Governor Murphy signed A.3904 (now P.L. 2020, Chapter 27), authorizing school districts and APSSDs to educate students remotely in emergency situations that require school facilities to be closed for more than three days. A day of remote instruction will be considered equivalent to a full day of school attendance and counts towards the 180-day requirement.
Notably the law authorizes the remote provision of related services including speech, counseling, OT, PT and behavioral services as required by students’ IEPs to the greatest extent practicable. The law also directs the NJ Commissioner Education to issue guidance on providing instruction to students who may not have computer access or sufficient broadband; required length of the remote instructional day; and the impact of remote instruction on school lunch programs and state assessments.
