By Erica Jedynak, NJPI Board Member
The Injustice
New Jersey’s exclusionary system of assigning students to public schools based on their residential addresses is outdated and the only public good rationed in this way (vs. public hospitals, libraries, or pools). Residential assignment perpetuates inequality and limits the freedom of families to choose the best educational environment for their children. Unfortunately, many school district boundaries still reflect discriminatory and outdated redlining practices of the 1930s.
Moreover, New Jersey’s policy of criminalizing parents for address sharing – the common practice of using a loved one’s address other than their own to enroll their children in different public schools – is draconian. Parents can face up to six months in jail for address sharing, all while taxpayer money is immorally spent on private investigators to track and harass these families.
Barbara Martinez, Executive Director of the New Jersey Children’s Fund, shared her personal experience of being kicked out of Belleville High School for “stealing education” on NJ.com. As explained in the piece, thirty years later, she was invited to a “stakeout” of a first-grader by an active investigator for the Belleville school system.
And yet, our state’s legal mechanism today is wholly insufficient. Over 2,000 children remain on a waitlist to transfer to different public schools, using the Interdistrict Public Choice Program. These families are not just numbers; they are individuals seeking better educational fits for their children, whether due to bullying, a desire for a different academic program, or simply the logistics to enroll their child in a public school near their employment.
The Solution
To address these issues, New Jersey should unfreeze the Interdistrict Public Choice Program and open it up to all children in the state. This program empowers students to enroll in public schools outside their residential districts, providing families with the flexibility to best meet their children’s needs. Opening the Interdistrict Public Choice Program universally to all children in New Jersey would be one of the most effective steps to expanding equal access to education, upholding the spirit of Linda Brown‘s original request to the court in Brown v. Board of Education.
Path Forward
Clearing the current waitlist of over 2,000 children during this current budget cycle is a practical and achievable first step. By including this initiative in the upcoming state budget, New Jersey can immediately provide these children with the educational opportunities they have been waiting for. Opening up public school access and clearing the waitlist would demonstrate New Jersey’s commitment to equal rights and fairness.
Additionally, the state legislature should decriminalize address sharing, and unfreeze the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program – removing enrollment caps so that all children can apply to the public school that best meets their needs.
It is time for New Jersey to take immediate action and open up public school access for all children, ensuring that every family has the freedom to choose the best educational environment for their children.
The New Jersey Policy Institute is a proud partner of the national No More Lines Coalition.
