(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) to ensure substance abuse education in New Jersey schools includes the most up-to-date information available advanced in the Senate on Thursday, 39-0. The bill will now go to the Governor’s office for further consideration.
“We cannot effectively reach young people about the dangers of substance abused with outdated information,” said Vainieri Huttle. “Substance abuse among young people is a serious concern and, without proper intervention, can lead to lifetime addiction or worse. “This review will help ensure that the substance abuse education that our students are getting is reliable and useful.”
The bill (A-2292) requires the Department of Education to conduct a review of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education to ensure that substance abuse instruction incorporates the most recent evidence-based standards and practices.
Under the bill, the department would have to issue a report within 120 days of the bill’s effective date. If the department determines that the standards need to be revised, it will propose the revisions to the State Board of Education within 12 months of the report’s submission.
The bill would take effect immediately.
The bill was approved 78-0 by the Assembly on June 27.