Legislation would ensure parenting students receive academic accommodations and dedicated campus support.
TRENTON, NJ – The Senate Higher Education Committee has advanced two measures sponsored by Senator Robert Singer aimed at strengthening academic protections and support services for student parents attending New Jersey colleges and universities.
The proposals, part of a four-bill package introduced earlier this year, are designed to help students who are raising children complete their degrees without facing academic penalties or institutional barriers.
“Student parents face unique challenges and shouldn’t be penalized academically or discriminated against while trying to receive a higher education,” Senator Singer said. “This legislative package ensures that student parents are provided reasonable accommodations to achieve academic success while raising a family.”
Extending protections for parenting students
One of the bills, S-3978, known as the “Student-Parent Protection Act,” expands existing legal protections that currently apply to pregnant students. Under current state law, colleges and universities are prohibited from requiring a student to take a leave of absence, withdraw, or limit their coursework because of pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions.
Singer’s legislation would extend these same protections to students who are actively parenting, ensuring that those raising children are not forced to alter their academic plans due to caregiving responsibilities.
Establishing student-parent liaisons on campus
The second measure, S-3979, requires every public and independent college and university in New Jersey to designate an employee to serve as a student-parent liaison. This individual would be responsible for connecting student parents with available academic resources, child care assistance, and other support programs.
Singer said the liaison role is critical to helping students navigate institutional systems and remain enrolled. “These positions will ensure that parenting students know where to turn for help and that their needs are being addressed at every level of campus life,” he said.
Building on previously advanced measures
In June, the same committee advanced two other bills in Singer’s legislative package. The first, S-3976, grants student parents priority course registration to help them schedule classes around family and child care obligations. The second, S-3977, directs colleges and universities to compile annual reports detailing the number of undergraduate student parents enrolled and analyzing their retention and graduation rates.
Together, the four-bill package seeks to create a comprehensive framework of academic flexibility and institutional accountability for student parents, a group that advocates say faces some of the highest dropout risks due to competing financial and family pressures.
The bills now move to the full Senate for consideration. If enacted, the legislation would make New Jersey one of the few states in the country with a dedicated legal structure protecting parenting students from discrimination and ensuring equitable access to higher education.