New Jersey’s Department of Education (NJDOE) is reminding school district they will face “disciplinary action” if they do not implement the health and sex education standards this year. New Jersey Student Learning Standards are mandatory “and failure to comply can result in disciplinary action. For any children to be excused from any part of instruction in health, family life, or sex education, their parent or guardian must inform the school principal in writing that the instruction conflicts with their conscience or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs,” according to a published statement from the NJDOE. Additionally, the NJDOE specified that parents who do not want their children to participate in these classes must write a letter to the principal explaining that the lessons contradict their personal values and beliefs. North-JerseyNews.com
A Rutgers Eagleton poll finds Garden State residents by at least 70% are in favor of sex education being taught in middle and high school but are pretty evenly divided when it comes to elementary school. When it comes to later grades, 88% believe it should be taught in high school and 71% in middle school for the poll released Sept. 21. As for elementary school, 51% oppose the concept while 46% are open to it. InsiderNJ.com
Ridgewood parents and teachers were more skeptical than students about any positive outcomes of a later school day start in a report delivered to the village’s school board. K-12 Insights report found 60% of students were most in favor of the start time being pushed back to 8:30 a.m. from 7:45 a.m. High school parents/guardians were split, with 50% saying the current high school start time is ideal or works well for their family and 50% saying it’s too early and that they would prefer a later start time. The Record
New Jersey continued its economic rebound from the coronavirus pandemic in August on the heels of rising revenues and continued job growth. The Department of the Treasury reported revenue collections for major taxes totaled $2.8 billion, representing an increase of 14.9% when compared to August 2021. Year-to-date, total collections were up 17.7% to $3.3 billion when compared to the same period in the last fiscal year. The increase in revenue comes at the same time the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said New Jersey added 15,400 nonfarm jobs in August, representing the 21st consecutive month of job growth in the Garden State. Over the past three months, the state has added an average of 12,700 nonfarm jobs. The unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage point to 4.0% in August, primarily driven by a rise in labor-force participation. North-JerseyNews.com
A 99-day stretch of declines in the average U.S. national gasoline price came to an end Sept. 21. The national average gas price rose seven-tenths of one cent to $3.68 a gallon, according to AAA. That was down from $3.90 a gallon a month ago but up from $3.19 at the same time last year. Gas prices peaked at just above $5.00 a gallon in June. In New Jersey, the average was $3.56. The New York Times
Battered by skyrocketing gas prices, companies in Europe that make steel, fertilizer and other feedstocks are shifting operations to the U.S., attracted by more stable energy prices and muscular government support. As wild swings in energy prices and persistent supply-chain troubles threaten Europe with what some economists warn could be a new era of deindustrialization, the Biden Administration has unveiled a raft of incentives for manufacturing and green energy. The upshot is a playing field increasingly tilted in the U.S.’s favor, executives say, particularly for companies placing bets on projects to make chemicals, batteries and other energy-intensive products. The Wall Street Journal
Russian President Vladimir Putin accelerated his war effort in Ukraine on Sept. 21, announcing a new mobilization campaign that would call up roughly 300,000 reservists while directly challenging the West’s support for Ukraine with a veiled threat of using nuclear weapons. In a videotaped address to the nation, Putin stopped short of declaring a full, national draft but instead called for a “partial mobilization” of people with military experience. Though Moscow’s troops have recently suffered humiliating losses on the battlefield, he said that Russia’s goals in Ukraine had not changed and that the move was “necessary and urgent” because the West had “crossed all lines” by providing sophisticated weapons to Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal
New Jersey’s plastic bag ban may be causing more harm than it’s worth. And that may lead to the use of paper bags once again in certain instances. While State Sen. Michael Testa (R-1 called for a complete overhaul of the state’s single-use ban bag and argued it was actually causing more problems than it was solving, State Sen. Bob Smith (D-17), the original author of the single-use plastic bag ban, said only a modification to home delivery is needed. North-JerseyNews.com
Chipotle Mexican Grill will pay New Jersey $7.7 million to settle “alleged widespread and persistent violations” of the state’s child labor laws. The settlement comes after a 2020 state Labor Department audit found approximately 30,660 alleged violations related to minors working at Chipotle locations across New Jersey. The violations included minors working too many hours and not getting “timely and sufficient” meal breaks. NJ.com
A federal judge expressed skepticism Sept. 20 about the efforts by Donald Trump’s legal team to avoid offering any proof of his claims that he had declassified sensitive government documents that were seized from his Florida estate last month. “My view is, you can’t have your cake and eat it too,” said Judge Raymond J. Dearie, who is acting as a special master reviewing the seized materials. At his first hearing, Judge Dearie told Trump’s lawyers in direct terms that he was likely to deem the documents classified unless they offered evidence to the contrary. The New York Times
The Justice Department charged 47 people in connection with an alleged scheme that stole more than $250 million from a federal program that fed low-income children, in what officials called the largest theft yet uncovered from a coronavirus pandemic aid program. Federal prosecutors said those charged created entities that claimed to be providing meals to tens of thousands of children who didn’t exist. The defendants then sought reimbursement through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s child-nutrition programs and used the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, jewelry and international vacations, prosecutors said. Many of the organizations claiming to be serving food were sponsored by a Minnesota-based nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, which submitted their claims for reimbursement. News12 New Jersey
New Jersey on Sept. 20 reported another 1,474 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 12 confirmed deaths. There were 861 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases reported at the state’s 71 hospitals. Of those hospitalized, 101 were in intensive care and 30 on ventilators. The rate of transmission was 1.04 and the positivity rate for tests conducted Sept. 15 was 10.6%. North-JerseyNews.com
State officials said about 94,000 COVID-19 bivalent booster shots have been administered in New Jersey. Epidemiologist Stephanie Silvera of Montclair State University said the shots might be a harder sell after President Joe Biden declared the pandemic over this week. “I think it makes it even harder to convince people to get the bivalent booster…harder to get people to listen when we’re talking about what the risks still are,” said Silvera. NJ Spotlight News
Nearly 1.1 million New Jersey residents could benefit from President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans, new White House statistics show. Figures released Tuesday showed that 1,082,900 state residents could take advantage of the program announced last month, with more than half, 590,300, receiving up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness since they receive Pell Grants, given to lower-income college students. The remaining 492,600 individuals will be eligible for up to $10,000 in relief. Those earning up to $125,000, or $250,000 for households, can obtain the loan forgiveness. NJ.com
The New Jersey State Building Trades Council passed a resolution urging former State Senate President Steve Sweeney to run for Governor in 2025. “The NJ State Building Trades Council, and it’s affiliated county councils and various trade unions, pledge to support his future endeavors in every way possible, including use of the full forces of our financial, promotional and manpower resources,” the resolution said. Sweeney has been moving toward a gubernatorial bid and told a state plumber’s union convention last December that he planned to run. New Jersey Globe
Assembly lawmakers are preparing to reexamine rules set in July that owners say have hamstrung New Jersey’s breweries. New Jersey law only allows breweries to provide token food items like chips or crackers, all of which must be prepackaged. Private or social event hosts—but not the breweries themselves—are permitted to bring food but must take it with them when they leave. New Jersey also limits the number of events a brewery can host. New Jersey Monitor
And finally…Aaron Judge hit his MLB-leading 60th home run of the season, making him one away from tying Roger Maris for the most hit by a Yankee in one season. NJ.com
