A4591 • 2026

Permits school districts to define excused absences from school to include illness based on student's mental or behavioral health and requires Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines for defining excused absence for this reason.

Education

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Murphy, Carol A.
Last action: 2026-03-10
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.

Permits school districts to define excused absences from school to include illness based on student's mental or behavioral health and requires Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines for defining excused absence for this reason.

What This Bill Does

Permits school districts to define excused absences from school to include illness based on student's mental or behavioral health and requires Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines for defining excused absence for this reason.
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

2026-03-10 New Jersey Legislature
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee

Official Summary Text

Permits school districts to define excused absences from school to include illness based on student's mental or behavioral health and requires Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines for defining excused absence for this reason.
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

A4591

ASSEMBLY, No. 4591

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Angelozzi

SYNOPSIS

���� Permits school districts to define excused absences
from school to include illness based on student�s mental or behavioral health
and requires Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines for defining
excused absence for this reason.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning excused absences from public school and
supplementing chapter 36 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 school district
in developing, adopting, and implementing policies and procedures regarding
attendance of students at school may define an excused absence from school to
include an absence for an illness of the student based on the mental or
behavioral health of the student.�

���� b.��� The Commissioner of
Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, shall develop
guidelines on defining an excused absence from school for a student�s illness
based on the mental or behavioral health of the student.� The guidelines shall
include the supporting documentation that may be required by the school
district upon the student�s return to school after an absence for an illness
based on the mental or behavioral health of the student for the absence to be
considered an excused absence.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the second full school year following the date of
enactment, but the Commissioner of Education may take such anticipatory
administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the
implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill provides statutory
authority for a school district, in developing, adopting, and implementing its
policies and procedures regarding attendance of students at school, to define
an excused absence from school to include an absence for an illness of the
student based on the mental or behavioral health of the student.� The bill
requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner
of Health, to develop guidelines on defining an excused absence from school for
a student�s illness based on the mental or behavioral health of the student.�
The guidelines will include the supporting documentation that may be required
by the school district upon the student�s return to school after an absence for
an illness based on the mental or behavioral health of the student for the
absence to be considered an excused absence.