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NJ Assembly Passes Bill To Extend Anti-Nepotism Rules To Schools

Assemblyman Paul Moriarty

Legislation that won unanimous approval in the New Jersey Assembly would extend anti-nepotism rules to the state’s public and charter schools.

Assemblyman Paul Moriarty says taxpayers deserve every assurance that the people charged with educating their children attained their positions because of what they know, not who they know.

“Anytime you have any level of government hiring family and friends, you’re not going through a process where you’re trying to get the best and brightest. There are a lot of qualified individuals that may not even be considered for a job because someone wants to give it to their family or friends.”

Assemblyman Ralph Caputo says state lawmakers are prohibited from hiring relatives and the education system should also be protected against nepotism.

“If you eliminate that, you give people an opportunity that have earned their degrees and have expertise, they should have an opportunity to come in and to work in our school system. Right now I think a lot of districts have that policy. This just codifies that policy statewide

The state Senate hasn’t considered the legislation.  If it becomes law, schools that don’t implement an anti-nepotism policy would be denied state aid.