HB 627 establishes the Commission on History, Culture, and Civics in Education to improve how Maryland public schools teach U.S. and Maryland history, culture, and civics. The commission, composed of 16 members representing diverse groups (including Indigenous tribes, LGBTQIA+ communities, disabled individuals, teachers, and racial/ethnic communities), must examine contributions of marginalized groups and make recommendations to the State Board of Education. Key provisions require the commission to examine topics like Native American contributions, LGBTQIA+ history, and disability community impacts, while ensuring recommendations promote equitable learning for all students. The commission must publicly share meeting materials, reports, and livestream sessions online, with members serving four-year terms without pay but receiving travel reimbursements. This bill directly affects Maryland public school curricula and student learning experiences through its recommendations.
HB 649 establishes new protections against discrimination in Maryland's educational institutions by creating a dedicated enforcement mechanism under the Commission on Civil Rights. It prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or marital status in schools and colleges. The bill requires Maryland's higher education agencies to refer discrimination complaints to the Commission and creates a private right of action, allowing individuals to directly pursue legal claims for violations. This shifts enforcement authority from the State Superintendent to the Commission while expanding the scope of protected categories in educational settings.
HB 1059 requires Maryland's State Department of Education to evaluate specific Asian American history training programs from seven approved organizations (including the Smithsonian and Asian American Education Project) for inclusion in its teacher professional development program. It creates a grant program providing up to $2,000 per teacher to cover costs for these trainings and up to $1,000 annually per school library to purchase age-appropriate books and resources on Asian American and Pacific Islander history. The bill mandates annual state funding of $500,000 starting in fiscal year 2028 to support these grants. The bill directly affects Maryland public school educators and school libraries by expanding access to culturally specific professional development and learning materials.
HB 531 establishes a task force to study existing STEM and robotics programs in Maryland public schools and other states. The task force, composed of state officials, school representatives, and nonprofit leaders, will collect data on program structures, funding, and impacts to assess the feasibility of creating statewide competitive robotics programs in public high schools. It must submit recommendations by December 15, 2026, including whether robotics should be established as a varsity sport in all public high schools. The bill directly affects Maryland public schools by initiating a formal review process for potential program expansion.
HB 352 removes a fiscal year 2027 deadline that previously limited how schools could use personnel and per-pupil grants under Maryland's Concentration of Poverty School Grant Program. The bill specifically allows eligible schools with high poverty rates to use these funds for fine arts instructional programs, as defined in COMAR Title 13A, Subtitle 04, Section 13A.04.16.01. This change applies to schools serving a high concentration of eligible students and takes effect July 1, 2026. The bill modifies existing law to expand allowable uses of grant funds without altering the program's core structure or eligibility criteria.
This bill modifies Maryland's legislative scholarship programs to exempt certain applicants from competitive examination requirements and to allow scholarship funds to be used for real estate appraisal training. Specifically, it removes the exam requirement for students who have completed at least one year at an eligible institution, those who graduated high school five years prior, applicants to approved private career colleges, and community college students. Additionally, it authorizes senatorial and Delegate scholarships to cover expenses for completing the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria program. The changes apply to both new scholarship applications and the existing scholarship programs, affecting current and future recipients who meet the specified eligibility criteria.
HB 505 requires public and nonpublic Maryland schools to accept specific unofficial documents as proof of academic records when a student transfers, *only* if the sending school denies an official transcript due to a dispute between the school and the student. The bill specifies that receiving schools must accept: unofficial transcripts, student-provided report cards, standardized test scores, copies of awards, or unofficial AP/IB results. This directly affects transferring students facing transcript denial, sending schools involved in disputes, and receiving schools that must follow these documentation rules. The policy change aims to prevent educational disruption during transfers by providing alternative verification methods.
HB 534 prohibits nonpublic schools participating in Maryland’s state-funded education programs from withholding transcripts or taking punitive actions against students (or their parents/guardians) due to unpaid debts owed to the school. Specifically, it bans schools from refusing to issue transcripts, conditioning transcript access on debt payment, charging extra fees for transcripts related to debt, or using transcripts as a debt collection tool. The law directly affects students and families at participating nonpublic schools, ensuring transcript access remains separate from financial obligations. It defines "debt" to exclude standard transcript fees, clarifying that schools cannot charge additional costs for transcripts tied to unpaid balances. This policy change ensures transcript access is not withheld as a financial penalty.
HB 29 requires Maryland county school boards to provide free access to three types of post-college and career readiness pathways for students who meet statewide college and career readiness standards: competitive college prep programs (like IB or AP), early college/dual enrollment options, and career/technology education programs. It allows counties to set income eligibility guidelines for the college prep pathway costs (but mandates free access for students at or below federal poverty level), while requiring all other pathways to be free for all qualifying students. The bill also mandates schools to offer counseling to help students choose pathways, ensure graduation requirements are met through these pathways, and maintain full student services regardless of pathway enrollment. This applies to all Maryland public high school students meeting the readiness standards, effective July 1, 2026.
HB 490 revises provisions of Maryland's Blueprint for Maryland's Future education reform. It repeals an annual requirement for county boards to submit technology spending reports, extends the timeline for calculating compensatory education enrollment, and removes a termination date for Concentration of Poverty Grant funds. The bill also adjusts teacher certification rules, extends deadlines for National Board Certified teachers to become licensed principals, and updates definitions for wraparound services in community schools. These changes primarily affect school districts, educators, and state agencies administering education funding and programs under the Blueprint framework.
