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A1688 • 2026

Requires minimum of one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students on school bus.

Requires minimum of one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students on school bus.

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Reynolds-Jackson, Verlina
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires minimum of one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students on school bus.

Requires minimum of one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students on school bus.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires minimum of one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students on school bus.
  • Topic: Education Fiscal note: This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

Official Summary Text

Requires minimum of one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students on school bus.
Topic:
Education
Fiscal note:
This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A1688

ASSEMBLY, No. 1688

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Venezia

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.�