This bill mandates the Commissioner of Education to create a sensitivity training program specifically for high school athletic directors, coaches, and sports officials involved in interscholastic athletic programs. The training will cover various important topics, including gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, religious tolerance, unconscious bias, and diversity and inclusion. The Commissioner is required to consult with the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety during the program's development and to update it as necessary to ensure it remains current and effective.
Additionally, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is tasked with enforcing the completion of this training program. All coaches and athletic directors overseeing interscholastic high school sports must complete the program every four years, with newly appointed individuals required to finish it within their first year. Furthermore, individuals applying to sports officials chapters or associations must certify their completion of the training, and active sports officials are also required to complete the program every four years. The bill is set to take effect immediately upon passage.