NJ A354

Creates a 17-member Study Commission on the Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on K-12 Students in New Jersey, chaired by the Commissioner of Education or designee.

Commission members include 5 ex officio state officials (Education, Health, Children and Families, Banking and Insurance, and Mental Health and Addiction Services), 4 legislative appointees, and 8 gubernatorial appointees representing education and mental health organizations.

Commission must study pandemic-related mental health issues in K-12 students, survey available mental health resources, assess pandemic impacts on those resources, and identify which student populations experienced disproportionate rates of depression, anxiety, and trauma.

Final report due to the Governor and Legislature within one year of organizing, with copies distributed to every school district, including funding recommendations for staffing and programs to address student mental health needs.

Commission expires 30 days after issuing its final report; members serve without compensation but receive reimbursement for necessary expenditures.