From State Street to Every Street: Youth disconnection prevention bill passes through the New Jersey State Senate

Newark, NJ—Senate Bill 3080, which would establish the Youth Disconnection Prevention and Recovery Ombudsperson (YDPRO) in the Department of Education as well as the School Disconnection Prevention Task Force, passed unanimously through the New Jersey State Senate yesterday. 

An ombudsperson has the ability to hold officials accountable to ensure that school districts across New Jersey are taking all measures necessary to support students while they are in school and reengage young people who have disconnected. Senators Teresa Ruiz and Renee Burgess of Essex County sponsored the bill which was co-sponsored by Senators Vin Gopal and Patrick Diegnan Jr. 

Young people from member organizations of the NJ Opportunity Youth Coalition —United Community Corporation, The HUBB Arts & Trauma Center, YouthBuild Newark, and Isles Youth Institute— were in attendance to witness the full house vote during the Senate session.

LEAD Charter School student Yaneliz said, “I’ve been able to be a part of the legislative process and not just learn about it in the classroom, which not a lot of young people can say. I’ve learned a lot through the hands-on policy advocacy work that’s been done in support of S3080. It’s been exciting to see the process unfold up close and know that I played a part in its success.” 

More than 100,000 New Jersey students disconnected from school in 2021 and the weight of the untapped potential of each disegngaged young person is felt by all New Jerseyans—regardless of zip code. The establishment of the YDPRO and the School Disconnection Prevention Task Force is an essential first step in reengaging young people across the state. 

“OYN and its partners have worked tirelessly to improve and align systems to ensure that they better serve all young people,” said Monique Miles, Vice President at the Aspen Institute and Managing Director of the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. “Most notably, this work has been done in partnership with those very same young people. Today’s news demonstrates the power of centering youth voice as a means to effect positive change and we are proud to support OYN’s efforts.”

The ombudsperson will collaborate with school districts to develop a statewide strategic plan to address the challenge of preventing young people aged 16 to 24 from disconnection from school and the workforce, address the need for reengagement of disengaged youth and develop the necessary strategies to increase reengagement. The task force will analyze the causes of school disconnection and offer recommendations for reducing this issue to school districts and higher education institutions. 

“This is a tremendous step forward for New Jersey in combatting youth disconnection, said Opportunity Youth Network (OYN) Founder and CEO Robert Clark said. “We are so proud of the young people within the NJ Opportunity Youth Coalition that have advocated for systems change that directly impacts them, their families and their communities. We are grateful for Senator Ruiz’s leadership on this issue and for introducing S3080. Thank you to Senators Burgess, Gopal, and Diegnan for cosponsoring the bill and to every senator that voted yes yesterday to supporting our young people through such an important piece of legislation.” 

OYN is a non-profit organization and member of the Aspen Institute’s Opportunity Youth Forum that is dedicated to improving the outcomes of opportunity youth - young people ages 16-24 who are not in school and not working - in the state through education, workforce development, policy advocacy, and systems building. OYN convenes a statewide coalition of community based organizations - the New Jersey Opportunity Youth Coalition - which seeks to advocate to remove the barriers that inhibit opportunity youth’s success throughout the state.

Those that are interested in learning more about youth disconnection can visit: https://www.newark-oyn.org/annual-reports