Legislation being introduced by State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) would establish a Joint Legislative Statesmanship Task Force to promote civility among K-12 students in New Jersey.
Bramnick, a longtime champion of increased civility in politics, is a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor next year.
“Schools are the ideal settings to begin teaching civic virtues since young people spend most of their waking hours learning in classrooms and interacting with their classmates and peers,” Bramnick said.
The Task Force would “emphasize the importance of treating each other with respect and dignity in daily interactions and discourse.”
Bramnick wants the task force to urban, suburban, and rural schools across the state to talk about “the importance of engaging with others in a respectful manner and ways in which students can foster meaningful and productive dialogue with each other even when they disagree.”
The 12-member task force would include six members from each house and would be evenly divided between the two parties.
“During an era in which hostile political rhetoric and political violence has increased, it is imperative to emphasize civility to students in the State and to highlight the experiences of decision-makers who have effectively deployed the virtues of civility in order to enact positive change,” Bramnick said.