A 2470 — Revises high school student financial aid application requirements.

A2470 1R [First Reprint] ASSEMBLY, No.

  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      IntroducedAs Pendingreported Technicalby Reviewthe byAssembly LegislativeHigher Counsel.Education Committee on September 17, 2026, with amendments.

       1. 1[1.  Section 1 of P.L.2023, c.295 (C.        ) is amended to read as follows:

P.L.2023, c.295, s.1)s.1)]1        2. 11.   ThisSection actof shallP.L.2023, takec.295 effectis immediately.amended to read as follows:

    STATEMENT        This1. bill revises certain high school student financial aid application requirements.

    a. Under current law, beginning with the 2023-2024 grade 11 class, and for two years after, a board of education is to require a student, and the student’s parent or guardian, as applicable, to complete and submit a financial aid application as a prerequisite to the student receiving a high school diploma unless a waiver is submitted.

ThisBeginning billwith makesthe permanent2023-2024 grade 11 class, [and for two school years thereafter,] a board of education or a board of trustees of a charter school shall require a student, and the requirementstudent’s thatparent studentsor guardian, if applicable, to complete and submit a State or federal financial aid application afterin a form prescribed by the 2023-2024Higher Education Student Assistance Authority as a prerequisite to the student receiving a high school year.diploma from a public high school or charter school unless a waiver is submitted to the school district or charter school as set forth in subsection b.

of this section.

     b.

(1) A student shall be exempt from the requirement in subsection a.

of this section if the student or the student’s parent or guardian submits to the school district or charter school a waiver form signed by the parent or guardian, or by the student if the student is at least 18 years of age, requesting the exemption from the requirement.

     (2) If the student is under 18 years of age and a form signed by the parent or guardian cannot be reasonably obtained, the student’s school counselor may authorize the waiver as permitted by regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education pursuant to subsection h.

of this section.

     (3) A waiver template or form developed by the Department of Education, a board of education, or a board of trustees of a charter school for use pursuant to this subsection shall require the student, parent or guardian, or school counselor, as applicable, to provide only the student’s name, telephone number, email address, date, and signature of the individual submitting the waiver.

     c.     The Executive Director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall provide resources for school districts, charter schools, parents, guardians, and students that include instructions on how to complete a State or federal financial aid application prescribed by the authority.  The resources shall include webinars, presentations, guidance documents, and a list of available State and federal resources.  The executive director of the authority shall make available [such] resources as are necessary directly to school counselors or other school employees who shall share the resources with students and with the students’ parents or guardians.

     d.    Each school district and charter school shall annually notify students and the parents or guardians of the requirement established pursuant to this section.

     e.     No adverse action shall be taken by a board of education or a board of trustees of a charter school against any student due to a student’s receipt of an exemption from the requirement to complete and submit a State or federal financial aid application pursuant to subsection b.

of this section.

     f.     Nothing in this [act] section shall be construed as requiring school counselors, or any other school employee, to assist students in completing the State or federal financial aid application.  Nothing in this [act] section shall be construed as creating a private right of action against the school district, charter school, or the State upon compliance or noncompliance with the provisions of this [act] section.       g.    The Executive Director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority shall make the resources listed in subsection c.

of this section available to institutions of higher education in order to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance to area high schools.

     h.    The State Board of Education shall adopt, pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this [act] section.

     i.     The executive director of the authority shall annually prepare and issue to the Department of Education, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a report that includes the number of students that completed a State or federal financial aid form pursuant to subsection a.

of this section, as well as the number of waivers submitted to school districts or charter schools pursuant to subsection b.

of this section [no later than three years following the effective date of this act].

     j.

(1) Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, a school district or charter school shall not use or disclose any waiver, or any personal information contained within a waiver, submitted pursuant to subsection b.

of this section for any purpose without the informed consent of the student or the student’s parent or guardian consistent with applicable federal and State-level protections of student educational records, including, but not limited to, the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974,” (20 U.S.C.

s.1232g);

provided, however nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit, or in any way restrict, any action that is consistent with federal law.

     (2)   The Department of Education shall include language consistent with paragraph (1) of this subsection on any optional waiver template developed by the department for use by a school district or charter school in connection with subsection b.

of this section.  The language shall be located in a prominent location on the waiver developed by the department.

     (3)   A school district or charter school that uses a waiver developed by the district or charter school in connection with subsection b.

of this section shall include language consistent with paragraph (1) of this subsection in a prominent location on the waiver.

      k.   Nothing contained in [P.L.2025, c.95] this section shall be construed to invalidate a waiver submitted pursuant to this section prior to the effective date of P.L.2025, c.95.  A waiver submitted prior to the effective date of P.L.2025, c.95 shall be subject to the provisions of paragraph (1) of subsection j.

of this section.1 (cf.

P.L.2025, c.95, s.1)        2.  This act shall take effect immediately.