Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1129 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1129
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1129
8	8	F1 2lr2547
9	9	CF SB 848
10	10	By: Garrett County Delegation and Allegany County Delegation
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Ways and Means
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Garrett County and Allegany County – Public Schools – Virtual Education Days 2
19	19	Pilot Program 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Virtual Education Days Pilot Program in Garrett 4
22	22	County and Allegany County; authorizing the Garrett County Superintendent and 5
23	23	the Allegany County Superintendent to order a virtual education day instead of 6
24	24	closing a public school under certain circumstances; requiring a principal to notify 7
25	25	students, parents, and school staff of a decision to have a virtual education day; 8
26	26	requiring a school implementing a virtual education day to make certain 9
27	27	accommodations and establish certain methods for students and school staff who do 10
28	28	not have easy access to the Internet or who lack Internet access; providing that a 11
29	29	virtual education day will reduce the number of days incorporated into the school’s 12
30	30	calendar for a certain purpose; and generally relating to virtual education days in 13
31	31	Garrett County and Allegany County. 14
32	32
33	33	BY adding to 15
34	34	Article – Education 16
35	35	Section 7–103.2 17
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
37	37	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 19
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
41	41
42	42	Article – Education 22
43	43
44	44	7–103.2. 23
45	45
46	46	(A) THIS SECTION APPLIES ONLY IN GARRETT COUNTY AND ALLEGANY 24
47	47	COUNTY. 25 2 HOUSE BILL 1129
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(B) THERE IS A VIRTUAL EDUCATION DAYS PILOT PROGRAM. 1
52	52
53	53	(C) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (G) OF THIS SECTION, THE GARRETT COUNTY 2
54	54	SUPERINTENDENT AND THE ALLEGANY COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT MAY ORDER A 3
55	55	VIRTUAL EDUCATION DA Y FOR THEIR COUNTY INSTEAD OF CLOSING A PUBLIC 4
56	56	SCHOOL IN THE EVENT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER. 5
57	57
58	58	(D) (1) THE COUNTY SUPERINTEN DENT SHALL NOTIFY TH E PRINCIPALS 6
59	59	OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL S IN THE COUNTY OF T HE DECISION TO ORDER A VIRTUAL 7
60	60	EDUCATION DAY FOR TH E SCHOOLS IN THE COU NTY AS SOON AS POSSI BLE AFTER 8
61	61	THE DECISION IS MADE . 9
62	62
63	63	(2) A PRINCIPAL W HO RECEIVES NOTICE O F A VIRTUAL EDUCATIO N 10
64	64	DAY ORDERED UNDER SU BSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION IMME DIATELY SHALL 11
65	65	NOTIFY THE STUDENTS , PARENTS, AND SCHOOL STAFF OF THE IMPLEMENTATION O F 12
66	66	A VIRTUAL EDUCATION DAY. 13
67	67
68	68	(E) (1) A VIRTUAL EDUCATION DA Y SHALL CONSIST OF EDUCATION 14
69	69	SERVICES, DELIVERED REMOTELY , THAT ARE AS CLOSE AS IS PRACTICABLE TO TH E 15
70	70	EDUCATION SERVICES T HAT WOULD HAVE OCCUR RED IN PERSON HAD TH E SCHOOL 16
71	71	BEEN OPEN. 17
72	72
73	73	(2) A SCHOOL IMPLEMENTING A VIRTUAL EDUCATION DAY SHALL 18
74	74	MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS AND SCHOOL STAFF WHO DO NOT HAVE 19
75	75	EASY ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. 20
76	76
77	77	(3) A SCHOOL IMPLEMENTING A VIRTUAL EDUCATION DAY SHALL 21
78	78	ESTABLISH A METHOD F OR SENDING ASSIGNMEN TS TO STUDENTS AND F OR 22
79	79	RECEIVING COMPLETED ASSIGNMENTS FROM STU DENTS WHO LACK INTERNET 23
80	80	ACCESS. 24
81	81
82	82	(F) (1) THE COUNTY SUPERINTEN DENT IS ENCOURAGED T O ORDER 25
83	83	VIRTUAL EDUCATION DA YS ONLY WHEN THERE I S A LIKELIHOOD OF A WEATHER 26
84	84	EVENT REQUIRING SCHO OL CLOSURES FOR MULT IPLE CONSECUTIVE SCH OOL DAYS. 27
85	85
86	86	(2) IF THE COUNTY SUPERIN TENDENT DETERMINES I T IS NECESSARY 28
87	87	TO ORDER A VIRTUAL E DUCATION DAY FOR MUL TIPLE CONSECUTIVE SC HOOL DAYS, 29
88	88	THE COUNTY SUPERINTE NDENT SHALL NOTIFY T HE GARRETT COUNTY BOARD OF 30
89	89	EDUCATION OR THE ALLEGANY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, AS APPROPRIATE . 31
90	90
91	91	(3) IF A PUBLIC SCHOOL IS ORDERED TO IMPLEMENT A VIRTUAL 32
92	92	EDUCATION DAY FOR MU LTIPLE CONSECUTIVE S CHOOL DAYS UNDER PAR AGRAPH 33
93	93	(2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE COUNTY SUPERINTE NDENT SHALL ARRANGE , TO THE 34 HOUSE BILL 1129 3
94	94
95	95
96	96	EXTENT PRACTICABLE , FOR THE CONTINUED PR OVISION OF ALL NORMA L SERVICES 1
97	97	REQUIRED UNDER THIS ARTICLE TO ALL STUDENTS W HO REQUIRE THE SERVI CES, 2
98	98	INCLUDING MEAL SERVI CES PROVIDED IN ACCO RDANCE WITH SUBTITLES 6 AND 7 3
99	99	OF THIS TITLE. 4
100	100
101	101	(G) (1) IF THE COUNTY SUPERIN TENDENT ORDERS A VIR TUAL 5
102	102	EDUCATION DAY , THE VIRTUAL EDUCATIO N DAY WILL REDUCE BY 1 DAY THE 6
103	103	NUMBER OF DAYS INCORPORA TED IN THE SCHOOL ’S CALENDAR FOR SCHOO L 7
104	104	CLOSURES DUE TO SEVE RE WEATHER OR OTHER EMERGENCIES IN THE S CHOOL 8
105	105	YEAR. 9
106	106
107	107	(2) IF THERE ARE NO DAYS IN A SCHOOL’S CALENDAR FOR SCHOO L 10
108	108	CLOSURES DUE TO SEVE RE WEATHER OR OTHER EMERGENCIES IN THE S CHOOL 11
109	109	YEAR REMAINING IN A SCHOOL YEAR , THE COUNTY SUPERINTE NDENT MAY NOT 12
110	110	ORDER A VIRTUAL EDUC ATION DAY FOR THE SC HOOL IN THE SCHOOL Y EAR. 13
111	111
112	112	(H) THE GARRETT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE ALLEGANY 14
113	113	COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION EACH SHALL ADOPT A POLICY TO IMPLEMENT THIS 15
114	114	SECTION. 16
115	115
116	116	(I) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2024, THE GARRETT COUNTY BOARD OF 17
117	117	EDUCATION AND THE ALLEGANY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION EACH SHALL 18
118	118	SUBMIT A REPORT TO T HE SENATE EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL 19
119	119	AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AND THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, IN 20
120	120	ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, ON: 21
121	121
122	122	(1) THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL DAYS THE COUNTY SUPE RINTENDENT 22
123	123	ORDERED THE IMPLEMEN TATION OF VIRTUAL ED UCATION DAYS; 23
124	124
125	125	(2) WHETHER THE VIRTUAL E DUCATION DAYS IMPLEM ENTED WERE 24
126	126	FOR SINGLE–DAY SCHOOL CLOSURES OR MULTIPLE CONSECUT IVE SCHOOL DAY 25
127	127	CLOSURES; AND 26
128	128
129	129	(3) THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE STUDENT INSTRUCT ION ON VIRTUAL 27
130	130	EDUCATION DAYS . 28
131	131
132	132	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 29
133	133	1, 2022. It shall remain effective for a period of 2 years and 3 months and, at the end of 30
134	134	September 30, 2024, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, 31
135	135	shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 32
136	136
137	137