The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) is pleased to announce the official launch of the Disconnection Prevention and Student Re-engagement (DPSR) webpage, a centralized resource hub designed to support schools, districts, educators, families, and youth in keeping students connected to school and on track toward graduation.

Disconnected Youth are defined as young people, typically ages 16–24, who are not enrolled in school and not participating in the workforce. Often called “Opportunity Youth," these young people are often navigating barriers that have interrupted their educational and career pathways.

The DPSR webpage serves as a comprehensive resource hub for districts, schools, educators, families, and youth. The webpage provides guidance on identifying early warning signs of disconnection.   The DPSR initiative aims to provide support for school and district strategies to reduce school disconnection rates, increase student engagement in school, and increase the number of students meeting graduation and postsecondary/workforce expectations. This initiative reflects New Jersey’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that every student has access to the supports necessary to stay on a path toward education, employment, and long-term success.  

Disconnected Youth Ombudsperson

New Jersey has created the Youth Disconnection Prevention and Recovery Ombudsperson role in the Department of Education through legislation. Districts and school personnel, educators, families, and youth are encouraged to connect with the Ombudsperson to ask questions, request information, and seek guidance related to:

• Students at-risk of disconnecting from school,
• Re-engaging students who have already left school,
• Connecting students/families to local or state-level resources and support services, and
• Navigating available educational pathways for out-of-school youth. 

District and school leaders are encouraged to:

• Share the DPSR webpage with school principals, counselors, and student support staff.
• Distribute the [email protected] email address to school counselors, social workers, families, and students who may benefit from additional support from the Youth Disconnection Prevention and Recovery Ombudsperson.
• Encourage school counselors, student assistance counselors, and social workers and to utilize the Student Assistance Form when additional support is needed.
• Familiarize school teams with the resources, data tools, and research-based strategies available on the DPSR webpage to strengthen prevention and re-engagement efforts.