Requires each school district to annually submit interscholastic athletic opportunity report to the Commissioner of Education.

A4539

ASSEMBLY, No. 4539

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires each school district to annually submit
interscholastic athletic opportunity report to the Commissioner of Education.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning interscholastic athletic opportunities for
public school students 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.��� a.� By October 15 of
each year, a school district shall submit to the Commissioner of Education a
report on interscholastic athletic opportunities provided to male and female
students in middle schools and high schools in the district in the previous school
year.� The interscholastic athletic opportunity report shall include for each
school in the district:

���� (1)�� the total number of
students enrolled in the school, by gender;

���� (2)�� a listing by gender of
each varsity, junior varsity, freshman, or other team that competed in
interscholastic athletic competition;

���� (3)�� the total number of
student athletes on each team;

���� (4)�� the total value of
contributions and purchases made on behalf of each team by booster clubs,
alumni, and any other nonschool sources;

���� (5)�� the total amount of
school district expenditures for each team;

���� (6)�� itemized school district
expenditures for each team, including expenditures for travel, uniforms,
equipment and supplies, compensation of coaching staff, athletic trainers, or
any other employees, and the maintenance, repair, and expansion of athletic facilities;

���� (7)�� the total number of
athletic trainers, including the amount of time spent by each athletic trainer
with each team;

���� (8)�� the total number of head
and assistant coaches per team, and information on whether each coach is a
full-time or part-time employee of the district; and

���� (9)�� the total number of
competitions scheduled and played per� team.

���� A school district shall post
its interscholastic athletic opportunity report on its website by November 1 of
each year.�

���� b.��� For purposes of this
section, �athletic facilities� means locker rooms, playing fields, gymnasiums,
arenas, athletic training rooms, stadiums, weight rooms, or any other location
used by student athletes and their coaches for sports training, practice, competition,
and coaching in middle schools and high schools.�

���� 2.��� a.� The commissioner
shall develop and distribute to each school district a reporting form for the
submission of the information required pursuant to section 1 of this act.� The
commissioner shall post all submitted athletic opportunity reports on the Department
of Education�s website.��

���� b.��� The commissioner shall
by January 15 of each year prepare a report that summarizes the information
contained in the interscholastic athletic opportunity reports submitted
pursuant to section 1 of this act on interscholastic athletic opportunity by
gender.� Upon its completion, the report shall be transmitted to the Governor,
the Lieutenant Governor, and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991,
c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires each school
district to annually submit to the Commissioner of Education a report on
interscholastic athletic opportunities provided to male and female students in
middle schools and high schools in the district in the previous school year.

���� The bill directs the
commissioner to develop and distribute to each school district a reporting form
for the submission of the interscholastic athletic opportunity report.� The
commissioner must post all submitted interscholastic athletic opportunity reports
on the Department of Education�s website.� Under the bill, the commissioner
must annually prepare a report that summarizes the information contained in the
interscholastic athletic opportunity reports that were submitted by school
districts on interscholastic athletic opportunity by gender. The bill provides
that, upon its completion, the report will be transmitted to the Governor, the
Lieutenant Governor, and the Legislature.����