Bill > A561

Introduced Session

This bill entitles each public school student in New Jersey to up to five absences from school for mental or behavioral health reasons which are to be considered State-recognized excused absences. After two mental or behavioral health absences, the student may be referred to the appropriate school support staff. The five mental or behavioral health absences would not count toward the 10 percent of days missed before a student is considered "chronically absent" and cannot be used to exclude a student from any awards or recognition on the basis of attendance. As an excused absence, students are required to be given the opportunity to make up any school work that was missed during the mental or behavioral health absence. In order to have the absence recognized as a mental or behavioral health absence the student may be required, by the school district, to provide any non-medical documentation which the superintendent or administrative principal of the school district deems necessary. This bill requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, to develop guidelines which would define an excused absence related to the mental or behavioral health of the student.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Andrea Katz (D)*,  Sterley Stanley (D)*,  Joe Danielsen (D),  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D),  Michael Venezia (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document