SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 908
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: MARCH 17, 2025
The Senate Education Committee favorably reports Senate Bill
No. 908.
This bill requires public and nonpublic schools to ensure that at
least one portable anti-choking device is made available in the
cafeteria, school nurse’s office, and any other similar location. A
portable anti-choking device is a device that uses manually created
suction to remove blockage from a person’s airway during a
choking emergency. The devices are to be placed in an unlocked
and easily accessible location during the school day and at any
other time when a school-sponsored event is taking place. The bill
requires the locations of each portable anti-choking device to have
an appropriate identifying sign. The bill also requires the devices to
be registered with the United States Food and Drug Administration
as a Class II acute upper-airway obstruction device.
Each board of education and the governing board or chief
administrator of a nonpublic school is required to develop policies
for the use of anti-choking devices by school nurses and school
employees. The policies are to include a requirement that all school
nurses and school employees receive training in airway
management and in the removal of any obstructions from the airway
using a portable anti-choking device. The Commissioner of
Education is to ensure that annual educational opportunities are
made available for school nurses and employees of both public and
nonpublic schools regarding airway management and the use of
portable anti-choking devices.
The bill further requires the Department of Education to
reimburse public and nonpublic schools for the costs incurred to
implement the provisions of this bill.
This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2024-2025 session
pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes
required by technical review, which has been performed.