Bill > S823

Introduced Session

This bill raises the age requirement for compulsory school attendance from 16 to 18 years of age, except for students who graduate from high school prior to their eighteenth birthday. This change would first apply to children who are in the eighth grade at the time of the bill's enactment. The New Jersey Constitution declares that "[t]he Legislature shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools for the instruction of all children in the State between the age of five and 18 years." (Article VIII, Section IV, paragraph 1). The requirement for school attendance until age 16 was established in 1914, with an exception permitting children over 14 years of age who were "regularly and lawfully employed in some useful occupation" to leave school. This exception was removed by P.L.1940, c.154 and the 16 year old "drop out" age has not been changed since.

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Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D)*,  Nellie Pou (D)*,  Teresa Ruiz (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee (on 01/12/2016)