At its Nov. 5, 2025, meeting, the State Board of Education heard updates and acted on the following items:
Petition for Rulemaking —The state board denied a petition for rulemaking that had requested amendments to N.J.A.C. 6A:14, Special Education. The petitioner requested amendments to reduce the age at which a student with a disability is invited to attend, and participate in, the meeting of the individualized education program (IEP) team to discuss transition services for the student. The board denied the petition because existing code already allows students younger than 14 to be invited if deemed appropriate.
Student Transportation —The state board adopted amendments and new rules at N.J.A.C. 6A:27, Student Transportation. The amendments and new rules will: 1) clarify the calculation of aid-in-lieu payments for nonpublic school student transportation pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:39-1; 2) effectuate P.L.2024, c.81, which allows school districts to designate school personnel to drive students to and from school in private or district-owned vehicles while exempting them from the certifications and standards that apply to school buses and drivers; and 3) establish procedures needed to implement the nonpublic school consortium transportation program established by P.L.2023, c.326. Regarding the new rules concerning designated school personnel transporting students to and from school and school-related activities, the NJSBA successfully advocated to push back the deadline – from July 15 to August 15 – for boards of education to provide the executive county superintendent with a list of school personnel and related information.
School Nursing Licensure—The state board approved proposed amendments to add a valid multistate registered professional nurse license issued by the licensing board of a state that is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) as an option for the required professional license. The proposed amendments should help address school nurse shortages by enabling holders of a valid multistate registered professional nurse license to be eligible for the school nurse endorsement, school nurse/non-instructional endorsement, and substitute school nurse/non-instructional credential. Increasing the pool of registered nurses who are eligible for the endorsements and the credential should ease the burden on school districts to fill open staff positions related to nursing services for students and teaching in areas related to health in preschool through grade 12.
Proposed Revisions to NJSLS—The commissioner presented draft revisions to two subject areas of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS): 1) Career Readiness, Life Literacies and Key Skills, and 2) Science. Full copies of the draft revisions are available on the state board’s website. The state board previously released a public notice regarding the draft revisions and opportunities for members of the public to provide comment. Registration to testify at the three available public hearings will open on Dec. 16, 2025, and close at noon on Jan. 8, 2026.
