Young Workers in NJ: Rights and Protections for Workers under 18

New Jersey’s Child Labor Law protects minors by limiting the number of hours they can work and the type of work they can do. Among other requirements, the law states:

• All minors working in NJ must have an employment certificate, also known as "working papers," or a special permit (see below) for each job they work
• All minors must be given a 30-minute meal break after 6 continuous hours of work. Breaks less than 30 minutes do not count as an interruption of continuous work.
• Minors may not work more than 6 consecutive days in a week.
• Workers under 16 may not work more than 40 hours a week and 8 hours a day, with certain exceptions for agricultural work.
• During the school year, minors under 16 may only work outside of scheduled school hours.
• Workers 16 and up may work up to 50 hours in one week and up to 10 hours a day only between the last day of school and Labor Day.

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Office for Civil Rights Announces Resource on Protecting Students from Racial Harassment on 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

On July 2, marking the 60th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a Fact Sheet reminding schools of their federal civil rights obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to take prompt and effective action to respond to harassment that creates a hostile environment based on race, color, or national origin.

The Fact Sheet shares information about how OCR determines the existence of a hostile environment and details schools’ Title VI obligations to address and remedy a hostile environment. It also provides hypothetical examples to help schools assess these Title VI obligations, including the requirement to promptly and effectively address alleged acts of discrimination, including harassment. The fact sheet reaffirms, for example, that when any visitor to a campus contributes to a hostile environment the school still has an obligation to respond. Likewise, it illustrates how a disciplinary response may be insufficient, without additional prompt and effective action by the school, to redress the effects of a hostile environment for affected persons.