STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman DAWN FANTASIA
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Inganamort and Scharfenberger
SYNOPSIS
Requires public schools to provide age-appropriate information to students in grades nine through 12 on United States military and veterans.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning information on the United States military and supplementing chapter 36 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A public school that includes any of the grades nine through 12 shall annually hold an assembly to provide students with age-appropriate information on the United States military, including: an overview of the basic structure of the military and its branches; the contributions of veterans to American society; and information about the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), the United States service academies, and other forms of military involvement. The assembly shall be:
(1) at least 30 minutes in length; and
(2) held in November to coincide with Veterans Day.
b. A public school shall annually hold a veterans appreciation event in addition to the assembly required pursuant to subsection a. of this section. The requirement to hold an event pursuant to this subsection shall be considered fulfilled if a school:
(1) hosts an event to publicly honor one or more veterans;
(2) hosts an event featuring a speech or presentation provided by a veteran; or
(3) participates in an alternative educational initiative honoring members of the United States military.
c. A public school shall consult with a local veterans’ association for assistance in the development of the veterans appreciation event required pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires public schools that include any of the grades nine through 12 to annually hold an assembly to provide students with age-appropriate information on the United States military.
Under the bill, the information is to include an overview of the basic structure of the military and its branches; the contributions of veterans to American society; and information about the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), the United States service academies, and other forms of military involvement. The assembly is to be at least 30 minutes in length, and is to be held in November to coincide with Veterans Day.
Additionally, the bill requires that public schools annually hold a veterans appreciation event in addition to the assembly required by the provisions of the bill. The event may include: hosting an event to publicly honor one or more veterans; hosting an event featuring a speech or presentation provided by a veteran; or participating in an alternative educational initiative honoring members of the United States military.
Finally, the bill requires public schools to consult with a local veterans’ association for assistance in the development of the veterans appreciation event required by the bill.