12. The Commissioner of Education is authorized to make grants to local school districts in such amounts as the commissioner shall determine, to assist the districts in the implementation of innovative pilot programs designed to educate pupils of elementary and secondary schools and members of the general public on the subject of substance use, and to prevent the use of those substances. Application for grants shall be made on forms furnished by the Commissioner of Education and shall set forth the program proposed and appropriate administrative procedures for the proper and efficient implementation of the program. These pilot programs shall, at a minimum, include:

a. An early intervention competitive grant pilot program to be established by the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services and the Commissioner of Human Services, to enable local school districts to identify and assist elementary school pupils who are affected by family substance use problems or who are at risk of developing such problems themselves. The purpose of the program shall be to encourage the creation of effective model programs for the early identification of children at risk for substance use related problems and to provide for effective intervention when these children are identified.

Grants shall be awarded to boards of education through a competitive grant process based upon written applications submitted by local boards of education. The Commissioner of Education shall select not more than eight of the proposals submitted by boards of education for participation in the pilot program. The commissioner, in addition to considering the overall quality of each proposal and the likelihood that the proposal can be replicated in other districts, shall seek to achieve the broadest geographic distribution of recipients consistent with the purposes of this act.

b. The pilot program established in Ocean County by the Department of Education in conjunction with the Juvenile Services Unit in the Family Division of the Administrative Office of the Courts, to coordinate the efforts of school and juvenile justice personnel in the county to combat substance use by students.

The commissioner shall evaluate the effectiveness of the model program developed and tested pursuant to this section and disseminate information about successful model programs to school districts that do not participate in the pilot program.

1987, c. 387, s.12; amended 2023, c.177, s.49.