Sponsored by:
Senator ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires key boxes at public school buildings; appropriates $2.5 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the installation of key boxes at public school buildings, supplementing chapter 41 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. By June 30th of the 2026-2027 school year, each board of education of a school district and board of trustees of a charter school or renaissance school project shall provide for the installation at each school building of at least one exterior key box that meets or exceeds Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1037.
b. Each key box required pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall:
(1) be installed at an appropriate location for permitting emergency responders, including law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services personnel, emergency access to the building. The precise location of the key box shall be determined by the board of education or board of trustees in collaboration with emergency responders, including law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services personnel;
(2) contain keys and other access control devices as are necessary to access each building and room located on the entire school grounds; and
(3) contain the most recently updated critical incident mapping data, as defined in section 1 of P.L.2019, c.106 (C.18A:41-7.1), in a printed format.
2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $2,500,000 to effectuate the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires, by June 30th of the 2026-2027 school year, that each board of education of a school district and each board of trustees of a charter school or renaissance school project provide for the installation at each school building of at least one exterior key box that meets or exceeds Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1037. The key box is required to be installed at an appropriate location for permitting emergency responders, including law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services personnel, emergency access to the building. The board of education and board of trustees, in collaboration with emergency responders, is required to determine the precise location of the key box.
The key box is required to contain: keys and other access control devices as are necessary to access each building and room located on the entire school grounds; and the most recently updated critical incident mapping data, as defined in section 1 of P.L.2019, c.106 (C.18A:41-7.1), in a printed format.
The bill includes a $2,500,000 appropriation to effectuate the provisions of the bill.