Bill Text: NJ S2463 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Requires school districts to provide instruction on prevention of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases in grades kindergarten through 12; requires DOH to publish certain guidelines concerning ticks.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-15 - Approved P.L.2023, c.60. [S2463 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S2463-Chaptered.html
An Act concerning instruction and guidance on ticks, Lyme Disease , and other tick-borne diseases in public schools and for the public, amending and supplementing P.L.1991, c.488, and supplementing P.L.1991, c.227 (C.26:2P-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
C.18A:35-5.1a Findings, declarations.
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. New Jersey is among the nationwide leaders in tick-borne diseases and was one of the 17 states that reported 95 percent of the confirmed Lyme disease cases in 2019.
b. If not diagnosed and treated early, symptoms of Lyme disease may become more severe and life-altering. Later stages of Lyme disease can result in arthritis, severe joint pain and swelling, nervous system problems, impaired memory and other cognitive defects, and heart problems that include heart palpitations and chest pain.
c. It is altogether fitting and proper that New Jersey schools provide students with a more expansive education on ticks, tick-borne disease, and best methods for preventing exposure and identifying symptoms of tick-borne diseases.
2. Section 1 of P.L.1991, c.488 (C.18A:35-5.1) is amended to read as follows:
C.18A:35-5.1 Curriculum guidelines, Lyme disease, tick-borne disease prevention.
1. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, shall develop curriculum guidelines for the teaching of information on the prevention of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases within the public school health curriculum. The guidelines shall emphasize disease prevention and include topics such as the biology of various tick species, tick habitats, a list of diseases transmitted by ticks, recommended attire and repellants to help protect an individual from ticks, how to perform tick checks, proper techniques for the removal of ticks, and symptoms an individual may experience after receiving a tick bite. The Commissioner of Education shall periodically review and update the guidelines to insure that the curriculum reflects the most current information available.
3. Section 2 of P.L.1991, c.488 (C.18A:35-5.2) is amended to read as follows:
C.18A:35-5.2 Curriculum guidelines, availability, incorporation, consultation.
2. a. The commissioner shall make the curriculum guidelines available to all school districts in the State.
b. A board of education shall incorporate the curriculum guidelines developed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1991, c.488 (C.18A:35-5.1) in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in grades kindergarten through 12 as part of the school district's implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
c. A board of education shall also consult resources from multiple nationally-recognized organizations with expertise in Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases in fulfilling the requirements of subsection b. of this section.
C.26:2P-8 Tick removal, prevention, discovery guidelines, publish, Department of Health website.
4. The Department of Health shall publish on the department's Internet website guidelines concerning the prevention, discovery, and removal of ticks on persons.
5. The Department of Health and the State Board of Education shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to the first full school year following the date of enactment.
Approved May 15, 2023.
