Bill Text: NJ S1549 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires minimum of one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students on school bus.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S1549 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S1549-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires minimum of one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students on school bus.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning school bus aides and supplementing chapter 39 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. A board of education or a contractor that provides pupil transportation services under contract with a board of education shall ensure that a school bus has on board at least one school bus aide for every 15 students with special needs. The aide-to-student ratio shall be maintained at all times when a school bus is transporting students with special needs or a combination of students with special needs and general education students.
b. As used in this section, "student with special needs" means a student who is classified as eligible for special education programs and services, but shall not include a student who is classified as eligible for special education programs and services solely on the basis of a "specific learning disability," as the term is defined in the federal "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 20 U.S.C. s.1400 et seq.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires a board of education or a contracted service provider that provides pupil transportation services to ensure that a school bus has on board at least one school bus aide for every 15 students with special needs. The bill requires this aide-to-student ratio to be maintained at all times when a school bus is transporting students with special needs or a combination of students with special needs and general education students.
For purposes of this bill, a "student with special needs" is a student who is classified as eligible for special education programs and services, but does not include a student who is classified as eligible for special education programs and services solely on the basis of a "specific learning disability," as that term is defined in the federal "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act."
