NJSBA’s policy and legal staff members continue to review policies as part of the sunset of the Critical Policy Reference Manual (CPRM). The December changes are listed below. The policy unit appreciates all the hard work of the administrative assistants, school administrators and board members who are trying to stay on top of the changes and we encourage you to reach out if you have any questions. We are more than halfway through this lengthy process.
Critical Policy Reference Manual (School Districts and Charter Schools)
The 5000 Students series has been reviewed and the following policies were revised:
5111 Admission: The section titled Homeless Students was revised to be more consistent with the current law; it includes additional content on the responsibilities of the school district homeless liaison.
5131 Conduct and Discipline: Content was added to the introduction that details the purposes of the code of student conduct. The section titled “Code of Conduct was revised to be more consistent with the current code. The section titled Student Behavioral Infractions was updated to include a statement for the Comprehensive Equity Plan compliance regarding taking appropriate measures to ensure that minority and male students are not overrepresented in various kinds of discipline.
5131.1 Violence and Vandalism: The section titled Violence and Vandalism Reporting was revised to reflect that the report is biannual and includes harassment, intimidation and bullying.
5134 Married and Pregnant Students: A sentence was added to the first and the fourth paragraphs for the Comprehensive Equity Plan compliance to include married and pregnant students in the educational program and school activities.
5141 Health: The section titled Annual Nursing Plan was revised to be more consistent with the current code. The requirement to submit the annual nursing plan to the executive county superintendent was removed.
5141.1 Missing, Abused and Neglected Children: The name of the policy was changed (formerly Child Abuse and Neglect). This policy was overhauled with changes throughout to reflect the current administrative code. A section titled Suicide Reporting was added. School district employees, volunteers and interns are required to report attempted or completed suicide to the state Department of Children and Families (DCF). The administrative code (N.J.A.C. 6A:16-11.1) requires that these reports go to the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. However, this responsibility has been transferred to (DCF). The reporting form should be available by Jan 1. Reporting suicide does not trigger an investigation and is for statewide data collection.
You may directly download these policy updates from the Critical Policy Reference Manual (CPRM) district or charter versions or the Policy Update List on your password-protected Policy Resources webpage at staging.njsba.org. You may also contact a policy consultant at (609)278-5268 or via email to: Jean Harkness, policy consultant, at [email protected] or Steve McGettigan, policy manager, at [email protected].