On her first day in office, newly sworn-in Governor Mikie Sherrill signed several executive orders intended to “lower costs, protect [the state’s] kids, and make Trenton more accountable and effective for the people of New Jersey.”  More specifically:

  • Executive Order No. 1 uses “state authority to offset upcoming rate increases due to the regional grid operator PJM’s mismanagement, and to hold utilities accountable for keeping rates from continuing to climb at an unsustainable rate.”
  • Executive Order No. 2 “declares a State of Emergency under the Disaster Control Act[,] and creates and expands multiple, expedited state programs to develop massive amounts of new power generation in New Jersey.”
  • Executive Order No. 3 “establishes the ethical standards to be followed by public employees and officers serving in the Sherrill administration, creating a culture of accountability and strengthening trust in state government.”
  • Executive Order No. 4 “establishes the Office of the Chief Operating Officer (COO) within the Office of the Governor – a position designed to drive efficiency, transparency, and accountability across state government.”
  • Executive Order No. 5 “takes action to reduce permitting delays and costs, boost accountability in the permitting and regulatory process, and expand transparency into how taxpayer dollars are spent.” 

Most relevant to boards of education, Executive Order No. 6 aims to protect kids online, and to improve children’s mental health by creating “a new office within the Department of Health to coordinate whole-of-government efforts to keep kids safe online and directs all state agencies with jurisdiction over issues pertaining to children and their interaction with technology platforms to prioritize children’s mental health outcomes.”  In this regard, the executive order, among other things: orders all executive branch departments, offices, divisions, and state agencies to “prioritize children’s mental health outcomes as they relate to the use of technology, the internet, smartphones, and social media platforms”; tasks the COO with facilitating “coordination across all [e]xecutive [b]ranch departments and agencies … to ensure interagency collaboration and policy coordination”; directs the executive branch and agencies to review existing policies, programs, data collection efforts, and regulatory frameworks to identify opportunities to promote healthy internet and social media use; and establishes the “Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness in the Department of Health to coordinate with state agencies and generate policy proposals to improve children’s safety.”

Boards of education are encouraged to speak with their attorneys about the impact of the Governor’s executive orders and its policies and procedures, if any.

For additional information about this matter, please contact the NJSBA Legal Department at (609) 278-5279 or your board attorney for specific legal advice.