N.J. Stat. § 30:4C-4.8: NJ Statewide Student Support Services program expanded; definitions.

1. a. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the Department of Children and Families shall be authorized to expand the services provided by the NJ Statewide Student Support Services program to include eating disorder awareness, prevention, and counseling services, and to require a regional hub contracted with the department to administer the NJ Statewide Student Support Services program, when conducting a community-based needs assessment of the available services pursuant to subsection b. of this section, to review and assess the information and services relating to the treatment and prevention of eating disorders.

b. In consultation with its Advisory Group, a regional hub shall assess the needs of the community it serves for services relating to the treatment and prevention of eating disorders, including eating disorder awareness, prevention, and counseling services, determine whether the students in the community, grades K through 12, are receiving such services, and based on the results of the assessment, develop and adopt policies and procedures to provide students in grades K-12 with eating disorder awareness, prevention, and referral to counseling services and treatment, as appropriate.

c. The policies and procedures developed and adopted pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall include, at a minimum:

(1) guidelines for the provision of eating disorder awareness, prevention, and counseling services according to the tiered services administered by each regional hub; and

(2) protocols for assigning the mental health clinicians, prevention specialists, or other service providers who will be responsible for providing eating disorder awareness, prevention, and counseling services to students in grades K through 12, as appropriate.

d. As used in this section:

“Regional hub” means one of the 15 hubs operated by service providers contracted with the Department of Children and Families to provide and administer social, emotional, youth mental health, and prevention services, and referrals to community-based supports and services, provided through the department’s NJ Statewide Student Support Services program to students in grades k-12 and their families.

“Tiered services” means targeted services offered through the three-tiered system used by the NJ Statewide Student Support Services program in the Department of Children and Families to provide social, emotional, youth mental health, and prevention services, and referrals to community-based supports and services, to students in grades K-12 and their families. Tier 1 services are comprised of on-demand universal supports, including, but not limited to, in-person or virtual workshops and school assemblies for students, online seminars and tutorials for parents and appropriate school staff, and social-emotional learning curricula. Tier 2 services are comprised of targeted small-group interventions and prevention supports, including, but not limited to, workshops, extracurricular activities, and mentorship programs. Tier 3 services are comprised of assessment and brief individualized clinical interventions for youth in distress in order to stabilize the youth’s mental health or address an immediate problem, and connect the youth and their family to community-based providers to support the youth’s ongoing mental health needs.

L.2025, c.366.