Legal Requirements

Board Member Legal Requirements

Each member of any board of education shall, according to N.J.S.A. 18A:12-1:

• Be able to read and write.
• Hold U.S. citizenship and one year’s residency in the school district.
• Be registered to vote in the district before filing the nominating petition.
• Have no interest in any contract with, or claim against, the board.
• Not hold office as mayor or member of the municipal governing body or, in the case of county school districts, the county governing body.
• Not simultaneously hold two elective offices.
• Not be disqualified from membership for the conviction of certain crimes. (Within 30 days of election or appointment to the board a member must undergo a criminal history background investigation through the State Department of Education.)