A5254: "Jack Reid Law: Protect All Students Act"; prohibits harassment or bullying of nonpublic school…

ASSEMBLY, No. 5254 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 222nd LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED JUNE 15, 2026 Sponsored by: Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer) Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER District 22 (Somerset and Union) Assemblywoman ANDREA KATZ District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington) SYNOPSIS "Jack Reid Law: Protect All Students Act"; prohibits harassment or bullying of nonpublic school students and requires nonpublic schools to adopt anti-harassment and bullying policy. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced. An Act concerning harassment and bullying in nonpublic schools and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Jack Reid Law: Protect All Students Act." 2. As used in this act: "Cyberbullying" means harassment or bullying that occurs through any form of electronic communication. "Harassment or bullying" means the creation of a hostile environment by conduct or by threats, intimidation, or abuse, including cyberbullying, that: a. has, or would have, the effect of unreasonably and substantially interfering with a student's educational performance, opportunities, or benefits or on the student's mental, emotional, or physical well-being; b. reasonably causes, or would reasonably be expected to cause, a student to fear for their physical safety; c. reasonably causes, or would reasonably be expected to cause, physical injury or emotional harm to a student; or d. occurs off school property and creates, or would foreseeably create, a risk of substantial disruption within the school environment, where it is foreseeable that the conduct, threats, intimidation, or abuse, including verbal and nonverbal actions, might reach school property. "Nonpublic school" means an elementary or secondary school within the State, other than a public school, offering education for grades kindergarten through 12, or any combination of them, wherein any child may legally fulfill compulsory school attendance requirements and which complies with the requirements of Title VI of the "Civil Rights Act of 1964," Pub.L.88-352 (42 U.S.C. s.2000d et seq.). "School function" means a school-sponsored extracurricular event or activity. "School property" means any area in or within any building, structure, athletic playing field, playground, parking lot, or land contained within the real property boundary line of a nonpublic elementary or secondary school, or in or on a school vehicle. 3. a. Harassment or bullying, including cyberbullying, of a student enrolled in a nonpublic school by another student or students enrolled in a nonpublic school on school property or at a school function shall be prohibited. b. Upon a report of an incident of harassment or bullying against a student enrolled in a nonpublic school, the principal or chief school administrator of the nonpublic school, or a designee, shall promptly investigate the incident. The principal or chief school administrator of the nonpublic school, or a designee, shall document the findings of the investigation within five school days after the completion of the investigation. The principal or chief school administrator of the nonpublic school, or designee, shall communicate the findings of the investigation with the victim in an age-appropriate manner and take immediate and appropriate action to ensure that any confirmed harassment or bullying is stopped to ensure the safety of the victim. The principal or chief school administrator of the nonpublic school, or designee, shall take appropriate action to ensure the safety of any individual who in good faith reports an incident of harassment or bullying or assists in the investigation of an incident of harassment or bullying. c. Each nonpublic school shall adopt an anti-harassment and bullying policy, which shall be written in plain language and published on the school's Internet website or internal parent and student portal. The policy shall be shared annually with employees of the nonpublic school and each enrolled student and their parents or guardians. The policy shall include, but not be limited to, information on: (1) the definition of harassment or bullying, as provided in section 1 of this act; (2) the process for reporting, investigating, and documenting an alleged incident of harassment or bullying; and (3) an age-appropriate process for notifying the victim about the outcome of any investigation of an alleged incident. d. Any nonpublic school employee who witnesses an incident of harassment or bullying, or receives an oral or written report of harassment or bullying, shall promptly notify the principal or chief school administrator of the nonpublic school, or designee, orally not later than one school day after the school employee witnesses or receives a report of bullying or harassment, and shall file a written report with the principal or head of school, or designee, within two school days. 4. Nothing in this act shall be construed to infringe upon any right to exercise free expression or the free exercise of religion or religiously-based views protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I of the New Jersey Constitution. 5. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month beginning after the date of enactment. STATEMENT This bill, titled the "Jack Reid Law: Protect All Students Act," prohibits bullying of nonpublic school students and requires each nonpublic school to adopt an anti-harassment and bullying policy. Under the bill, harassment or bullying, including cyberbullying, of a nonpublic school student by another student or students enrolled in a nonpublic school on school property or at a school function is prohibited. The bill provides that upon a report of an incident of harassment or bullying against a student enrolled in a nonpublic school, the principal or chief school administrator of the nonpublic school, or a designee, will promptly investigate the incident. The principal or chief school administrator, or a designee, will communicate the findings of the investigation with the victim and take immediate and appropriate action to ensure that any confirmed harassment or bullying is stopped to ensure the safety of the victim. The bill requires the principal or chief school administrator of the nonpublic school, or designee, to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of any individual who in good faith reports an incident of harassment or bullying or assists in the investigation of an incident of harassment or bullying. The bill further requires each nonpublic school to adopt an anti-harassment and bullying policy, which is to be written in plain language and published on the school's website or internal parent and student portal. The policy is required to be shared annually with employees of the nonpublic school and each enrolled student and their parents or guardians. Under the bill, the policy is required to include, at a minimum, information on: (1) the definition of harassment or bullying; (2) the process for reporting, investigating, and documenting an alleged incident of harassment or bullying; and (3) an age-appropriate process for notifying the victim about the outcome of any investigation of an alleged incident. Finally, the bill requires any nonpublic school employee who witnesses an incident of harassment or bullying, or receives an oral or written report of harassment or bullying, to promptly notify the principal or chief school administrator of the school, or designee, orally not later than one school day after the school employee witnesses or receives a report of harassment or bullying, and to file a written report with the principal or chief school administrator, or designee, within two school days. The bill clarifies that its provisions are not to be construed to infringe upon any right to exercise free expression or the free exercise of religion or religiously-based views protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I of the New Jersey Constitution. This bill establishes requirements for nonpublic schools relating to bullying of students that are separate from those already established for public schools. Under current State law, each public school is required to abide by the provisions of the "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act." While nonpublic schools are encouraged in State law to comply with the provisions of that act, they are not required to do so.