Although it was absolute vetoed by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) back in October, Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti (D-31) has reintroduced a bill that would allow certain school districts to delay their New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum review and it has again cleared the state Assembly.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The goal always was and always has been to give school districts the upper hand in this
pandemic,” Chiaravalloti said in a statement.
“Although the COVID-19 pandemic has understandably complicated this process, it is my hope that the Department of Education and school districts will have the opportunity to focus on accommodating students during this time.”
Bill A-4975 allows for school districts to opt out of their 2020-2021 NJQSAC review until the 2023-2024 school year only if the school district is designated as “high performing.”
NJQSAC is a periodic review by the state Department of Education in which every public school district must undergo. Although districts are reviewed on a staggered schedule, this schedule has been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Assembly cleared the measure unanimously during yesterday’s session.
Chiravalloti said in October that he was “extremely disappointed” and “blindsided” to discover that Murphy vetoed the bill.
In the governor’s veto statement, he wrote at the time that “requiring certain districts to undergo two reviews in three years is redundant and unnecessary,” especially when so many resources are being allocated to the current public health emergency.
