EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1015*
HOUSE BILL 1015
F1 5lr2016
CF SB 468
By: Delegates Miller, Alston, Arentz, Boafo, Buckel, Fair, Hornberger,
Hutchinson, T. Morgan, Nkongolo , Otto, Pippy, Roberson, Schmidt,
Valentine, Vogel, and Wims
Introduced and read first time: February 3, 2025
Assigned to: Ways and Means
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Middle, High, and Charter Schools – Start Time for Instruction 2
FOR the purpose of requiring, beginning in a certain school year, each public middle school 3
and each public high school to begin instruction not earlier than certain times unless 4
granted a waiver by the State Board of Education under certain circumstances; 5
requiring each county board of education and each public charter school to 6
implement a certain public service campaign to raise awareness on sleep deprivation 7
and later school start times; and generally relating to the start time of instruction in 8
public middle, high, and charter schools. 9
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–103 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
Article – Education 17
7–103. 18
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), [and] (f), AND (G) of this section, 19
each public school under the jurisdiction of a county board: 20
2 HOUSE BILL 1015
(1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for at least 180 actual school 1
days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours during a 10–month period in each school year; 2
or 3
(ii) If normal school attendance is prevented because of conditions 4
described in subsection (b) of this section, shall be open for at least 1,080 hours during a 5
10–month period; 6
(2) Shall be open for pupil attendance a minimum of 3 hours during each 7
school day; 8
(3) BEGINNING IN THE 2027–2028 SCHOOL YEAR : 9
(I) FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL , SHALL BEGIN INSTRUCT ION NOT 10
EARLIER THAN 8 A.M.; AND 11
(II) FOR A HIGH SCHOOL , SHALL BEGIN INSTRUCT ION NOT 12
EARLIER THAN 8:30 A.M.; and 13
[(3)] (4) May not be open on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays in order to 14
meet the 180–day or 1,080–hour requirement of this subsection. 15
(b) (1) If a county board submits a written application to the State Board that 16
describes a demonstrated effort by the county board to comply with subsection (a) of this 17
section, the State Board may [permit] ALLOW: 18
(i) The following adjustments: 19
1. An increase in the length of the school year; or 20
2. A decrease in the length of the school year; 21
(ii) Exceptions from the requirement that the school year be 22
completed within a 10–month period; 23
(iii) Adjustments in the length of the school day; and 24
(iv) Schools to be open on holidays. 25
(2) [These] THE adjustments UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 26
SUBSECTION may be granted only if normal school attendance is prevented because of: 27
(i) [Natural] A NATURAL disaster; 28
(ii) [Civil] A CIVIL disaster; or 29
HOUSE BILL 1015 3
(iii) Severe weather conditions. 1
(3) Education funding from State or local sources may not be reduced if 2
there are less than 180 school days in any year because of an approved application under 3
paragraph (1)(i)2 of this subsection. 4
(4) In case of emergency, the State Board may open schools on holidays. 5
(c) (1) The following days are public school holidays: 6
(i) Thanksgiving Day and the day after; 7
(ii) Christmas Eve [and from then] through January 1, INCLUSIVE; 8
(iii) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; 9
(iv) Presidents’ Day; 10
(v) The Friday before Easter [and from then] through the Monday 11
after Easter, INCLUSIVE; 12
(vi) Memorial Day; and 13
(vii) Primary and general election days. 14
(2) If the federal and State observances of a holiday are on different days, 15
the board of education of each county shall determine which date shall be the date of 16
observance for the public schools within the county. 17
(3) The public schools shall devote a part of at least one day to appropriate 18
exercises for each of the following: 19
(i) Washington’s Birthday; 20
(ii) Lincoln’s Birthday; 21
(iii) Veterans’ Day; 22
(iv) Columbus Day; 23
(v) Arbor Day; 24
(vi) Black History Month, with an emphasis on Harriet Tubman and 25
Frederick Douglass and the contributions they made in the fight against slavery; and 26
(vii) Any other day of national significance. 27
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(4) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, the public schools, 1
in the following counties, may remain open and in session on primary and general election 2
days: 3
(i) Calvert; 4
(ii) Caroline; 5
(iii) Dorchester; 6
(iv) Kent; 7
(v) Talbot; and 8
(vi) Worcester. 9
(d) Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, the State Board shall 10
divide the school year into the terms it considers appropriate. 11
(e) (1) The county boards of Allegany, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Howard, 12
Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties, and the Board of School Commissioners of 13
Baltimore City, may elect to operate one or more schools within the county or Baltimore 14
City on a year–round basis, provided that the 180–day and the minimum hour 15
requirements under this section are met. 16
(2) Nothing in this section precludes a county board from conducting a 17
year–round pilot study or program that is funded by the county board. 18
(f) Publicly funded half–day prekindergarten programs are not subject to the 19
requirements of subsection (a) of this section. 20
(G) (1) ON REQUEST BY A COUNTY BOARD, THE STATE BOARD MAY 21
GRANT A WAIVER TO A MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIG H SCHOOL TO BEGIN IN STRUCTION 22
AT A TIME EARLIER TH AN THE TIME SPECIFIE D UNDER SUBSECTION (A)(3) OF THIS 23
SECTION IF THE STATE BOARD DETERMINES THAT THERE IS A COMPELLING 24
REASON FOR A SCHOOL TO REQUIRE A DIFFERENT START TI ME. 25
(2) A LACK OF FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR ALIGNING THE START OF 26
INSTRUCTION WITH THE TIMES SPECIFIED UNDER SUBS ECTION (A)(3) OF THIS 27
SECTION IS NOT A COM PELLING REASON FOR G RANTING A WAIVER UNDER THIS 28
SUBSECTION. 29
[(g)] (H) Notwithstanding any other law and subject only to this section, each 30
county board annually shall set the start and end dates of the school year for schools in the 31
county. 32
HOUSE BILL 1015 5
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 1
(a) Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, and concluding before the start of the 2
following school year, each county board of education, including Baltimore City, and each 3
public charter school shall implement a public information campaign to raise awareness of: 4
(1) the health, safety, and academic impacts of sleep deprivation on middle 5
and high school students; 6
(2) the student benefits of a later school start time; and 7
(3) local strategies that will be used to implement the new start time. 8
(b) The public information campaign shall be targeted toward each school’s 9
community, including parents, teachers, school administrators, coaches, and other 10
interested parties and shall provide an opportunity for feedback. 11
(c) The State Department of Education shall assist a county board of education 12
or a public charter school with implementation of the public information campaign if the 13
county board or public charter school requests assistance. 14
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 15
1, 2025. 16