TRENTON, N.J. — A bill requiring the state’s top education official to annually recommend spring break dates for New Jersey school districts has been approved by the Senate Education Committee.
Senate Bill No. 2673, sponsored by Sen. Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex), mandates that the Commissioner of Education provide school districts with suggested spring break dates by June 30 each year to assist in the development of school calendars.
The proposal does not force school districts to adopt the recommended dates but directs them to take the commissioner’s guidance into consideration when planning closures for spring break.
The bill is scheduled to take effect beginning with the next academic year. Under the legislation, the commissioner would have been required to issue the first spring break recommendations by June 30, with subsequent recommendations to follow annually by the same deadline.
Bill aims to standardize planning for school closures
Supporters of the legislation say the measure is designed to promote greater consistency and predictability across districts regarding spring break schedules, though participation remains voluntary.
The bill supplements Chapter 36 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, which governs school calendar matters and other educational scheduling policies.
The legislation authorizes the commissioner to take any administrative steps necessary to implement the act before it officially takes effect.