Several committees met over the last week and considered education-related legislation. Notably, the Senate Education Committee met for the first time in the 2026-2027 legislative session and advanced a full agenda of bills.
The New Jersey School Boards Association is monitoring all bills relevant to boards of education and will continue to post timely Legislative Updates in School Board Notes to highlight recent legislative action. For the most up-to-date information regarding specific legislation, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
Senate Education Committee
The Senate Education Committee met on Monday, March 2, and – unless otherwise noted – approved the following bills relevant to boards of education:
Epi-Pen Administration by Bus Drivers S-155 would allow a board of education’s policy concerning the administration of epinephrine to permit school bus drivers to administer epinephrine to a student in emergencies. The bill would establish conditions that must be met before a bus driver is permitted to administer epinephrine, includingparental consent and physician orders. The bill includes liability protections for districts, district staff, bus drivers, and school bus contractors, and it would also require that an eligible driver be properly trained by a school nurse, physician, or other individual or entity approved by the Department of Health.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
STEM Curriculum Grant Program S-1106 would establish a grant program in, and appropriate $2.25 million to, NJDOE to promote project-based learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for at-risk students in grades six through eight. The Commissioner of Education would be required to select at least two school districts with existing STEM curricular programs that meet certain defined requirements.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
Anti-Choking Devices S-1123 would require public and nonpublic schools to ensure that at least one portable anti-choking device is made available in the cafeteria, the school nurse’s office, and any other similar location, with appropriate identifying signage. The devices would be placed in an unlocked and easily accessible location during the school day and at any other time when a school-sponsored event is taking place and may only be used in schools provided they have been registered with the United States Food and Drug Administration. As amended, the Commissioner of Education must establish procedures to ensure the efficacy of permitted devices before they are used in schools. Each board of education and the governing board or chief administrator of a nonpublic school would be required to develop policies for the use of anti-choking devices by school nurses and school employees. The NJDOE would be required to accept contributions of funds or anti-choking devices provided by private or nonprofit entities so that costs would not be passed on to the state, school districts, or nonpublic schools.
While supportive of the bill’s intent to improve student safety, the NJSBA has concerns about the statewide mandate for schools to make available devices that are “registered” with the Food and Drug Administration, rather than “approved,” and believes that any decision to have devices in schools should be made at the local level. The New Jersey Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services submitted a memo to the governor’s office in Feb. 2025 that cited a lack of FDA approval and a lack of evidence of efficacy of anti-choking devices in its recommendation not to endorse or approve their use.
Graduation Credits for Fire Academy Courses S-1343 would permit a student who completes a course at a county fire academy to be eligible to receive credit toward meeting the high school graduation requirements for health, safety, and physical education if the student meets certain criteria.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
Requirement to Employ School Psychologists S-1374 would require local boards of education to employ and assign on a full-time basis to each school within the school district at least one school counselor. The bill further provides that the maximum student-to-school psychologist ratio per school in a school district must be 500:1. The bill does not provide districts with funding to hire any new employees.
The NJSBA testified in opposition to the bill, which would impose an unfunded mandate on local boards of education and the taxpayers in their local communities.
Remote Sessions for School Counseling S-1376 would require school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects that employ a school psychologist and offer in-person school psychology services to students in grades kindergarten through 12 to allow students to attend counseling sessions or meetings of any kind through virtual or remote means, unless the school psychologist determines that in-person counseling is in the best interest of the student.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
Apprenticeship Data in the NJDOE’s School Performance Reports S-1773 would require the NJDOE’s annual School Performance Reports to include the number of students achieving placement following graduation, including placement in an apprenticeship. While not currently a statutory requirement, the NJDOE does currently include in its School Performance Reports the number of students who were enrolled in a United States Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship following high school graduation.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
Revised Financial Literacy Requirement S-3462 would amend an existing law that requires middle school students to receive instruction in financial literacy to also require high school students to receive such instruction. The bill would require, for a state-endorsed diploma, that district boards of education develop, adopt, and implement local graduation requirements that require a high school student to complete the financial literacy course over a one-semester or one-trimester period, as applicable. The bill also adds content to the financial literacy curriculum, including behavioral economics, banking, consumer skills, taxes, college financial planning, and accounting, andclarifies that instruction that principally addresses economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy does not satisfy the financial literacy instruction requirement. Finally, the bill amends the law to require that the financial literacy instruction be taught by teachers with appropriate instructional endorsements.
The NJSBA has expressed concerns with the bill and joined several other education organizations in seeking amendments to provide districts with more flexibility in implementing the revised instructional mandate.
Payments for Non-Resident Students in Renaissance Schools S-3614 would clarify the provision of payments for non-resident students who enroll at a renaissance school project. Under current law, the school district in which a renaissance school project is located is required to pay the nonprofit entity partnering with the renaissance school project a per-pupil amount for all students attending the school. Under this bill, the school district in which a renaissance school project is located is required to pay the per pupil amount for each student that resides in the district, but for all students enrolled in the renaissance school project that do not reside in the district in which the renaissance school project is located, the student’s school district of residence would be required to pay the per pupil amount to the nonprofit entity.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
Child Abuse and Sexual Misconduct Checks S-2613 was heard “for discussion only” and therefore did not receive a committee vote. It will need to return to the committee for a vote to advance. The bill would make changes to the “Pass the Trash” law (P.L.2018, c.5) – which requires school districts, charter schools, nonpublic schools, and contracted service providers to review the employment history of certain applicants and any allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct made against those applicants – by implementing certain recommendations of a March 2024 report from the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation. Among many other provisions, the bill would: 1) remove the 20-year limit on the “look back” period of an applicant’s former employers; 2) require the Commissioner of Education to create and maintain a secure and centralized school employee identification database; 3) direct each school district, charter school, nonpublic school, or contracted service provider to request that the Department of Children and Families conduct a child abuse record information check of its child abuse records to determine if an incident of child abuse or neglect has been substantiated against any applicant to a position involving regular contact with students; 4) require the commissioner to audit a school’s hiring records every five years to ensure compliance with the provisions of the law and authorize the commissioner to directly oversee a district’s hiring practices if noncompliance is found; 5) require NJDOE to establish procedures for the prompt investigation of allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct by a school employee; and 6) permit a board of education, board of trustees of a charter school, or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school to enter into a memorandum of agreement with law enforcement regarding allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct by school employees and the procedures and responsibilities of designated employees in conducting investigations.
The NJSBA believes that protecting our children and creating a safe environment for them is of the utmost importance, and the Association collaborated with legislative sponsors to develop the original “Pass the Trash” law in 2018. However, it is concerned about the increased administrative burdens the proposed changes in the bill would place on districts. In committee testimony, the Association recommended establishing a task force or commission to consider stakeholder feedback before making any changes to hiring practices.
Senate Labor Committee
The Senate Labor Committee met on Monday, March 2 and approved the following bills relevant to boards of education:
Service Dog Training for Employees S-533 would require any employer who has one or more employees serving customers or other individuals in a place of public accommodation or other public facility to provide training to those employees regarding the right of an individual with a disability to have a guide or service dog. An employer may satisfy the training requirement of the bill by utilizing training that may be provided at no cost by the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety, the New Jersey State Bar Association, or any other entity, or may, at its discretion, implement a training program at its own cost.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
Employee Accommodations for Breastfeeding S-2689 would clarify protections provided in the “Law Against Discrimination” to working mothers who are breastfeeding. Specifically, the bill requires an employer to accommodate a lactating employee for as long as the employee desires. It clarifies that lactating employees would be entitled to reasonable break time paid at the employee’s regular rate of compensation, job restructuring, and a modified work schedule for milk expression. The bill would also require an employer to provide a suitable room or other location with privacy, free from intrusion of other employees or customers of the employer’s business, other than a restroom, for milk expression.
The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.
New Jersey Works Act S-3593 would establish a framework for paid pre-employment and work readiness training programs created through partnerships between eligible business entities and educational institutions or qualified nonprofits. To incentivize private support, the bill would create new Corporation Business Tax and Gross Income Tax credits equal to 100 percent of qualifying assistance provided to approved programs, subject to a combined annual statewide cap. The bill would authorize agreements between eligible business entities and institutions of higher education, comprehensive high schools, county vocational schools, or 501(c)(3) nonprofits.
The NJSBA supports the bill.
To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.
