MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Acting Superintendent Colonel Patrick J. Callahan of the New Jersey State Police announce the arrest of Chevron B. Rolle, 20, of Far Rockaway, New York, on charges stemming from a motor vehicle crash that occurred during the early morning hours of Sunday, July 29.

It is alleged that on the morning of Sunday, July 29, Chevron Rolle was the driver of a motor vehicle involved in a single vehicle crash that occurred near mile post 26 of Interstate 80 Westbound in Mount Olive Township.

The investigation revealed that there was one other passenger in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

The passenger, who was later identified as Maneya Green, 18, of New York City, New York, died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

It is further alleged that after the crash, Rolle initially provided false information to the responding officers regarding the circumstances surrounding the crash and the occupants of the vehicle.

In addition, Rolle exhibited signs of being under the influence. Rolle has been charged by way of Warrant-Complaint with one count of Reckless Vehicular Homicide, a crime of the second degree, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5a; one count of Obstructing Administration of Law, a crime of the fourth degree, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:29-1a, and one count of Possession of Marijuana, a disorderly persons offense in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10a.

Members of the New Jersey State Police and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit contributed to this investigation.

Editors Note: A complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MORRIS COUNTY — The ACLU of New Jersey filed suit against twelve school districts throughout New Jersey, spanning from Camden County in the south to Sussex County at the state’s northern edge. The school districts, scattered throughout ten counties, all require forms of state-issued identification that require Social Security numbers or valid immigration status as a condition for students to enroll in school, a requirement that New Jersey law clearly forbids.

At recent Township Council meeting, residents were concerned that out of town residents were registered in our school system, and it was brought up that the Board of Education does everything in their power to verify students enrolled in Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Schools. Parsippany abides by the guidelines. We are publishing this article to inform residents of some of the laws in the State of New Jersey.

The exclusionary policies are particularly disturbing in light of the climate of fear in immigrant communities, along with the number of schools that appeared on previous ACLU-NJ audits of discriminatory policies.

“New Jersey’s state Constitution calls for free public education, and that applies to every single child – no exceptions,” said ACLU-NJ Staff Attorney Elyla Huertas, who filed the lawsuits. “In a state where one in five residents is foreign-born, at a time when our president has made the exclusion of immigrants a key part of his policy agenda, it’s more important than ever for every school district in New Jersey to meet its obligations, both to New Jersey’s families and to the Constitution.”

The 12 districts, which include one charter school district, asked for state-issued identification that can only be obtained by someone with citizenship or a Social Security number:
•    Harding Township School District (Morris County) – Click here for copy of complaint
•    Northern Valley Regional High School District (Bergen County)
•    Bellmawr School District (Camden County)
•    Sterling Regional High School District (Camden County)
•    Winslow Township School District (Camden County)
•    East Orange Community Charter School (Essex County)
•    West New York School District (Hudson County)
•    Sea Girt School District (Monmouth County)
•    Watchung Hills Regional High School District (Somerset County)
•    Montague School District (Sussex County)
•    Cranford School District (Union County)
•    Allamuchy School District (Warren County)

State statutes, the New Jersey Constitution, and the U.S. Constitution, through case law settled since 1982, all forbid school districts from denying education to public school students based on their immigration status or the status of their parents.

The ACLU-NJ sued only the 12 districts with the most restrictive policies, but several others impose improper requirements that hinder enrollment by immigrant parents.

“Together, these policies add up to a quiet, daily injustice that allows discrimination to metastasize and that tells families, incorrectly and unconstitutionally, that they can’t access the fundamental rights they’re entitled to,” said ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha. “Public schools exist to educate all of a community’s children. The stakes are too high to allow these unlawful and discriminatory policies to continue, especially here, especially now.”

In 2008 and 2014, the ACLU-NJ conducted audits of the state’s 560+ school districts to identify problematic enrollment requirements. Five of the districts sued today also appeared on the 2014 list of offenders, and two of those districts – Watchung Hills Regional High School District and Montague School District – were identified as having discriminatory policies both in 2008 and in 2014.

Sterling School District, Bellmawr Public Schools, Sea Girt School District, Watchung Hills Regional High School District, and Montague School District were on the list in 2014. Northern Valley, Watchung, and Montague were identified has having unconstitutional enrollment policies in 2008.

This is not the first time the ACLU-NJ has been forced to sue districts to ensure that all students who live in the district have access to school, regardless of immigration status. In the last four years, the ACLU-NJ has sued thirteen districts that had policies similar to those challenged today; in each instance the case settled after the district agreed to change its policy.

The ACLU-NJ calls on all of New Jersey’s school districts to remove unlawful barriers from their registration forms, and requests that the state Department of Education devote resources to ensure that school districts follow the constitutional and statutory mandate to educate all children regardless of immigration status.

MORRIS COUNTY — The New Jersey Senate has passed legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) that would allow New Jersey National Guard members who have been issued a NGB-22 form to access certain veterans’ benefits. An NGB-22 is a type of discharge form issued to National Guard members in New Jersey after they have served the country.

Sen. Joe Pennacchio’s legislation would expand VA benefits to thousands of New Jersey National Guard members.

“All veterans, regardless of where they have served our country, must be able to access the benefits they have earned,” Pennacchio said. “Right now, National Guard members are at a disadvantage. Many of these heroes are never issued the accepted DD-214 form. By expanding eligibility requirements to include the discharge forms they receive, we will ensure that the members of New Jersey’s National Guard can access the resources and tools they need to live and thrive at home.”

Currently, New Jersey has more than 8,000 active National Guard members serving on foreign or domestic missions

Under current law, veterans use DD-214 forms to access to veterans’ benefits, such as a county veteran identification card or a “veteran” designation on their license. However, instead of a DD-214, members of the National Guard in New Jersey are issued a NGB-22 form upon discharge. The difference in documentation has made it difficult for members of the National Guard to access the benefits they need to live in New Jersey.

S-2538 would rectify this concern, by allowing members of New Jersey’s National Guard who are issued an NGB-22 form to receive certain benefits designated for veterans.

An identical version of Sen. Pennacchio’s bill is currently pending a committee hearing in the Assembly. If passed by the Assembly and signed into law, the legislation would take effect immediately. A copy of S-2538 can be found here.

“A county veteran identification card can provide important benefits and produce cost savings for our heroes,” Pennacchio added. “Thousands of National Guard members serve our state and country honorably. The least we can do is provide them with direct access to the support they deserve. Today’s Senate passage of this bill proves that we are committed to helping all of New Jersey’s veterans succeed here, not just a select few.”

SOUTH JERSEY — If you live south of about Lanoka Harbor, you probably have a 609 area code, the second oldest in the state, only behind 201. The only problem with a 60-year-old area code is the fact that it will eventually run out of numbers.

In fact, “eventually” is more like “before the end of this year”.

With critical mass right around the corner, next month new phone numbers in South Jersey will be assigned a new area code – 640.

If you already have a 609 area code, it’s not going to go away, but one change will be that you’ll have to dial the full 10 digit phone number, even within the same area code (which, if we’re being honest I think most people do these days anyway).

It really wasn’t that long ago that the Garden State only had two area codes that firmly delineated north and south Jersey – 201 north of Trenton, and 609 to the south.

Then, the 90s rolled around, and so did cell phones, fax machines (remember those?), and dial up internet services, and we went from two area codes to nine in only ten years.

So, be proud of your 609 phone number! It’s not only one of the oldest in New Jersey, but one of the oldest in the whole country, and pretty soon it’ll be a closed club that won’t be accepting new members.

The new 640 area code will be added to the existing 609 region, including Atlantic, Cape May and parts of Ocean County. While the new area code will not change existing numbers, it will be added as new telephone lines and services are added.

In April 2017, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a plan to overlay 640 to the existing 609 coverage area, after a study found the region would run out of available phone numbers in the third quarter of 2018. Heading into the new year, the BPU is advising residents in the 609 area code region to be prepared to change the way you make a call.

“When calling another number, you will have to dial the area code first, even if it’s 609 to 609,” said Gregory Reinert, director of communications for the Board of Public Utilities. “You should start getting used to dialing 10 digits.”

The dialing procedure primarily affects calls made to and from landline phones. According the Pew Research Center, 95 percent of American adults have at least one cellphone.

Started in January, a period of “permissive dialing” will start. According to the BPU, calls within the new 609/640 overlay area code will still be placed if dialed without the area code.

The 10-digit dial procedure will go in effect August 18. Calls without an area code will not be completed.

The 640 area code will be issued for new telephone lines or services starting September 17.

Many South Jersey businesses still advertise without including the area code. Reinert added that the change is very important for automated dialing services used by local and state offices.

“We want to get the message out to public safety or state offices to reprogram speed dialers or call-transferring equipment to the 10-digit area code and phone numbers, so there’s no issue going further into the year,” Reinert said.

The BPU said in a press release that three-digit special service numbers, including 911 and 411, will remain the same and assured residents that the price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change.