NJ S4576

Commissioner of Education to establish grant program funding substance abuse prevention programs for eighth grade students in school districts

Program requires two components: faculty/parent education workshops on substance abuse signs and prevention, and a four-phase student education component

Student education phases include presentations from teen drug rehabilitation residents, individuals with personal family knowledge of addiction, minimum custody prison inmates discussing drug-related crimes, and celebrity role models delivering anti-drug messages

School districts must certify their budgets include matching funds (district, private donations, or federal) to be eligible for grant participation

Parents may opt their children out of the student education component by submitting a signed statement citing conflicts with conscience, moral, or religious beliefs, with no academic penalty