Bill Text: NJ S2018 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits public school students and employees from immediately returning to school after traveling to certain places during public health emergencies.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-03 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S2018 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S2018-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits public school students and employees from immediately returning to school after traveling to certain places during public health emergencies.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the presence of certain persons in public schools during a public health emergency and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. If a student, teaching staff member, or other employee of a school district travels outside of the United States or inside of a designated state during a state of public health emergency, as declared by the Governor pursuant to the "Emergency Health Powers Act," P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.) due to the spread of a contagious disease, then the person shall not return to the public school until the termination of the public health emergency, the completion of 14 calendar days following the date of return to the State of New Jersey, the removal of the designated state from the quarantine travel advisory, or the receipt of a negative test for the contagious disease following the date of return to the State of New Jersey, whichever occurs first.
b. A public school student whose absence is mandated pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall have the absence recorded as an excused absence on the student's attendance record or on that of any group or class of which the student is a member. Any transcript, application, employment form, or any similar form on which information concerning a student's attendance record is requested shall not include information concerning absences mandated pursuant to subsection a. of this subsection.
c. A teaching staff member or other employee of a school district whose absence is mandated pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be entitled to compensation, benefits, and emoluments as if the person had performed the work during the period of absence. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit, supersede, or preempt the rights, privileges, compensation, remedies, and procedures afforded to a teaching staff member or other employee of a school district, or a collective bargaining unit under federal or State law or any provision of a collective negotiations agreement entered into by the school district. A student, teaching staff member, or other employee of a school district may participate in virtual or remote instruction during any period in which the person's physical absence is mandated pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
d. As used in this section:
"Designated state" means any state or territory of the United States that is included in a quarantine travel advisory.
"Quarantine travel advisory" means a travel advisory issued by the Governor or Department of Health that requires or encourages persons to be quarantined for 14 or more days after travel to a designated state, which travel advisory shall include, but not be limited to, the 14-day quarantine travel advisory issued jointly by the Governors of the State of New Jersey, the State of New York, and the State of Connecticut following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits the students and employees of a school district from immediately returning to the public school after traveling to certain places during certain public health emergencies.
During a state of public health emergency, as declared by the Governor pursuant to the "Emergency Health Powers Act," P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.), due to the spread of a contagious disease, the bill provides that if a student, teaching staff member, or other employee of a school district travels outside of the United States or to a state or territory of the United States that is designated in a quarantine travel advisory, then the person may not return to the public school until the termination of the public health emergency, the completion of 14 calendar days following the date of return to the State of New Jersey, or the removal of the state or territory from the quarantine travel advisory, whichever occurs first.
Under the bill, a student, teaching staff member, or other employee of a school district may participate in virtual or remote instruction during any period in which the person's physical absence is required. The bill also provides that any student whose absence is mandated under the bill would have that absence recorded as an excused absence on the student's attendance record.
