Education

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 326: Education - Maryland Center for School Safety - Anonymous Reporting System

HB 326 requires the Maryland Center for School Safety to develop and operate an anonymous reporting system for school safety concerns. This system allows students, staff, and others to report safety issues without revealing their identity. Local school systems must participate in the system (with one specified exception), and the Center must create operational guidelines, provide training, and protect the confidentiality of all related information. The bill also mandates that custodians of records deny public inspection of materials connected to the anonymous reporting system.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates anonymous safety reporting system to protect school environment, strengthening educational safety protocols without restricting access or funding.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 325: Education - Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board - Composition

HB 325 changes the makeup of Maryland's Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board. It removes one position for a certified nonpublic school classroom teacher and adds two positions for representatives from the Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities. The bill alters the board's composition by replacing the single nonpublic school teacher seat with two seats for special education facilities, while maintaining other membership categories like public school teachers and education faculty. These changes take effect July 1, 2026, and directly affect how the board is structured to represent different education sectors.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAdds special education facility reps to teacher board, enhancing representation for special needs education support within educator standards framework.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Maryland · Senate May 26, 2026

SB 378: Public Libraries - Young Readers Matching Grant Program, Funding, and Services

SB 378 updates Maryland's funding formula for regional library resource centers and county public libraries, increasing per-resident funding from $8.75 (2022) to $11.58 (2032 and beyond) for regional centers, and from $17.10 (2022) to $22.37 (2032 and beyond) for county libraries. It requires each public library to offer at least one new service, such as early childhood literacy programs, digital equity initiatives, or mental health support, by partnering with community organizations. The bill also mandates that libraries adopt written policies meeting state standards to receive state funding, with the Comptroller withholding funds for non-compliance. These changes affect all 23 Maryland county library systems and their regional resource centers, directly impacting how they allocate state funds and deliver services. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases state funding for public libraries by raising per-resident allocations from $8.75 to $11.58 (regional) and $17.10 to $22.37 (county), directly advancing public service budget allocation.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationIncreases library funding for educational services and mandates new programs like early childhood literacy, directly advancing educational access and community learning resources.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyRequires libraries to offer digital equity initiatives, advancing access to technology and internet resources per bill summary.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 311: Public Schools - Individuals With Disabilities - Accessibility and Emergency Planning

HB 311 requires Maryland public schools to include accessibility for students with disabilities in routine safety evaluations and emergency planning. It mandates that school systems report annually on instances where a facility became inaccessible for a disabled student in a way that could impede evacuation or emergency response. These reports must remain confidential, exempt from public records laws, and only discloseable to legislators upon request. The bill directly affects local school systems and students with disabilities by ensuring accessibility is prioritized in safety protocols. It amends Maryland’s education code to integrate disability accessibility into standard emergency planning procedures.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates accessibility inclusion in school emergency planning for disabled students, enhancing educational access and safety within K-12 infrastructure requirements.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 396: Residential Child Care Programs - Education of Children and Training of Child and Youth Care Practitioners

HB 396 requires operators of licensed residential child care programs (like group homes and emergency shelters) to ensure children aged 5-16 in their care receive proper education. It mandates enrolling children in local schools (or approved in-house programs), transferring academic records, meeting with teachers, and providing study time, homework help, and support for extracurricular activities or individualized education plans. The bill also sets new training standards for child care practitioners, requiring background checks, education credentials, and approved training on child development and their role. These changes directly affect residential programs receiving state funding and their staff in Maryland.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates educational access and support for children in residential care, requiring school enrollment, academic records transfer, and homework help per IEPs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance Voted absent

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 575: Public Schools - Student Attendance - Excused or Discretionary Absences for Civic Engagement

HB 575 requires Maryland public schools to treat student absences as excused when students participate in specified civic activities during the General Assembly's regular session. It directly affects public school students by allowing absences for testifying at legislative hearings or engaging in activities like meeting with legislators, advocating for policies, or other department-approved civic work. The bill mandates that school systems adopt policies authorizing at least 15 hours or 2 school days per year for these activities, ensuring such absences do not count toward chronic absenteeism. This policy change takes effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enables student civic engagement during school hours, expanding educational access beyond traditional curriculum through approved civic activities.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 141: State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants

HB 141 grants collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants at Maryland's public universities (including the University System of Maryland, Morgan State University, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland). It directly affects graduate students working as teaching, research, or administrative assistants in these institutions by creating a separate bargaining unit for them. The bill amends state law to explicitly include graduate assistants in eligible bargaining units, allowing them to negotiate wages, work conditions, and benefits as a distinct group. This change takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies to all graduate assistants not previously excluded under the law.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationGrants collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants (educators in higher ed), strengthening their employment conditions and aligning with support for educational staff.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentGrants collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants, explicitly strengthening workers' rights in employment settings per bill's summary.95% confidence | Rep's Stance Voted absent

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 340: School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact

HB 340 would allow Maryland to join the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact, enabling licensed school psychologists from member states to practice in Maryland without reapplying for separate state licenses. This directly affects school psychologists seeking to work across state lines, particularly in areas facing staffing shortages. The compact establishes standardized requirements for multistate licensure and creates a commission to manage the agreement, while ensuring states maintain authority to protect public safety through their own scope-of-practice laws. The goal is to improve access to school psychological services by streamlining licensing for qualified professionals.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEnables cross-state practice for school psychologists to address staffing shortages in K-12 schools, supporting educational access and staffing needs.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEnables cross-state practice for school psychologists, improving access to mental health services in schools, directly supporting mental health care access.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 525: County Boards of Education - Student Electronic Communication Device Use Policy - Establishment (Joanne C. Benson Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act)

HB 525 requires Maryland county school boards to create and implement policies limiting student use of phones and other electronic communication devices (like tablets or smartwatches) during the academic school day, effective by the 2027-2028 school year. The policy must prohibit personal device use except for specific, documented needs (such as IEP accommodations, health monitoring, emergencies, or educational purposes when school devices aren't available), and require students to store devices securely. School boards must engage parents and staff in developing the policy, publish it in multiple languages, and report annually on its implementation, including enforcement data and impacts on student focus and well-being. The bill directly affects all public school students and county school boards across Maryland.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires school policies limiting student device use during class to reduce distractions, supporting focused learning environments in K-12 education.85% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyRestricts student personal device use in schools, limiting technology access during academic hours per explicit policy requirements.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Maryland · Senate May 26, 2026

SB 402: Residential Child Care Programs - Education of Children and Training of Child and Youth Care Practitioners

SB 402 requires licensed residential child care programs in Maryland to ensure children aged 5-16 receive appropriate education, including enrolling them in local schools (unless the program has an approved educational plan), transferring academic records promptly, meeting with teachers, and providing study time and homework assistance. It also establishes new certification standards for child and youth care practitioners, mandating approved training covering child development, special needs, and diverse learning styles, along with background checks and minimum age/education requirements. The bill directly affects residential care program operators and their staff, replacing existing licensing rules in Maryland's Education and Health Occupations codes. Key changes include standardized educational support for children in care and mandatory practitioner training to improve service quality.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates residential child care programs to ensure children receive appropriate education, including school enrollment, academic record transfers, and homework assistance, expanding educational access for vulnerable students.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education