18A:36-37 "Student-athlete" defined, rules for maintenance of amateur status; violations, penalties.

1. a. As used in this section, "student-athlete" means any student enrolled in a public or nonpublic secondary school in this State who is a participant in an interscholastic athletic program governed by the rules of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

b. No person shall give, offer, promise or attempt to give to any student-athlete, whether directly or indirectly, any gift, favor, service, employment or other thing of value which the person knows or has reason to know would, if accepted, subject that student-athlete to being ruled ineligible to participate as an amateur-athlete under the rules established by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. A person who violates the provisions of this subsection shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 and not more than $10,000, for each violation, which shall be collected in a summary manner pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.), in the Superior Court or any municipal court.

c. The board of education of each school district or the chief school administrator of each nonpublic school shall annually notify each student-athlete under the jurisdiction of the school district or nonpublic school of the provisions of this section and of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's rules regarding eligibility.

d. The notice required by subsection c. of this section shall be:

(1) written;

(2) in language understandable by a secondary school student;

(3) based on model language developed by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association; and

(4) communicated via regular or electronic mail, sent home with the student or published in a student handbook.

L.2005,c.364.