� 2.��� A school district
seeking to participate in the grant program shall submit an application to the
commissioner in a form as required by the commissioner.� The school district,
as part of the application, shall certify that the district�s budget includes funds
for the purpose of financing a substance abuse prevention program for eighth
grade students.� The funds may be district funds, funds raised through
individual, corporate, or other private sector donations, or federal funds.�
The commissioner shall develop criteria for the evaluation of applications for
grants.� Based upon the criteria developed by the commissioner, and within the
limit of available appropriations, the commissioner shall allocate to each
selected school district a grant in an amount as determined by the
commissioner.
���� 3.��� Notwithstanding the
provisions of subsection b. of section 1 of this act, no student shall be
compelled to participate in the student education component of the program if
the parent or guardian presents to the school principal a signed statement that
the program is in conflict with the student�s conscience or sincerely held
moral or religious beliefs, and no penalties as to credit or graduation shall
result.
���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill directs the
Commission of Education to establish a program to provide grants to school
districts to implement a substance abuse prevention program for eighth grade
students.�
���� The program is to include two
components, a faculty and parent education component and a student education
component.� The program would be modeled on �Project Positive Choice,� a
successful drug and alcohol education prevention program that has been part of
the eighth grade curriculum at the Copeland Middle School in Rockaway
Township since the fall of 1998.
���� The faculty and parent
education component would be designed to raise the awareness levels of school
staff and parents; sensitize them to issues surrounding substance abuse; and
promote the success of the program by reinforcing their roles as stakeholders
in the program�s outcomes.� This component will include workshops for the
faculty and staff of the school district on various issues related to substance
abuse and sessions to provide parents with the knowledge and skills needed to
help reduce the risk of children developing substance abuse problems.
���� The student education
component would consist of a four-phase approach to the problem of substance
abuse.� In the first phase, the students would meet with teenage residents of
drug rehabilitation programs who would discuss their own personal experiences
with drug and alcohol abuse and the dangers of abuse.� In the second phase, an
individual who has personal family knowledge on the devastating effects of drug
and alcohol abuse on young adults would address the students.� This personal
address would be accompanied by an appropriate video presentation that educates
students on the dangers of substance abuse.� The third phase would consist of
minimum custody offenders from a State correctional facility having a
discussion with students about the crimes committed in which drugs and alcohol
played a major role, the amount of time being served in prison, and what life
is like while being incarcerated.� The goal of the discussion is to reduce the
use of drugs and alcohol by youths and promote responsible decision-making.�
The final phase would consist of a person or persons with celebrity status, as
positive role models, addressing the students to present an anti-drug and
alcohol message.
���� A student would not be
compelled to participate in the program if the student�s parent or guardian
presents the school principal with a signed statement that the program is in
conflict with the student�s conscience or moral or religious beliefs.
���� In order to participate in the
grant program, a school district would be required to submit an application to
the commissioner.� The school district, as part of the application, is required
to certify that the district�s budget includes funds for the purpose of
financing a substance abuse prevention program for eighth grade students.� The
funds may be: district funds; funds raised through individual, corporate, or
other private sector donations; or federal funds.� The commissioner is to
develop criteria for the evaluation of applications for grants, and based upon
the criteria, is to provide to each selected school district a grant in an
amount determined by the commissioner.