TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Richard J. Codey (D – Essex, Morris) that would require schools to keep students informed of collegiate academic standards today cleared the Senate Education Committee.
“You won’t find a bigger fan of college sports than me. But for those student-athletes, there is more to college than just the games. They have to maintain their grades and keep up with academic standards. By letting our high school students know early what will be expected of them in college, we can better prepare them for both sports and academics,” said Codey.
The bill, S1327, would require each school district or nonpublic school that participates in statewide interscholastic sports programs that are sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to annually disseminate the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) freshman eligibility standards for participation in collegiate athletics to each enrolled student.
In addition to providing healthy forms of exercise, fostering friendships and camaraderie, and promoting sportsmanship and fair play, athletics often provide student-athletes with opportunities to attend institutions of higher education on athletic scholarships. Many high school students, however, are unaware of the NCAA eligibility standards to participate in collegiate athletics.
The legislation now heads to the Senate floor.