ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3695

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 10, 2025

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3695 (1R).

      As amended, this bill requires the Commissioner of Education to develop guidelines concerning student use of cell phones and social media and requires a board of education to adopt a policy concerning student use of cell phones and social media.

      Under the amended bill, the commissioner is to develop guidelines applicable to students enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12 concerning student use of cell phones and social media platforms during regular school hours, on a school bus, or during school-sanctioned events when the student is under the direct supervision of a teaching staff member or employee of the board of education.

      The guidelines are to, at a minimum: (1) provide age appropriate and grade-level differentiated guidelines concerning limiting and prohibiting student use of cell phones and social media platforms; (2) prohibit non-academic use of a cell phone or social media during classroom instruction; (3) be consistent with State and federal law including accommodations provided in a student’s Individualized Education Program, educational plan, or student health plan; (4) address permitting student use of cell phones in the case of an emergency or in response to a perceived threat of danger; (5) address smartphones, cell phones with only text or voice, and other relevant devices, including smart watches; (6) list options that may be utilized by a school district for cell phone storage, including locked pouches and cell phone lockers; (7) provide guidance for a school district to establish network-based restrictions to prevent the use of, or access to, social media platforms; and (8) detail protocols for communicating the district’s policy concerning student use of cell phones and social media platforms to students, their families, and teaching staff members.

      In developing the guidelines, the commissioner is to consult with interested stakeholders in the education community to ensure that the policies are responsive to the needs of students, parents, and teaching staff members.

      The amended bill also requires each board of education to adopt a policy concerning student use of cell phones and social media platforms during regular school hours, on a school bus, or during school-sanctioned events when the student is under the direct supervision of a teaching staff member or employee of the board of education.  The policy is to be consistent with the guidelines developed by the commissioner.

      Under the bill, the guidelines developed by the commissioner are not to prohibit a principal or designee from making a reasonable accommodation for the use of cell phones or social media platforms for educational purposes.

      As amended and reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 3695 (1R) is identical to Assembly Bill No. 4882 which was also amended and reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to

· require the Commissioner of Education to adopt guidelines concerning student cell phone use and social media;

· require the guidelines: (1) be consistent with accommodations provided in a student’s student health plan established to monitor or address a student’s health condition; and (2) address permitting student use of cell phones in the case of an emergency or in response to a perceived threat of danger;

· include the American Federation of Teachers and New Jersey Association of School Administrators in the list of interested stakeholders in the education community with whom the Commissioner of Education is to consult when developing the guidelines;

· remove a provision permitting the commissioner to grant an exemption to a board of education to the requirement to adopt the policy; and

· provide that the guidelines developed by the commissioner under the bill are not to prohibit a principal or designee from making a reasonable accommodation for the use of cell phones or social media platforms for educational purposes.