S 294 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Requires certain school districts and DOE to address chronic absenteeism.

This bill requires New Jersey school districts with a chronic absenteeism rate of 10% or higher (or individual schools at 15%+) to form attendance review teams. These teams, including school staff and community partners, must address cases of chronically absent students and recommend interventions. The Department of Education must also create an online prevention plan within six months, including definitions of chronic absenteeism, causes, academic impacts, and data-tracking methods to monitor attendance by school, grade, and student demographics. The plan may also include mentorship models and incentives for schools improving attendance.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
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Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Shirley Turner
Shirley Turner
DDemocratic
NJ
15