Education (Student Health)

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Feb 19, 2026

A 4267: Requires school districts to maintain restrooms in good working order.

This bill requires New Jersey public school districts to maintain all restrooms in good working order, applying to all schools serving students aged 5-20. It mandates daily cleaning and sanitation, with specific standards including functioning toilets/sinks, stocked toilet paper, secure stall doors, working hand dryers or paper towel dispensers, regularly emptied trash bins, and clean menstrual product disposal units. School districts must update or renovate restrooms as needed, and the Commissioner of Education will develop implementing rules. The law takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates restroom maintenance standards, improving school infrastructure and student access to safe facilities per education topic description.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 774: Establishes school breakfast kiosk pilot program.

New Jersey's A 774 establishes a two-year pilot program allowing public schools to set up breakfast kiosks (carts or cubicles) for students, replacing traditional cafeteria lines. The program targets three school districts (one in each region) to test increased breakfast access, requiring schools to follow federal nutrition guidelines and use existing federal funding for subsidies. It directly affects public school students - especially low-income students qualifying for free/reduced lunch - by making breakfast more accessible as students enter school. The bill mandates a report on participation rates after the pilot, focusing on how many low-income students used the service. The Department of Agriculture will administer the program and manage a dedicated fund for grants to participating schools.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill expands breakfast access for low-income students via kiosks, using existing federal funds to improve school meal access - directly supporting educational access and student nutrition needs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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died · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2747: Requires DCF to expand services provided by NJ Statewide Student Support Services program to include eating disorder services.

This bill would require New Jersey's Department of Children and Families (DCF) to expand the existing Statewide Student Support Services program to include eating disorder awareness, prevention, and counseling services for students in grades K-12. Regional hubs administering the program must assess community needs for these services and develop policies to provide them through the program's three-tiered system: universal workshops (Tier 1), small-group programs (Tier 2), and clinical interventions (Tier 3). The law directly affects all K-12 students in New Jersey by adding eating disorder support to existing mental health services. Note: This bill was withdrawn on January 13, 2026, as it was approved as P.L.2025, c.366.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands K-12 student support services to include eating disorder counseling, enhancing mental health access within schools and aligning with student program improvements.92% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands mental health services for students by adding eating disorder support to existing program, directly advancing healthcare access under mental health services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Student Health Mental Health

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in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2184: Permits students experiencing menstrual disorder to attend school remotely.

This bill allows students with diagnosed menstrual disorders (including severe cramps, endometriosis, heavy bleeding, or PCOS) to attend school remotely. Students' parents or guardians must submit a written request by the start of the school day, and schools may require medical documentation to verify the condition. Remote attendance counts as a full school day for graduation and course credit requirements. The bill directs education and health officials to create guidelines for schools on implementing this accommodation. It directly affects students in New Jersey public schools who experience these specific, medically recognized conditions.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands educational access by allowing remote attendance for students with medical conditions, ensuring continuity of learning without penalty to graduation requirements.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllows students with medical conditions to attend remotely with documentation, improving access to education during health challenges related to healthcare needs.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 3088: Establishes nonpublic school nursing services pilot program to provide funding to county consortium of nonpublic schools for nursing services.

This bill establishes a 3-year pilot program in eligible New Jersey counties (population over 950,000) to provide nursing services for students at nonpublic schools. It redirects funding that would previously go to school districts for these services directly to county consortia of nonpublic schools, requiring consortia to coordinate all nursing care for participating schools. Nonpublic schools must notify the state by June 1 each year to join the consortium, and the program includes annual audits and a legislative oversight committee. The pilot aims to streamline nursing services for nonpublic school students while evaluating potential statewide expansion.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRedirects existing funding to provide nursing services for nonpublic schools via coordinated consortia, enhancing student health access and support within K-12 education.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRedirects existing funding to provide nursing services in nonpublic schools, expanding student healthcare access through dedicated program funding.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 3812: Permits excused student absences for mental or behavioral health reasons.

This bill requires New Jersey public schools to count absences for mental or behavioral health needs as excused, directly affecting students, parents, and school districts. Parents must provide documentation to school officials to verify such absences, and students must be allowed to make up missed work without penalty to their attendance record or eligibility for attendance-based awards. School districts cannot list these absences on transcripts or employment forms, and the Education and Health Commissioners must develop guidelines defining qualifying health reasons. The policy aims to support student well-being while ensuring academic continuity, with implementation required for the first full school year after enactment.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill permits excused mental health absences without penalty, ensuring students maintain educational access and eligibility while protecting records from stigma, advancing student well-being and school support systems.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly permits excused absences for mental health, removing academic penalties and ensuring access to care without stigma or record impact, directly supporting mental health services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health Mental Health

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in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2880: Directs State Board of Education to rescind New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education and directs boards of education to establish Parental Advisory Committees and adopt standards for health instruction.

This bill would cancel New Jersey's 2020 health and physical education standards and prohibit the State Board of Education from creating new state-level standards in these subjects. It requires each local school district to form a Parental Advisory Committee (made of parents/guardians) to help develop new curriculum standards, with public meetings and online posting of recommendations. Within 180 days of enactment, districts must adopt new standards that include mandatory suicide prevention education and organ donation information for students. The bill shifts authority for setting health education standards from the state to local school boards.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRescinds state-mandated health/PE standards, replaces with local parental committees, restricting state curriculum authority and removing existing requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Student Health

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in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 2182: Requires school districts to permit students excused absences while experiencing symptoms of menstrual disorder.

This bill requires New Jersey public school districts to grant up to 10 excused absences per school year for students experiencing symptoms of specific menstrual disorders, including dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, menorrhagia, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Students must be allowed to make up missed work, and these absences cannot count toward chronic absenteeism or affect attendance-based awards. Schools may request medical documentation to verify the condition, and the state education commissioner must develop criteria for defining these absences. The policy directly affects menstruating students in public schools who manage these health conditions.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill provides accommodations for student health needs in K-12 schools, ensuring absences don't count as chronic absenteeism and promoting educational access without penalty.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEnables students with menstrual disorders to access health management without academic penalties, improving healthcare access and protecting student health rights through school accommodations.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 3385: Clarifies public school student attendance recording and reporting requirements.

This New Jersey bill clarifies how public schools must record student attendance, creating four specific categories: present, excused absence, State-excused absence, and unexcused absence. It defines excused absences for health issues (including menstrual disorders like endometriosis), mental health, court appearances, or family deaths, requiring schools to provide makeup work for missed lessons. Schools cannot count excused absences toward perfect attendance records or chronic absenteeism reporting for federal "Every Student Succeeds Act" requirements, though excused absences still count for chronic absenteeism metrics. Students must provide documentation (e.g., medical notes) for excused absences, while State-excused absences (like religious observances or Veterans Day events) won’t affect attendance rates reported to the state.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands excused absences for health (including menstrual disorders) and mental health, requires makeup work, and prevents excused absences from counting toward chronic absenteeism, supporting student access and well-being.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareClarifies excused absences for health issues including mental health, preventing academic penalties for health-related absences and ensuring makeup work access.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health Mental Health

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in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Feb 19, 2026

ACR 117: Urges United States President to expand access to menstrual products in schools.

This concurrent resolution (ACR 117) urges the U.S. President to expand access to free menstrual products in schools nationwide. It argues that Title IX - which prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools - should be interpreted to require schools to provide menstrual products, addressing how lack of access causes students to miss school or use unsafe alternatives. The resolution cites data showing over half of high school students who menstruate face attendance disruptions due to period poverty, risking health issues like infections. As a non-binding resolution, it has no legal force but seeks to encourage federal action through policy interpretation.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly urges expanding access to menstrual products in schools to prevent attendance disruptions, directly advancing educational access for menstruating students as described in the topic.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands access to menstrual products in schools, addressing public health access issues and preventing absenteeism due to lack of essential health resources.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Student Health

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