From Broad Street To State Street: NJ Students Push For ‘Dropout Law’

NEWARK, NJ — It’s an inspiring thing when student voices are uplifted, especially in the often-brutal world of politics.

Recently, a group of North Jersey students with ties to Newark made a trip to the Statehouse in Trenton to witness democracy in action – and advocate for a proposed state law that would directly impact the lives of their peers.

If it becomes law, the bill would create a new state agency: the Office of Dropout Prevention and Reengagement of Out-of-School Youth in the Department of Education. It would be charged with a big task: finding a way to reach out to the more than 100,000 New Jersey students who dropped out of school in 2021.

The bill, S-3080, was introduced in the Senate in late September and was referred to the Senate Education Committee. Its primary sponsor is Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz.

A companion bill, A-398, was referred to the Assembly Education Committee in January. Primary sponsors include Assembly members Ralph Caputo, Thomas Giblin and Cleopatra Tucker.

The students’ foray to the Statehouse was led by local organizations within the Newark Youth Workforce Collaborative. The Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN), which serves as the backbone of the collaborative, thanked the member groups that helped make the trip happen, including LEAD Charter School, YouthBuild Newark (YBN), Leaders for Life (L4L), United Community Corporation (UCC), The HUBB Arts & Trauma Center and La Casa de Don Pedro.

“We talk a lot about leadership and self-advocacy and we’ve done a lot of that work locally, but going to the State House was a whole other level,” LEAD student Empress Hamilton said when reflecting on the experience.

“I got to see the process firsthand and see how it directly impacts both me and my peers,” Hamilton said.

In addition to the tour and meeting with Sen. Ruiz, students were also publicly recognized on the Senate floor and an official accommodation was presented to NOYN for its decades of work in the city through its YouthBuild program.

“The goal of our work has always been to empower young people to transform themselves, their families and their communities,” NOYN founder and CEO Robert Clark said.

“Advocating for changes to systems that have historically inhibited their success is a natural byproduct of that process,” Clark added. “We are incredibly proud of every young person who attended [the] Senate session and grateful to Senator Ruiz and her colleagues for her continued support.”

The coalition has created an online petition in support of the bills, which can be seen here.

“There are few things more powerful than the voices of young people being uplifted in such a public way,” agreed Altarik White, executive director of Leaders for Life Academy.

“It was inspiring to see our students advocate for policies that would positively impact not only them, but their peers and communities,” White said.

• See related article: NJ Teens Protest: 'We Don't Want More Police In Schools After Uvalde'
• See related article: Essex County Program Helps Youth Avoid School-To-Prison Pipeline

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