New Jersey Bill Could Open High School Coaching Jobs to Military Veterans Without Teaching Credentials

For military veterans returning home after serving their country, finding a new purpose and a way to continue contributing to their communities can be challenging. New Jersey Assemblyman Erik Simonsen believes high school athletics could provide that opportunity while giving student-athletes access to some of the qualities veterans bring from their military experience.

It’s fitting that on the eve of Veterans Day, Simonsen, R-Cape May, is sponsoring legislation that would allow honorably discharged military veterans to coach high school sports in New Jersey without obtaining the teaching or substitute teaching credentials currently required.

The bill, A1429, recently advanced unanimously through the Assembly Education Committee and is expected to move to the full Assembly for consideration. If approved, it would then head to the Senate for consideration before ultimately being signed into law by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.

A Local Story Sparks Legislative Action

The legislation was inspired in part by Ryan Lewis, an Army veteran and 2012 graduate of Lower Cape May Regional High School who played baseball for the school. Lewis served as an infantryman, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014, and currently serves full time in the Army National Guard.

U.S. Army Soldier Ryan Lewis — Ryan Lewis, who was deployed in the U.S. Army from 2012-19, is shown while on active duty in Lithuania (2018). | SGT. Hayes Michael

Although Lewis has coached his seven-year-old son in youth baseball, but has been unable to join a high school coaching staff because he lacks the required college credits.

Simonsen, a 1987 Lower Cape May Regional graduate and former athletic director and coach at the school, learned of Lewis' situation after a conversation with the baseball coach.

“I grew up wrestling and playing football with Ryan Lewis’ dad and his grandfather is a legendary Little League coach in the area,” Simonsen said in a phone interview this week. “The baseball coach at Lower Cape May Regional came to me one day and said ‘I’d like to hire Ryan to help out with the team.’ Well, it used to be you had to have 60 college credits in order to be a paid coach and then they dropped it to 30 credits for substitute teachers. And I just didn’t see the correlation.”

Simonsen questioned why someone with military training and experience could be excluded from coaching while someone who attended college for a year, regardless of athletic or coaching background, could qualify.

“Not to mention all of the things a military veteran can offer as far as mentoring middle school and high school kids who have instilled in themselves a work ethic and discipline, and who command respect,” Simonsen said. “What better leaders could our kids have?”

Lewis Hopes to Give Back Through Coaching

Lewis said the opportunity initially came about in 2019, after he returned home from active duty. While attending a golf fundraiser for the Lower Cape May baseball program, head coach Ryan Slaney approached him about joining the staff as an assistant.

“I’ve known Mr. Simonsen pretty much my entire life. He’s always been a part of sports in Lower Township,” Lewis said. “I was at a golf fundraiser for the baseball program and the head coach approached me and said, ‘hey, I know you just came home for good, what do you think about being my assistant coach and I said ‘that sounds really good.’ But the more we started talking about it we realized that I wasn’t able to because I didn’t have the 30 college credits to be able to be paid on staff.”

Lewis said Simonsen, who was serving as the school's athletic director at the time, learned of the situation. Fast forward seven years and Simonsen, now an Assemblyman in his hometown, has the power to do something about it.

Under A1429, veterans would need to have received an honorable discharge and completed at least four years of military service to qualify for the exemption. Local boards of education would retain authority over hiring decisions for both full-time and part-time coaching positions.

Simonsen Sees Veterans as Valuable Mentors

For Simonsen, the proposal goes beyond giving veterans another employment opportunity. He believes their experiences, leadership skills and ability to instill discipline could make them valuable additions to high school athletic programs.

“Ryan’s a great guy, he served his time, he was an Army recruiter for a while. He did a deployment in Afghanistan, I know his family real well, he’s a great father and husband, a family man who has volunteered with the local rec teams, and he can’t be paid to coach,” he said. “I said, ‘wait a minute, we’ve got to do something about this.’”

Simonsen said the NJSIAA supports the proposal and is optimistic about its chances of becoming law.

“Obviously the NJSIAA, they’re 100 percent on board with it, so where it’s at now is it passed through the Assembly Education Committee, it will probably come to the floor in our next voting session,” he said.

He believes the measure is a straightforward way to recognize the contributions veterans can make beyond their military service.

“To me it’s kind of a no-brainer. The fact that this hasn’t been done already is kind of amazing.”

For Lewis, the legislation could open the door for veterans throughout New Jersey who want to remain involved in their communities and make a difference in the lives of young people.

“If this bill becomes law, its impact would be monumental, not only for me but for other veterans returning from active duty or the National Guard,” said Lewis. “Many of us are looking for that same sense of purpose and an opportunity to continue serving our communities without having to put the uniform back on.

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