Requires school district to suspend without pay school employees accused of criminal offenses or unbecoming conduct involving child.

A5267

ASSEMBLY, No. 5267

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED JUNE 15, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� AL BARLAS

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires school district to suspend without pay
school employees accused of criminal offenses or unbecoming conduct involving
child.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning the suspension of certain school personnel
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. a.� Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
contrary,� a board of education shall suspend, without pay, any school
employee, including a tenured or nontenured school employee, who is accused of
criminal offenses involving one or more children or of unbecoming conduct
involving one or more children, pending the determination of the charge.�
If a school employee is suspended pursuant
to the provisions of this section, the basis for the suspension shall be
identified in a written notice to the employee. The employee shall have 14 days
from the date of the written notice to challenge the accuracy of the pending
charge.�

���� b.
If
the charge is dismissed, the employee shall be reinstated immediately with full
pay from the first day of the suspension.
If the pending charge
results in conviction, the employee shall be ineligible for continued
employment with the board and shall be ineligible for new employment with any
other board of education in the State.

���� c. The suspension of
employment pursuant to this subsection shall not be subject to any grievance or
appeals procedures or tenure proceedings pursuant to any collectively bargained
or negotiated agreement or any law, rule, or regulation.

���� 2. A board of education shall
report annually to the Commissioner of Education any suspensions made pursuant
to the provisions of section 1 of this act, and the final determination of
charges related to those suspensions.�

���� 3. The Commissioner of
Education may withhold State aid, in whole or in part, in the next school year
from a school district that fails to comply with the provisions of section 1 or
section 2 of this act.�

���� 4.� The Commissioner of
Education shall annually report to the Governor, and to the Legislature
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), in the month preceding
the start of each school year on the number of suspensions reported pursuant to
section 2 of this act and any State aid withheld pursuant to section 3 of this
act.��

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

STATEMENT

���� This
bill requires a school district to suspend without pay a school employee who
has been accused of a criminal offense or unbecoming conduct involving one or
more children.�

���� This bill provides that a
board of education will suspend,
without pay, any school employee, including a tenured or nontenured teaching
staff member, who is accused of criminal offenses involving one or more
children or of unbecoming conduct involving one or more children, pending the
determination of the charge.�
If
a school employee is suspended, the basis for the suspension will be identified
in a written notice to the employee. The employee will have 14 days from the
date of the written notice to challenge the accuracy of the pending charge.�

���� Under the bill, i
f the charge is dismissed, the employee will be reinstated
immediately with full pay from the first day of the suspension.
If
the pending charge results in conviction, the employee will be ineligible for
continued employment with the board and will be ineligible for new employment
with any other board of education in the State.

���� The bill further provides that
a suspension of employment pursuant to the bill�s provisions will not be
subject to any grievance or appeals procedures or tenure proceedings pursuant
to any collectively bargained or negotiated agreement or any law, rule, or
regulation.

���� The bill directs each board of
education to report annually to the Commissioner of Education any suspensions
made pursuant to the bill�s provisions and the final determination of charges
related to those suspensions.�

���� The bill permits the Commissioner
of Education to withhold State aid, in whole or in part, in the next school
year from a school district that fails to comply with the bill�s provisions.�

���� Finally, the bill directs the Commissioner
of Education to report to the Governor and the Legislature annually on the
number of suspensions reported and any State aid withheld pursuant to the
bill�s provisions.��