Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) Each
district board of education shall adopt and implement written educational
equity policies that:
1. Recognize and value
the diversity of persons and groups within the community and promote the
acceptance of persons of diverse backgrounds regardless of the protected
categories listed at
N.J.A.C.
6A:7-1.1(a); and
2. Promote equitable educational opportunity
and foster through the policies, programs, and practices of the district board
of education a learning environment that is free from all forms of prejudice,
discrimination, and harassment based upon the protected categories listed at
N.J.A.C.
6A:7-1.1(a).
(b) The district board of
education shall inform the school community of its policies in a manner
including, but not limited to, the school district's customary methods of
information dissemination.
(c) Each
district board of education shall develop, once every three years, a
comprehensive equity plan that shall identify and correct all discriminatory
and inequitable educational policies, patterns, programs, and practices
affecting its facilities, programs, students, and staff.
1. Prior to developing the comprehensive
equity plan, the district board of education shall assess the school district's
needs for achieving equity in educational activities and programs based on an
analysis of data including, but not limited to, National Assessment of
Educational Progress and State assessment results, preschool-through-grade-12
promotion/retention data, preschool-through-grade-12 completion rates, and
re-examination and re-evaluation of classification and placement of students in
special education programs if there is overrepresentation within the protected
categories listed at
N.J.A.C.
6A:7-1.1(a); staffing
practices; student demographic data; attendance data; quality of program data;
the Federally mandated Civil Rights Data Collection; student access to
educational activities and programs; discipline, graduation rate, and
postsecondary enrollment; student, staff, and community member interviews;
enrollment and scoring in advanced classes; teacher workforce diversity; and
stakeholder satisfaction data. The needs assessment shall identify
discriminatory practices and other barriers to achieving equity in educational
activities and programs, if applicable.
2. The comprehensive equity plan shall
address:
i. Professional development,
pursuant to
N.J.A.C.
6A:7-1.6; and
ii. Equity in school and classroom practices,
educational activities, and programs pursuant to
N.J.A.C.
6A:7-1.7.
3. The comprehensive equity plan shall
include measurable and actionable goals, objectives, timelines, and benchmarks
for measuring progress.
4. The
district board of education shall submit the comprehensive equity plan to the
executive county superintendent for confirmation of completion.
i. If the executive county superintendent
determines that the comprehensive equity plan is not complete, the district
board of education shall revise the plan in accordance with the executive
county superintendent's instructions and shall submit to the executive county
superintendent the revised plan within 30 days of the notification of
incompletion.
(d) Each district board of education shall
submit to the executive county superintendent at the end of each school year a
statement of assurance regarding achieving the objectives of the comprehensive
equity plan. The chief school administrator also shall certify in the statement
of assurance to the following:
1. The school
district will continue to maintain compliance with N.J.A.C. 6A:7; Titles VI and
VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Guidelines for the Desegregation of
Public Schools in New Jersey; and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. §
794);
2. The school district will perform all
required activities as provided for in this chapter and annually report such
assurances to the district board of education;
3. The school district will continue to
implement its comprehensive equity plan; and
4. The school district has evaluated the
comprehensive equity plan for effectiveness and has submitted a revised
comprehensive equity plan to the executive county superintendent, if
necessary.
5. The district board of
education will provide a resolution approving the affirmative action officer
for each school year of the three-year comprehensive plan.
