Requires school bus personnel members to call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires certain school buses transportating students with disabilities to be equipped with certain safety features; makes appropriation.

A4479

ASSEMBLY, No. 4479

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 24, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� AL BARLAS

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

Assemblyman� MICHAEL VENEZIA

District 34 (Essex)

Assemblywoman� SHAMA A. HAIDER

District 37 (Bergen)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblymen DePhillips, Azzariti Jr., Peterson, Bhalla,
Singh, Assemblywomen Rowan, Park, Assemblymen Scharfenberger, Sauickie, DiMaio,
Sampson, Rumpf, Assemblywomen Fantasia, Flynn, Assemblymen McClellan, Simonsen,
Egan, Inganamort, Auth, Kanitra, S.Kean, Kearney and Clifton

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires school bus personnel members to call 911
emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires certain
school buses transporting students with disabilities to be equipped with
certain safety features; makes appropriation.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning school bus safety, amending various
parts of the statutory law, supplementing chapter 39 of Title 18A of the New
Jersey Statutes and Title 39 of the Revised Statutes
, and making an
appropriation
.

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

���� 1.� Section 1 of P.L.2018,
c.160 (C.18A:39-19.1a) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1. a. As used in this
section, "employer" means a board of education or a contractor that
provides pupil transportation services under contract with a board of
education.

���� b.��� An employer shall ensure
that all school bus drivers
[
and
]

,
school
bus aides
, and other school bus personnel subject to the provisions of
sections 4 through 6 of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill)
are properly trained for the functions of their
positions.

���� c.���� An employer shall
administer a safety education program for all permanent and substitute school
bus drivers
[
and
]

,

school bus aides
, and other school bus personnel subject to the provisions
of sections 4 through 6 of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill)
that it employs.� At a minimum, the training
shall include:

���� (1)�� student management and
discipline;

���� (2)�� school bus accident and
emergency procedures;

���� (3)�� conducting school bus
emergency exit drills;

���� (4)�� loading and unloading
procedures;

���� (5)�� school bus stop loading
zone safety;

���� (6)�� inspecting the school
vehicle for students left on board at the end of a route; and

���� (7)�� the use of a student's
education records, including the employee's responsibility to ensure the
privacy of the student and the student's records, if applicable.

���� d.��� In addition to the
training requirements in subsection c. of this section, an employer shall
administer to school bus drivers a safety education program that includes
defensive driving techniques and railroad crossing procedures.

���� e.���� The employer shall
administer the safety education program set forth in subsections c. and d. of
this section twice per calendar year.�

(cf: P.L.2018, c.160, s.1)

���� 2.� Section 1 of P.L.2015,
c.123 (C.18A:39-19.2) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.��� The Commissioner of
Education shall develop a training program for school bus drivers
[
and
]

,

school bus aides
, and other school bus personnel subject to the provisions
of sections 4 through 6 of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill)
on proper procedures for interacting with
students with
[
special
needs
]

disabilities
.� The training program shall include, but need not be
limited to, the following:

���� a.���� appropriate behavior
management;

���� b.��� effective communication;

���� c.���� use and operation of
adaptive equipment;
[
and
]

���� d.��� understanding behaviors
that may be related to specific disabilities
; and

����
e.���� understanding
behaviors or other signs that may indicate circumstances in which a potential
life-threatening emergency, as defined in section 4 of P.L.��� , c.����
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), is occurring on a
school bus transporting one or more students with disabilities
.

���� The commissioner shall make
the training program available to boards of education and school bus
contractors providing pupil transportation services under contract with boards
of education no later than one year following the effective date of
[
this act
]

P.L.2015,
c.123 (C.18A:39-19.2 et seq.).� The training program shall be updated to
include information on understanding behaviors or other signs that may indicate
circumstances in which a potential life-threatening emergency is occurring on a
school bus transporting one or more students with disabilities, and made
available to school districts, no later than 180 days following the effective
date of P.L. , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this
bill)
.

(cf: P.L.2015, c.123, s.1)

���� 3.� Section 2 of P.L.2015,
c.123 (C.18A:39-19.3) is amended to read as follows:

���� 2. a.
(1)
An employer
shall administer the training program developed pursuant to section 1 of
[
this act
]

P.L.2015,
c.123 (C.18A:39-19.2)
to all school bus drivers and school bus aides that
it employs. �In the case of an individual who is employed prior to the
development and availability of the training program, the employer shall
administer the training program to the individual no later than 180 days after
the training program is made available by the commissioner.� In the case of an
individual who is employed after the development and availability of the
training program, the employer shall administer the training program to the
individual prior to that individual operating a school bus or serving as an
aide on a school bus.

����
(2)� An employer shall also
administer the training program developed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2015,
c.123 (C.18A:39-19.2) to all other school bus personnel subject to the
provisions of sections 4 through 6 of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before
the Legislature as this bill). �In the case of an individual who is already
working, and is otherwise responsible for the safety of students, on a school
bus transporting one or more students with disabilities upon the enactment of
P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill),
the employer shall administer the training program to the individual no later
than 90 days following the update to the training program to include
information on understanding behaviors or other signs that may indicate
circumstances in which a potential life-threatening emergency is occurring.� In
the case of an individual who works, and is otherwise responsible for the
safety of students, on a school bus transporting one or more students with disabilities
after the enactment of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill), the employer shall administer the training program
to the individual prior to that individual first working, and engaging in
responsibilities related to the safety of students, on a school bus
transporting one or more students with disabilities.

�����
(3)� Following the
initial administration of the training program pursuant to paragraphs (1) and
(2) of this subsection, an employer shall administer the training program twice
per calendar year.

���� b.��� An employer shall
require
[
that
]
a school bus
driver
[
or
]

,

school bus aide
, or any other individual employed as a school bus personnel
member to
file a certification with the employer that the individual has
completed the training program within five business days of its completion.�
The employer shall retain a copy of the certification for the duration of the
individual's employment
[
,
and shall forward a copy of the certification to the Department of Education
]

.� A board
of education shall forward a copy of the certification to the Department of
Education.� A contractor providing pupil transportation services under contract
with a board of education shall forward a copy of the certification to the
board of education to which the contractor is providing services, and the board
shall then forward the certification to the Department of Education
.

���� c.���� As used in this
section, "employer" means a board of education or a contractor that
provides pupil transportation services under contract with a board of
education.

(P.L.2015, c.123, s.2)

���� 4.� (New section)� As used in
sections 5 through 6 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill):

���� �Department� the means
Department of Education.

���� �Potential life-threatening
emergency� means a situation in which a prudent person could reasonably believe
that immediate intervention is necessary to protect the life of a student with
disabilities being transported on a school bus, or to protect the lives of
other students on the school bus, from a possible medical or behavioral
emergency, or a possible immediate threat or actual occurrence of a fatal
injury, impairment to bodily functions, or dysfunction of a bodily organ or
part.

���� �School bus� means the same as
that term is defined in R.S.39:1-

1.�

���� �School bus personnel� means a
school bus driver, school bus aide, and any other individual who works, and is
otherwise responsible for the safety of students, on a school bus.

���� 5.� (New section)� a.� School
bus personnel shall be required to call the 911 emergency telephone service for
assistance in the event of a potential life-threatening emergency on the school
bus.� School bus personnel shall report that call to the department, in
accordance with policies and procedures established by regulation pursuant to section
7 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this
bill).� A board of education, or a school bus contractor providing pupil
transportation services under contract with a board of education, as
applicable, that employs school bus personnel, as well as the department, shall
maintain a record of the calls made pursuant to this section and in accordance
with the policies and procedures established by regulation pursuant to section 7
of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.�� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

���� b.� A board of education, or a
school bus contractor providing pupil transportation services under contract
with a board of education, as applicable, shall ensure that appropriate
training is provided to school bus personnel, to effectuate the purposes of
subsection a. of this section, which training shall include the safety
education program required pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2018, c.160
(C.18A:39-19.1a) and the training program developed pursuant to section 1 of
P.L.2015, c.123 (C.18A:39-19.2).� A board of education or school bus contractor
that fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be subject to
the applicable penalties enumerated in N.J.S.18A:39-20.�

���� 6.� (New section)� a.� The
parent or guardian of a student who believes that a school bus personnel member
violated the provisions of section 5 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill), may file a complaint with the department,
in accordance with procedures established by regulation pursuant to section 7
of
P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).� The department shall investigate all
complaints filed pursuant to this section in order to determine if a school bus
personnel member violated the provisions of section 5 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.�� �����)
(pending before the Legislature as this bill).

���� b.� If the department finds
that a school bus personnel member violates the provisions of section 5 of
P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the
school bus personnel member shall be liable to a civil penalty of $5,000 for
the first offense, $10,000 for the second offense, and $25,000 for the third
and each subsequent offense, to be sued for and collected in a summary
proceeding by the Commissioner of Education pursuant to the �Penalty
Enforcement Law of 1999,� P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).

���� c.� The department shall
maintain a record of all instances in which a school bus personnel member is
found to have violated the provisions of section 5 of P.L.��� , c.���
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).�

���� 7.� (New section) The
Commissioner of Education, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,�
P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations
necessary to effectuate the provisions of sections 4 through 6 of P.L.��� ,
c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

���� 8.� N.J.S.18A:39-20 is amended
to read as follows:

���� 18A:39-20.� No board of
education or contractor shall approve or assign an individual, as a driver or
substitute driver of a school bus, without first complying with the provisions
of this chapter, and any person violating, or failing to comply with such
provisions shall be subject to a fine of:

���� a.���� not more than $5,000
for each driver unlawfully approved or assigned for the first offense;

���� b.��� not more than $10,000
for each driver unlawfully approved or assigned for the second offense; and

���� c.���� not more than $15,000
for each driver unlawfully approved or assigned for a third and each subsequent
offense.

����
The fines enumerated in
this section shall also apply to a board of education or contractor approving
or assigning a school bus aide or any other school bus personnel member subject
to the provisions of sections 4 through 6 of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill), without first ensuring that the
school bus aide or other school bus personnel member is properly administered
the safety education program required pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2018, c.160
(C.18A:39-19.1a) and that the training program developed pursuant to section 1
of P.L.2015, c.123 (C.18A:39-19.2) is administered to the school bus aide or
other school bus personnel member in accordance with section 2 of P.L.2015,
c.123 (C.18A:39-19.3).

���� It shall not be a defense to
avoid liability under this section that a board of education or contractor
unknowingly failed to comply with the provisions of this chapter.

(cf: P.L.2021, c.306, s.1)

���� 9.� �Section 3 of P.L.1999,
c.5 (C.39:3B-20) is amended to read as follows:

���� 3.��� As used in
[
this act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
:

����
[
"Director" means the
Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles in the Department of Transportation
]
�Chief
Administrator� means the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission
;

����
[
"Division" means the
Division of Motor Vehicles in the Department of Transportation
]
�
Commission�
means the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
;

���� "In-terminal
inspection" means an inspection conducted by the
[
Division of
Motor Vehicles
]

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
at the operator's terminal of any
motor vehicle required to meet the safety regulations for school buses adopted
by the Department of Transportation pursuant to
[
R.S.39:3B-5
]

section 6
of P.L.1965, c.119 (C.39:3B-5)
and
section 1 of
P.L.1986, c.92
[
(C.18A:3B-5.4)
]

(C.39:3B-5.4)

and vehicle emissions standards established for engine type pursuant to
R.S.39:8-2 and section 3 of P.L.1995, c.157 (C.39:8-61);

���� "Operator" means the
owner or person responsible for the day to day operation and maintenance of
school buses;

���� "School bus" means
all Type I and Type II school buses as defined in R.S.39:1-1 and school buses
retired pursuant to
section 1 of
P.L.1986, c.92 (C.39:3B-5.4), under the
jurisdiction of the
[
division
]

commission
.

(cf: P.L.1999, c.5, s.3)

���� 10.� Section 4 of P.L.1999,
c.5 (C.39:3B-21) is amended to read as follows:

���� 4. a. The chief administrator
shall establish a school bus enhanced safety inspection program which shall
include, but not be limited to, the following elements:

���� (1)�� an in-terminal school
bus inspection program which provides for the semi-annual or annual inspection
of school buses by commission inspectors
.� Each in-terminal school bus inspection
conducted pursuant to this paragraph shall provide for the inspection of the equipment
required to be installed on school buses that transport one or more students
with disabilities with special transportation requirements pursuant to the
provisions of section 13 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill)
;

���� (2)�� standards and
requirements pertaining to the equipment, maintenance, and repair of school
buses subject to inspection pursuant to
[
this
act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
;
all in-terminal inspections, including those involving diesel vehicles, shall
include an emission inspection to determine whether that vehicle meets the
State's emission specifications and standards;

���� (3)�� standards and
requirements pertaining to the establishment and maintenance of school bus
maintenance, repair, and inspection records for all school buses in the
operator's fleet; and

���� (4)�� standards and
requirements pertaining to the establishment and maintenance of driver
employment records, including records which demonstrate a driver's compliance
with all statutory and regulatory requirements for authorization to operate a
school bus, and any other records and credentials deemed necessary by the chief
administrator for school bus drivers employed by the operator.� The records
shall be made available to commission inspectors during each in-terminal
inspection.

���� b.��� If an operator does not
have adequate terminal facilities to allow for a proper and thorough
in-terminal inspection, the chief administrator shall designate an in-lieu-of
terminal site and direct the operator to present
[
his
]

the operator�s
buses and
records to that site for inspection on such terms and conditions as determined
by the chief administrator.

���� c.���� The time and location
of any inspection or reinspection conducted pursuant to this section shall be
determined by the chief administrator.� Unless an owner agrees to a different
time schedule, the chief administrator shall schedule a reinspection within three
days of the date of the inspection that necessitated the reinspection.

����
d.��� As used in this
section, �students with disabilities with special transportation requirements�
means students who are included in the variable P2 of subsection a. of section
15 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-57).

(cf: P.L.2009, c.331, s.3)

���� 11.� Section 5 of P.L.1999,
c.5 (C.39:3B-22) is amended to read as follows:

���� 5.��� a.�� Any operator who
violates the standards for driver employment records established pursuant to
subsection a. of section 4 of
[
this
act
]

P.L.1999,
c.5 (C.39:3B-21)
, or who fails to retain proper records for inspection as
required, or who fails to make available any record or document required at the
time of inspection, or who falsifies any record, or who fails to present or
otherwise make available any school bus or buses due for inspection, as
requested by an examiner, unless notification of the intent to withhold a bus
or buses from an examiner is made in writing at least 24 hours prior to the
scheduled inspection, shall be fined not less than $50 and not more than $500
per violation, in accordance with a schedule of fines to be established by the
[
director
]

chief
administrator
.� The
[
director
]

chief
administrator
shall waive the requirement of notice upon a showing of good
cause by an operator.� A bus withheld from an examiner pursuant to this section
shall be inspected within 30 days of the date of the originally scheduled
inspection, unless otherwise agreed by the operator and the
[
director
]

chief
administrator
. The operator shall be responsible for all fines.

���� Nothing in this subsection
shall be deemed to preclude any other enforcement actions provided by law.

���� b.��� Any fine imposed
pursuant to the provisions of this section may be collected, with costs, in a
summary proceeding pursuant to
[
"the
penalty enforcement law," N.J.S.2A:58-1 et seq.
]

the �Penalty Enforcement Law
of 1999,� P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).
� The Superior Court or
municipal court of the county or municipality in which the violation occurs or
in which the operator resides or has a place of business or principal office in
this State, shall have jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of
[
"the
penalty enforcement law"
]

the �Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999,� P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.)

in connection with any violation of
[
this
act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
.

���� The
[
director
]

chief
administrator
or any duly authorized representative of the
[
director
]

chief
administrator
may issue a summons and complaint returnable in any court of
competent jurisdiction for a violation of
[
this
act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)

or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to
[
this
act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
.�
A municipal, county, or State prosecutor is authorized to assist the
[
director
]

chief
administrator
in the enforcement of
[
this
act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
.�
The
[
director
]

chief
administrator
may institute an action in the Superior Court for injunctive
relief to prevent or restrain any violation of
[
this act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
,
or any rule or regulation adopted, or any administrative or judicial order
issued, pursuant to
[
this
act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
.

���� c.���� Any officer charged
with the enforcement of State and municipal laws is authorized to assist the
[
director
]

chief
administrator
or any duly authorized representative of the
[
director
]

chief
administrator
in the enforcement of the provisions of
[
this act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
,
or any rule or regulation adopted, or any administrative or judicial order
issued, pursuant to
[
this
act
]

the
�School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act,� P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-18 et seq.)
.

(cf: P.L.1999, c.5, s.5)

���� 12.� (New section)� As used in
sections 13 through 15 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill), �students with disabilities with special
transportation requirements� means students who are included in the variable P2
of subsection a. of section 15 of P.L.2007, c.26 (C.18A:7F-57).

���� 13.� �(New section)� a.� (1)
Every school bus, as defined in R.S.39:1-1, that transports one or more
students with disabilities with special transportation requirements shall be
equipped with:

���� (a)� a video camera on the
interior of the school bus to monitor student safety while the students are
being transported;

���� (b)� a global positioning
system that provides information about the location and speed of each school
bus in real time; and

���� (c)� two-way communications
equipment, which may include, but not be limited to, a cellular or other
wireless telephone.

���� (2)� Each in-terminal school
bus inspection conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection a. of section
4 of P.L.1999, c.5 (C.39:3B-21) shall provide for the inspection of the
equipment required to be installed under paragraph (1) of this subsection.

���� b.��� Notwithstanding the
provisions of this section, a school bus driver shall comply with the
provisions of section 1 of P.L.2002, c.120 (C.39:3B-25) while operating a
school bus.

���� c.���� (1)� Any video footage
collected from a video camera and any global positioning system data collected
from the global positioning system pursuant to this section shall not be
considered a government record pursuant to P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.), P.L.2001,
c.404 (C.47:1A-5 et al.) or the common law concerning access to government
records.

���� (2)� Notwithstanding the
provisions of any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, any video footage
collected from a video camera and any global positioning system data collected
from the global positioning system installed pursuant to this section shall be
retained for not less than 180 days from the date it was recorded.

���� 14.� (New section)� Subject to
the availability of funds, including funds appropriated pursuant to section 16
of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill),
a board of education and a contractor that provides pupil transportation
services under contract with a board of education that is required to install
equipment on a school bus used to transport one or more students with
disabilities with special transportation requirements pursuant to section 13 of
P.L.��� , c.��� (C.�� �����) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) may
apply to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for funds, in a manner to be
determined by the Chief Administrator, to purchase and install the equipment.

���� 15.� (New section)� The Commissioner
of Education, in consultation with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission,
shall promulgate, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968,
c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations concerning: the installation
and use of video cameras, global positioning systems, and two-way
communications equipment as required pursuant to section 13 of� P.L.��� ,��
c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) on school
buses that transport students with disabilities with special transportation
requirements; the use and retention of data collected from the global
positioning systems; and the use and retention of video footage from the video
cameras.

���� 16.� (New section)� There is
appropriated from the General Fund to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
such sums as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of sections 13 and 14
of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill), as certified by the Chief Administrator
of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and subject to the approval of the
Director of Budget and Accounting in the Department of Treasury.

���� 17.� Sections 1 through 8 and
sections 15 and 16 of this act shall take effect immediately.� Sections 9
through 14 of this act shall take effect on the first day of the first full
fiscal year next following the date of enactment.� The Commissioner of Education,
in consultation with the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission, may take such anticipatory actions as may be necessary for the
timely implementation of section 13 of this act.

STATEMENT

���� The bill requires school bus
drivers, school bus aides, and any other individual who works, and is otherwise
responsible for the safety of students, on a school bus to call the 911
emergency telephone service for assistance in the event of a potential life-threatening
emergency on the school bus.� A school bus personnel member is required to
report the call to the Department of Education.� Under the bill, a board of
education, or a school bus contractor providing pupil transportation services
under contract with a board of education, that employs a school bus personnel
member, as well as the department, is to maintain a record of the calls.�

���� A board of education, or a
school bus contractor, as applicable, is required to ensure that certain
training related to school bus safety and interacting with students with
disabilities are provided to each school bus personnel member who works on a
school bus.� Under current law, these training programs are required to be
administered to school bus drivers and school bus aides.� The bill expands
these programs to cover all other school bus personnel members who work, and
are responsible for the safety of students, on a school bus.� A board of
education or school bus contractor that does not properly administer these
training programs is to be subject to applicable penalties established under
current law.� Current law requires an employer to administer a safety education
program, including a program that provides training on defensive driving
techniques and railroad crossing procedures, to certain school bus personnel
twice per calendar year. The bill requires that an employer is to also provide
the training on interacting with students with disabilities to certain school
bus personnel twice per calendar year following the initial administration of
the program as outlined in the bill.�

���� The bill provides that the
parent or guardian of a student who believes that a school bus personnel member
did not properly call the 911 emergency telephone service in the event of a
potential life-threatening emergency may file a complaint with the Department
of Education.� A school bus personnel member who is found by the office to have
violated the provisions concerning 911 emergency notification and follow-up
reporting requirements is to be liable for certain civil penalties.�

���� The bill also requires a
school bus that transports one or more students with disabilities with special
transportation requirements to be equipped with:� (1) a video camera on the
interior of the school bus to monitor student safety while the students are
being transported; (2) a global positioning system that provides information
about the location and speed of each school bus in real time; and (3) two-way
communications equipment, which may include a cellular or other wireless
telephone.� Under the bill, any video footage collected from a video camera and
any data collected from a global positioning system is to be retained for not
less than 180 days from the date it was recorded.�

���� The bill requires that each
in-terminal school bus inspection conducted by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission (NJ MVC) is to provide for the inspection of the equipment required
to be installed on school buses pursuant to the bill.

���� The bill permits, subject to
the availability of funds, a board of education and a contractor providing
pupil transportation services under contract with a board of education that is
required to install equipment on a school bus used to transport one or more
students with disabilities with special transportation requirements to apply to
the NJ MVC for funds, in a manner to be determined by the Chief Administrator,
to be used to purchase and install the equipment.

���� The bill appropriates from the
General Fund to the NJ MVC such sums as are necessary to effectuate the
provisions of the bill requiring installation of equipment on a school bus and
issuing funds.

���� For the provisions of the bill
concerning the installation of equipment on school buses and the in-terminal
school bus inspections, the bill defines �students with disabilities with
special transportation requirements� to mean a student with a disability who is
identified pursuant to school funding law as needing special transportation
requirements.