Legislative Update: Amended Cell Phone Legislation Among Bills Approved by Assembly Education Committee

The Assembly Education Committee met this week for the first time in 2025 and welcomed its new chair, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson. The committee approved a handful of bills, including an updated version of legislation concerning cell phone policies. Those bills – and several from other committees – are listed below.

The Assembly Budget Committee and Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees have also released their schedule of public hearings on the fiscal year 2026 state budget. The Assembly hearings will both take place in Trenton (State House Annex, 4th Floor, Committee Room 11) on Wednesday, March 19, and Tuesday, March 25. The first Senate hearing will be Wednesday, March 26, at the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s campus in Newark. The second Senate hearing will be fully virtual on Thursday, April 10. Interested speakers must pre-register online for one of the hearings.

Assembly Education Committee

The Assembly Education Committee met Monday, March 10, and approved the following bills:

School Counselor Certification A-3424 would establish several requirements related to school counselor certification and employment. The bill defines the role of a school counselor as someone who recognizes and responds to the need for mental health services that promote social and emotional wellness and development for all students and is tasked with designing and delivering a comprehensive program for school counseling that promotes the achievement of students. The bill would require:

• Each school counselor employed by a district to provide certain school counseling services including, but not limited to, specific services enumerated in the legislation.
• School counselors to complete professional development in relevant areas, such as the promotion of mental health awareness and trauma-informed counseling.
• School counseling certification programs at institutions of higher education to incorporate the American School Counselor Association’s national model for comprehensive school counseling programs or state-approved model.
• The commissioner of education to appoint a state school counselor liaison to work with school districts to facilitate best practices and serve as a resource expert for school counselors.

In committee testimony, the New Jersey School Boards Association voiced support for the bill, citing the critical role school counselors serve in providing academic, social and emotional support to students while promoting a positive school climate. The bill’s counterpart in the Senate, S-1784, was approved by the Senate Education Committee in September and now awaits consideration by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Instruction on Cursive Handwriting A-3865 would require, beginning in the first full school year following signature of the bill, that school districts incorporate instruction on cursive handwriting into the curriculum for students in grades three through five. The curriculum would need to include activities and instructional materials that would help students become proficient in reading cursive and writing in cursive legibly by the end of fifth grade.

In written testimony, the NJSBA expressed concerns about the addition of a new instructional mandate. Citing the removal of cursive instruction from the state’s learning standards in 2010, the Association recommended that the decision to include cursive instruction in a district’s curriculum should rest with the local board of education and the trained experts it employs. The bill’s counterpart in the Senate, S-1783/S-2712, was approved by the Senate Education Committee in January and now awaits consideration by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Scholarships for Public Service A-3984 would establish the “Jersey Strong Public Service Scholarship Program” to provide scholarships to eligible students who are employed in a public service sector experiencing critical workforce shortages. The bill requires the commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to establish a list of eligible public service sectors experiencing critical workforce shortages, which may include employment in public schools.

The NJSBA supports the bill. Its counterpart in the Senate, S-2844, was approved by the Senate Education Committee in January and now awaits consideration by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Cell Phone and Social Media Policy A-4882/S-3695, as amended, would require cell phone and social media guidelines to be developed by the New Jersey Department of Education and a policy to be adopted by each school district. Under the bill, the commissioner would develop guidelines applicable to students enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12 concerning student use of cell phones and social media platforms. The amended bill clarifies that the commissioner shall consult with various stakeholders, including the NJSBA, when creating the guidelines. Prior to the amendments adopted on Monday, the bill directed the NJDOE to develop a model policy, rather than guidelines, to which each board would have to adhere. At a minimum, the guidelines shall:

• Provide age appropriate and grade-level differentiated guidelines concerning limiting and prohibiting student use of cell phones and social media platforms.
• Prohibit non-academic use of cell phones or social media during classroom instruction.
• Be consistent with state and federal law, including accommodations provided in a student’s individualized education program, section 504 educational plan or student health plan.
• Address permitting student use of cell phones in the case of an emergency or in response to a perceived threat of danger.
• Address smartphones, cell phones with only text or voice, and other relevant devices, including smartwatches.
• List options that may be utilized by a school district for cell phone storage, including locked pouches and cell phone lockers.
• Provide guidance for a school district to establish network-based restrictions to prevent the use of, or access to, social media platforms.
• Detail protocols for communicating the district’s policy concerning student use of cell phones and social media platforms to students, their families and teaching staff members.

The bill would also require each board of education to adopt a policy concerning student use of cell phones and social media platforms. The policy is to be consistent with the guidelines developed by the commissioner.

The NJSBA testified in support of the amended bill. In previous committee testimony, NJSBA expressed its general support for the legislation’s intent. However, the NJSBA cautioned against a prescriptive one-size-fits-all approach to creating a mandated statewide policy to be adopted by all boards of education and recommended that the commissioner create a model policy that boards may then refer to when forming their own individual district policies. The bill now preserves local control and flexibility and empowers boards to craft their policies according to community preferences while providing a roadmap to help inform and guide district policy-setting.

The bill was previously passed by the full Senate in January. Now that it has been amended, it needs to be considered again at a Senate voting session (if eventually passed by the Assembly) before it could be sent to the governor for signature. If enacted in its current form, the bill would become effective beginning with the next school year.

Public School District Leases A-5038 would extend the period of time – from five years to 20 years – in which a board of education may execute certain: 1) leases with the federal government, the state, a political subdivision of the state or any other individual or entity authorized to do business in the state; and 2) lease purchase agreements for improvements or additions to school buildings. According to the bill sponsor, the bill would enhance district flexibility in financing capital projects.

The NJSBA supports the bill.

School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program A-5075 would establish a three-year School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program to strengthen the school leadership pipeline in schools throughout the state by supporting and developing novice supervisors through a one-year mentoring cycle. As defined in the bill, novice supervisor means any appropriately certified individual assigned with responsibility for the direction and guidance of the work of teaching staff members and who is in the first year of employment in a supervisor role. The bill requires the commissioner of education to develop guidelines for the program and enter into a partnership with a nonprofit organization with expertise in providing professional learning and mentoring services to school leaders. The bill would appropriate $500,000 to support the program.

In committee testimony, the NJSBA voiced support for the bill, arguing that it would provide necessary professional development opportunities for those seeking supervisor positions.

Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee

The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee met Thursday, March 6, and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:

Mercury Floor Removal A-3019, as amended, would prohibit the issuance of construction permits for flooring in schools or childcare centers unless the flooring materials are certified mercury-free by the manufacturer. In cases where the building has flooring that may contain mercury, the applicant may take the following actions: (1) certify that the existing flooring is mercury-free; (2) certify that an air quality assessment has been conducted to test if mercury vapor levels are within safe limits as recommended by the New Jersey Department of Health; (3) if unsafe mercury levels are found, implement mitigation measures such as adjusting HVAC systems to reduce mercury vapor to acceptable levels; (4) if testing still reveals high mercury levels, the implementation of further mitigation measures or the removal of the flooring; and (5) if all mitigating measures fail, the removal and proper disposal of the flooring.

In cases where the flooring is required to be removed, it is to be done within six months after the final air quality assessment, unless a one-time, six-month extension is granted by the NJDOH due to factors out of the applicant’s control, such as supply chain delays or contractor issues.  All removal and disposal of flooring is to be done in compliance with regulations established by the Department of Environmental Protection.

The NJSBA supports the amended bill after successfully obtaining amendments to include the NJDOH’s February 2020 guidance (Evaluation and Management of Mercury-Containing Floors in New Jersey Schools) and its recommendations for exposure mitigation strategies that schools can implement based on levels of airborne mercury relative to the recommended maximum contaminant level. These amendments will allow school districts to certify adherence with the NJDOH’s guidance as an alternative to full removal of existing flooring during a flooring project, which could save districts money while protecting the health of students and staff.

Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee

The Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee met Thursday, March 6, and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:

Regional Food Procurement A-5093 would establish purchase preference requirements that are to be satisfied in association with the procurement of local and regional foods for school meal program purposes. Under the existing provisions of federal law, local and regional foods that are procured for students under the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program must either be procured from in-state farmers and food producers or from farmers and food producers (whether in-state or out-of-state) who are located within 400 miles of the destination school. This bill would establish complimentary, state-level geographic purchase preference requirements to give geographic preference to the procurement of foods and food products that are grown or otherwise produced within state borders or a 100-mile radius of the destination school.

The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.

Assembly Health Committee

The Assembly Health Committee met Thursday, March 6, and approved the following bill relevant to boards of education:

Home Instruction Documentation A-3340 would empower a general education or special education student’s advanced practice nurse or physician assistant – in addition to their physician – to document the student’s need for home instruction for more than 10 consecutive or 15 cumulative school days during the school year due to a temporary or chronic health condition pursuant to NJDOE regulations (N.J.A.C. 6A:16-10.1 et seq.).

The NJSBA is monitoring the bill.

To view the full text of any of the bills summarized above, please visit the New Jersey Legislature’s website.