April 16, 2020
Governor Murphy has signed into law a bill that requires virtual or remote instruction days be counted towards the 180-day school requirement during certain emergencies. The new law allows a school district, renaissance school project, charter school, county vocational school district, county special services school district, or an approved private school for students with disabilities (APSSD) to meet the 180-day requirement in a year with an excessive number of unexpected school closures due to a declared state of emergency, declared a public health emergency, or a directive by the appropriate health agency or officer to institute a public health-related closure through the use of virtual or remote instruction.
PGA represented ASAH, a trade association of private schools and agencies in New Jersey which provide highly specialized programs and services to students with complex disabilities. Under the new law, APSSDs are allowed to provide instruction as well as related services virtually to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. These related services include speech, occupational therapies, physical therapies, counseling, behavior modification. ASAH’s lobbyist and PGA’s Vice President, Barbara DeMarco, led the effort with support from Lynn Nowak, a lobbyist for the New Jersey Speech-Language and Hearing Association, and parent company, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman’s education attorneys, Vito A. Gagliardi, Jr., David C. Hespe, and Janelle Edwards-Stewart.
To read the full bill, click here.