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A1958 • 2026

Requires teachers to biennially complete two hours of professional development related to cultural competence.

Requires teachers to biennially complete two hours of professional development related to cultural competence.

Education
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Quijano, Annette
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 teachers to biennially complete two hours of professional development related to cultural competence.

Requires teachers to biennially complete two hours of professional development related to cultural competence.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires teachers to biennially complete two hours of professional development related to cultural competence.
  • Topic: Education Fiscal note: This bill has not 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 teachers to biennially complete two hours of professional development related to cultural competence.
Topic:
Education
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A1958

ASSEMBLY, No. 1958

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Assemblyman MICHAEL VENEZIA

District 34 (Essex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires teachers to biennially complete two hours of
professional development related to cultural competence.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning professional development for public school
teachers and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� The State Board of
Education shall, as part of the professional development requirement
established by the State board for public school teachers, require each teacher
to complete two hours of instruction in cultural competency in each two-year
period.� This instruction shall assist a teacher to successfully teach students
from cultures which are different than the teacher�s own culture.� The
instruction shall include, but shall not be limited to, a discussion of:
personal and interpersonal awareness and sensitivities; acts of microaggression
in the classroom; and implicit bias.�

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.�

STATEMENT

���� State Board of Education
regulations at N.J.A.C.6A:9-15.4 require all active teachers in a school
district to complete a minimum of 20 hours of approved professional development
each year.� This bill requires the board, as part of the professional development
requirement, to require each public school teacher to complete two hours of
instruction in cultural competency in each two-year period.� The instruction
must include, but need not be limited to, a discussion of: personal and
interpersonal awareness and sensitivities; acts of microaggression in the
classroom; and implicit bias.