Requires State to bear partial cost of transportation of certain homeless students to school.

S2620 TR

SENATE, No. 2620

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator VIN GOPAL

District 11 (Monmouth)

Senator RAJ MUKHERJI

District 32 (Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators O'Scanlon, Diegnan, Turner and McKnight

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires State to bear partial cost of transportation
of certain homeless students to school.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As reported by the Senate Education Committee with
technical review.

��

An Act
concerning transportation of homeless students and
amending P.L.1989, c.290
and P.L.2015, c.228
.�

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

���� 1.� Section 3 of P.L.1989,
c.290 (C.18A:7B-12.1) is amended to read as follows:

���� 3.��� The district of
residence for a homeless child determined pursuant to section 19 of P.L.1979,
c.207 (C.18A:7B-12) shall be responsible for the education of the homeless
child.� The district of residence shall determine the educational placement of
the child after consulting with the parent or guardian.� This determination
shall be: a. to continue the child's education in the school district of last
attendance, b. to enroll the child in the district of residence if the district
of residence is not the district of last attendance, or c. to enroll the child
in the school district where the child is temporarily living, whichever is in
the child's best interest.� If the parent or guardian objects to the
determination made by the district of residence, the executive county
superintendent of schools shall be notified and within 48 hours shall determine
the placement of the child based on criteria established by the State Board of
Education.� Any appeals regarding the determination shall be resolved according
to rules established by the State Board of Education.

���� When the homeless child
attends school in a district other than the district of residence, the district
of residence shall pay the costs of tuition for the child to attend school in
that district and shall pay for any transportation costs incurred by that
district; except that in the case of a child who has resided in a domestic
violence shelter, homeless shelter, or transitional living facility located in
a district other than the district of residence for more than one year, the
State shall pay the costs of tuition for the child to attend school in that
district.� When the homeless child attends school in the district of residence
while temporarily residing in another district, the district of residence shall
provide for transportation to and from school
[
pursuant
to the provisions of N.J.S.18A:58-7
]

, and the State shall bear any cost for that transportation that exceeds the
average per pupil cost for transportation services in the district of residence
.

(cf: P.L.2017, c.83, s.2)

���� 2.� Section 1 of P.L.2015,
c.228 (C.18A:7B-12.3) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.��� Notwithstanding the
provisions of N.J.S.18A:38-1, section 19 of P.L.1979, c.207 (C.18A:7B-12), or
section 3 of P.L.1989, c.290 (C.18A:7B-12.1), or any other section of law to
the contrary, any student who moves from one school district to another as a result
of being homeless due to an act of terrorism or due to a natural disaster which
results in the declaration of a State of emergency or disaster by the State or
by the federal government, may continue to enroll in the school district in
which the parent or guardian last resided prior to becoming homeless for up to
two full school years after the act of terrorism or natural disaster; and
during the two-year period, if the student is enrolled in the district in which
the parent or guardian last resided prior to becoming homeless and the
student's parent or guardian remains homeless for that period, the student
shall attend that district tuition-free and that district shall provide the
student transportation to and from school
. The State shall bear any cost for
the transportation that exceeds the average per pupil cost for transportation services
in the district in which the parent or guardian last resided prior to becoming
homeless
.

(cf: P.L.2015, c.228, s.1)

���� 3.� This act shall take effect
immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year next following
the date of enactment.��