Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Caputo
SYNOPSIS
Requires closure of schools in school districts within county that reaches certain COVID-19 transmission rate or experiences certain increase in COVID-19 cases during 2020-2021 school year.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the closing of public schools under certain circumstances during the 2020-2021 school year.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, for the 2020-2021 school year, a school district shall, in conjunction with the appropriate health agency or officer, close the schools of the district for in-person instruction if:
(1) the most recently reported COVID-19 rate of transmission for the county in which the school district is located is at or above 1.0; or
(2) the number of positive COVID-19 test results in the county in which the school district is located increases by 10 percent or more over the prior seven-day average.
b. A school district that closes its schools for in-person instruction pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall keep the schools closed until such time as the county is below the threshold specified in paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this section, as applicable, for 14 consecutive days.
c. As used in this section, “COVID-19 rate of transmission” means the average number of persons infected with COVID-19 by one person who has been infected with COVID-19, as calculated and reported by the Department of Health.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require all school districts within a county, in conjunction with the appropriate health agency or officer, to close their schools for in-person instruction during the 2020-2021 school year if:
· the most recently reported COVID-19 rate of transmission for the county is at or above 1.0; or
· the number of positive COVID-19 test results in the county increases by 10 percent or more over the prior seven-day average.
The bill defines the rate of transmission as the average number of persons infected with COVID-19 by one person who has been infected with COVID-19.
Under the bill, the school
districts would keep their schools closed for in-person instruction until the
county is below the specified thresholds for 14 consecutive days.
The purpose of the bill is to help ensure the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff as schools reopen for in-person instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using epidemiological benchmarks to drive decisions regarding the reopening and closing of schools recognizes that educational decisions for the upcoming school year must consider public health data to limit the impact of COVID-19 in school communities.