Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblyman RALPH R. CAPUTO
District 28 (Essex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle, Assemblymen McClellan, Simonsen, Conaway, Verrelli, Assemblywoman Dunn, Assemblyman Dancer, Assemblywomen Jasey and Quijano
SYNOPSIS
Requires Internet websites and web services of school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools to be accessible to persons with disabilities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the accessibility of public school websites and web services and supplementing chapter 36 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Any Internet website or web service of a school district, charter school, or renaissance school shall comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, or the most up-to-date version of the guidelines.
b. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a procedure to determine whether the Internet website or web service of a school district, charter school, or renaissance school complies with the requirements of this section. The Office of Information Technology in the Department of Education shall be responsible for issuing certifications of compliance, which certifications shall attest that an Internet website or web service complies with the requirements of the section.
c. (1) If a school district, charter school, or renaissance school establishes or significantly improves an Internet website or web service after the effective date of this act, the public school shall receive a certification of compliance from the office before the Internet website or web service may be considered operational.
(2) Every two years following initial certification, the office shall recertify the compliance of each Internet website or web service operated by a school district, charter school, or renaissance school with the requirements of this section.
d. As used in this section, “Internet website or web service” includes any webpage, website, web service, online curriculum, or online third party or open educational resource product that is made available to enrolled students or the public by a school district, charter school, or renaissance school through the Internet.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes accessibility standards for the Internet websites and web services of school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools (“public school”).
Specifically, the bill requires the Internet website and web services of every public school to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, or the most up-to-date version of the guidelines. The WCAG guidelines provide standards through which digital content may be accessible for persons with disabilities. In June 2018, the WCAG 2.1 guidelines were issued to improve accessibility guidance for three major groups: users with cognitive or learning disabilities, users with low vision, and users with disabilities on mobile devices.
Under the bill, the Commissioner of Education would be required to establish a procedure for determining whether an Internet website or web service complies with the WCAG guidelines. The Office of Information Technology in the Department of Education would be responsible for issuing certifications of compliance to attest that an Internet website or web service complies with these requirements.
The bill provides that when a public school establishes or significantly improves an Internet website or web service after the effective date of this bill, the school would be required to receive a certification of compliance from the office before the website may be considered operational. The bill also requires the office to recertify the compliance of each Internet website or web service operated by a public school every two years following initial certification.
As defined in this bill, the term “Internet website or web service” includes any webpage, website, web service online curriculum, or online third party or open educational resource product that is made available to enrolled students or the public by a public school through the Internet.