On Monday, March 20, A-4177, a bill that would require boards of education, charter school trustees and chief school administrators of private schools to develop a policy for the emergency administration of opioid antidotes to students and staff members was approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee and referred to the Assembly Education Committee.
The policy would require schools that include grades 9-12, and would permit any other school, to maintain a supply of opioid antidotes and permit emergency administration of an opioid antidote by a school nurse or trained employee. The opioid antidotes must be accessible during regular school hours and during school-sponsored functions that take place in the school or on school grounds adjacent to the school building. A board of education, board of trustees of a charter school, or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school may, at its discretion, make opioid antidotes accessible during school-sponsored functions that take place off school grounds.
The bill directs the New Jersey Department of Education, in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Human Services and appropriate medical experts, to establish guidelines for school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools in developing their policies for the administration of opioid antidotes.
The bill’s Senate counterpart, S-2635, was approved by the Senate Education Committee on Jan. 12.
The following bill(s) were heard in committee hearings on Monday 3.20.2017:
Bills Introduced on Immediate Athletic Eligibility, Personnel Matters, Teaching Certificate Requirements Also on March 20, A-4726, which provides immediate eligibility for participation in interscholastic athletics for certain transfer students, was introduced and referred to the Assembly Education Committee.
The bill stipulates that the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) must establish a transfer policy that provides that a student who transfers from one secondary school to another is immediately eligible to participate on an interscholastic sports team or squad at the student’s new school if it is the first time that the student is transferring from one secondary school to another. After any subsequent transfer, the student will be immediately eligible if any of the following conditions are met:
- the student did not participate on the sports team or squad at the varsity level at the previous school;
- the student transfers to a New Jersey school immediately following enrollment in a school in another state or country;
- the student transfers to a public school immediately following enrollment in a nonpublic school due to the financial hardship of the student’s parent or guardian that results in the inability to afford the costs associated with enrollment in the nonpublic school;
- the student transfers due to a change in the residence of his parent or guardian as a result of a job relocation of the parent or guardian; or
- the student transfers due to the student’s removal from the school of attendance immediately preceding the transfer.
A-4716, which was introduced and referred to the Assembly Education Committee, would eliminate the requirement that public bodies discuss prospective employee matters in a public meeting when it is requested by the prospective employee.
A-4737 would require, effective Jan. 1, 2019, that candidates for a preschool through grade three teaching certificate, an elementary school endorsement, or a reading specialist endorsement, pass a written test which includes, at a minimum, the following topics: the foundations of teaching reading; the basic rules of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of the English language; the diagnosis of reading difficulties; the development of reading comprehension; and reading assessment. This written test requirement would be in addition to any other requirements established by the State Board of Education for receipt of these endorsements. The bill was introduced on March 20 and referred to the Assembly Education Committee.