New Jersey bill would stop preschool lotteries splitting up twins by chance

A bill advancing through the New Jersey legislature would let parents decide whether twins and other multiples should share a public preschool classroom, rather than leaving the choice to separate lottery placements.

A bill moving through the New Jersey legislature would give parents of twins and other multiples more control over whether their children are placed in the same public preschool classroom or separated, following a case brought to lawmakers by a Brick Township mother of identical twin girls.

Jackie Anderson told the Senate Education Committee earlier this month that her district’s preschool lottery offered a seat to one twin but not the other, creating what she described as a developmental decision made by chance rather than by parents or educators. “A random lottery outcome had the power to make a significant developmental decision for two three-year-old twins. A lottery should determine whether a seat is available,” Anderson said. “It should not determine whether young multiples are separated. Separation should be an individualized developmental decision, not one made by chance.”

The Assembly Education Committee approved the measure on Thursday, advancing Assembly Bill A5218, which is sponsored by Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, a Republican from Brick, and Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, a Republican from Franklin. Under current state law, parents of twins, triplets and other multiples already may ask for their children to be placed together or apart in kindergarten through 12th grade. The proposal would extend those same rights to public preschool, where placements are often decided through lottery or open-enrolment systems.

McGuckin said the change reflects the growing importance of preschool for New Jersey families and the need to give parents of multiples the same protections they already have once their children enter elementary school. Fantasia, who is an educator, is co-sponsoring the bill. Separate reporting on the measure says the legislation would also require schools to treat multiples as a single unit during preschool lottery decisions, while still allowing principals to change classroom placements if necessary for the good of the class or a child’s development.

The Brick Township school district’s own preschool information shows how the issue can play out in practice: each child receives an individual lottery number, and twins and multiples are entered separately. The bill now goes to the full Assembly for further consideration. Another measure on the same issue, Senate Bill S4349, has also moved through the Senate Education Committee with amendments and is awaiting additional action.