ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1682

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 12, 2024

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 1682 with committee amendments.

The amended bill requires the State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies pertaining to the history of labor and labor movements in the United States and New Jersey.

      Under the amended bill, boards of education are required to include instruction on United States and New Jersey labor history and the contributions of the labor movement in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in grades six through 12 as part of the school district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies.

     Under the amended bill, the instruction is to include, at a minimum, information on:

· the history of organized labor;

· notable strikes throughout history;

· unionization drives; and

· the collective bargaining process and existing legal protections in the workplace.

     The amended bill requires boards of education to establish policies and procedures pertaining to the selection of instructional materials and, when adopting instructional materials for use in the schools of the district, to adopt inclusive materials that portray the political, economic, and societal contributions of individuals involved in the labor movement throughout the history of the United States and New Jersey.

     Under the amended bill, the adoption of standards by the State board is to occur concurrent with each update to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards as required under current law.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

· require the State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies pertaining to the history of labor and labor movements in the United States and New Jersey;

· remove a requirement that the Commissioner of Education provide school districts with age-appropriate sample learning activities and resources;

· require boards of education to establish policies and procedures pertaining to the selection of instructional materials as required under the bill and, when adopting instructional materials for use in the schools of the district, to adopt inclusive materials that portray the political, economic, and societal contributions of individuals involved in the labor movement throughout the history of the United States and New Jersey; and

· change the effective date to require the standards adopted by the State board pursuant to the bill to occur concurrent with each update of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards as required under current law.