Sponsored by:
Senator KRISTIN M. CORRADO
District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)
Senator PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Special Education Transportation Task Force.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the Special Education Transportation Task Force.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act, school bus means every motor vehicle operated by, or under contract with, a public or governmental agency, or religious or other charitable organization or corporation, or privately operated for compensation for the transportation of children to or from school for secular or religious education, which complies with the regulations of the Department of Education affecting school buses, including School Vehicle Type I and School Vehicle Type II as defined pursuant to R.S.39:1-1.
2. a. There is established the Special Education Transportation Task Force. The purpose of the task force shall be to study and make recommendations on best practices for the transportation of students who receive special education and related services, including identifying and responding to medical and behavioral emergencies experienced by these students.
b. The task force shall consist of the following 18 members:
(1) the Commissioner of Education, or a designee;
(2) the Director of the Office of Special Education within the Department of Education, or a designee;
(3) the Special Education Ombudsman, or a designee;
(4) the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and their Families, or a designee; and
(5) 14 public members appointed by the Governor, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, who shall include the following:
(a) a representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, and the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network;
(b) a nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist with special education experience;
(c) a physical therapist with experience in transportation safety specific to the physical requirements of various physical disability classifications;
(d) a behavior specialist with experience addressing the risks associated with autism or emotional regulation impairment classifications, and strategies to address those risks;
(e) an individual employed by a school district in the State as a director of special education services;
(f) two individuals who serve on child study teams at public schools in the State;
(g) two individuals who serve as bus aides on school buses that provide transportation to students who receive special education and related services; and
(h) two parents with children who have received or are receiving special education and related services that include transportation services.
c. Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made.
d. The task force shall organize within 90 days of the date of enactment of this act. The task force shall select a chairperson and a vice-chairperson from among its members and shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force. A majority of the membership of the task force shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of task force business. The task force may meet and hold hearings at the place or places as it shall designate.
e. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the task force within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes.
3. a. The Department of Education shall provide such stenographic, clerical, and other administrative assistants, and such professional staff as the task force requires to carry out its work.
b. The task force shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes.
4. a. It shall be the duty of the task force to study and make recommendations as to best practices for the transportation of students who receive special education and related services. The task force shall also make recommendations as to appropriate policies and training of school staff and school bus staff that address preventing, identifying, and responding to medical and behavioral emergencies that occur while transporting students who receive special education and related services on a school bus. In making its recommendations, the task force shall:
(1) review best practices in other states;
(2) review current school transportation policies specific to students who receive special education and related services; and
(3) identify areas of concern for the transportation of these students, including those related to safety, access to necessary equipment, communication with parents and legal guardians, and staffing needs.
b. The recommendations described in subsection a. of this section may include proposals for specific statutory changes and methods to foster cooperation between parents and school districts in providing appropriate transportation services to students who receive special education and related services.
5. The task force shall issue a report of its recommendations to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature no later than 12 months after the organization of the task force.
6. This act shall take effect immediately and expire upon the issuance of the report by the task force pursuant to section 5 of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Special Education Transportation Task Force. The purpose of the task force is to study and make recommendations for best practices in transporting students who receive special education and related services, including preventing, identifying, and responding to medical and behavioral emergencies.
The task force is to consist of 18 members, including the Commissioner of Education, the Director of the Office of Special Education within Department of Education, the Special Education Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and their Families, and 14 public members to be ap