NJ Senate Unanimously Supports A-444

I was very pleased with the Senate’s voting session yesterday pertaining to my bill, A-444. In short, this bill will require school board members, and those running for this elected position, to be subject to a criminal background check.

This bill evens the playing field within the education system. It extends the standards of accountability that teachers and administrators who work in schools are held to. Of the 36 Senators present for a vote, my bill received UNANIMOUS support from every Senator present.

I was very pleased to see the amendments added to my bill by Senator Diane Allen, who, along with Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono, are the prime sponsors. A brief summary of the amendments read as follows:

These floor amendments would require a member of a charter school board of trustees to undergo a criminal history background check and would disqualify that individual for the same offenses that would disqualify a member of a board of education under the provisions of the bill. These floor amendments would also permit a board of education or a charter school to reimburse a school board member or a member of the board of trustees, as appropriate, for the costs of the criminal history record check.