Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1385 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 MATTER ADDE D TO EXISTING LAW .
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1385
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1385
8	8	F1 5lr3013
9	9	CF SB 948
10	10	By: Delegates Miller, Baker, Hinebaugh, Hornberger, McComas, T. Morgan,
11	11	Pippy, Reilly, Rose, Stonko, Tomlinson, Valentine, and Wivell
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Ways and Means
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Children – Parental Rights – Educational Rights 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of requiring each county board of education, in consultation with certain 3
22	22	individuals, to develop and implement a certain policy to promote parental 4
23	23	involvement in students’ education; establishing a complaint and appeals process for 5
24	24	violations of a certain policy; and generally relating to the policy promoting the 6
25	25	involvement of parents in children’s education. 7
26	26
27	27	BY adding to 8
28	28	Article – Education 9
29	29	Section 7–136 10
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
31	31	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14
35	35
36	36	Article – Education 15
37	37
38	38	7–136. 16
39	39
40	40	(A) (1) EACH COUNTY BOARD , IN CONSULTATION WITH PARENTS, 17
41	41	TEACHERS, AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL , SHALL DEVELOP AND IM PLEMENT A POLICY 18
42	42	TO PROMOTE THE INVOL VEMENT OF THE PARENT S IN THE EDUCATION O F STUDENTS 19
43	43	IN THE COUNTY. 20
44	44
45	45	(2) THE POLICY DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SUBSECTIO N SHALL 21
46	46	INCLUDE A PLAN FOR : 22
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 1385
48	48
49	49
50	50	(I) INCREASING PARENT PAR TICIPATION IN SCHOOL S; AND 1
51	51
52	52	(II) IMPROVING PARENT AND TEACHER COOPERATION IN 2
53	53	AREAS RELATING TO HO MEWORK, ATTENDANCE , AND DISCIPLINE. 3
54	54
55	55	(3) THE POLICY DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SUBSECTIO N SHALL 4
56	56	INCLUDE PROCEDURES F OR: 5
57	57
58	58	(I) PARENTS TO REVIEW AND EXAMINE ALL CURRICUL A AND 6
59	59	INSTRUCTIONAL MATERI ALS BEING TAUGHT TO A STUDENT, INCLUDING PROVIDING 7
60	60	A MEANS TO READ AND REVIEW OR CO PY AND RECORD, AT COST, ALL CURRICULA , 8
61	61	INSTRUCTIONAL MATERI ALS, AND ANY TEACHER TRAI NING MATERIALS USED BY 9
62	62	THE STUDENT ’S TEACHER BY ANY OF THE FOLLOWING METHOD S: 10
63	63
64	64	1. PUBLICATION ON A PUBL ICLY AVAILABLE WEBSI TE; 11
65	65	OR 12
66	66
67	67	2. A WRITTEN COPY PROVIDE D TO PARENTS ON 13
68	68	REQUEST; 14
69	69
70	70	(II) PARENTS TO BE INFORME D ON THE NATURE AND PURPOSE 15
71	71	OF ALL SCHOOL CLUBS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES; 16
72	72
73	73	(III) PARENTS TO OBJECT AND WITHDRAW THE PARENTS ’ 17
74	74	STUDENT FROM ANY : 18
75	75
76	76	1. SCHOOL CLUB OR EXTRAC URRICULAR ACTIVITY ; 19
77	77
78	78	2. UNIT OF INSTRUCTION I N THE CLASSROOM ; OR 20
79	79
80	80	3. PRESENTATION OR SCHOO L ASSEMBLY; AND 21
81	81
82	82	(IV) OBTAINING PARENTAL CO NSENT BEFORE A STUDE NT USES 22
83	83	GENDER PRONOUNS THAT DO NOT MATCH WITH TH E STUDENT’S BIOLOGICAL SEX . 23
84	84
85	85	(4) THE POLICY DEVELOPED UNDER TH IS SUBSECTION SHALL 24
86	86	INCLUDE: 25
87	87
88	88	(I) NOTICE FROM A SCHOOL AT LEAST 5 DAYS IN ADVANCE OF , 26
89	89	AND THE PROCESS FOR OBTAINING PARENTAL C ONSENT FOR , PLANNED 27
90	90	INSTRUCTION ON OR AT TENDANCE AT A PRESEN TATION ABOUT STUDYIN G ANY 28
91	91	TOPIC COVERED IN FAM ILY LIFE AND HUMAN S EXUALITY; 29
92	92	HOUSE BILL 1385 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	(II) A PROCESS FOR A PARENT TO WITHDRAW THE PARE NT’S 1
96	96	STUDENT FROM SPECIFI C INSTRUCTION OR A P RESENTATION IN SCHOO L THAT THE 2
97	97	PARENT BELIEVES MIGH T BE HARMFUL TO THE STUDENT; 3
98	98
99	99	(III) PARENTAL ACCESS TO AL L WRITTEN AND ELECTR ONIC 4
100	100	RECORDS CONCE RNING A STUDENT THAT ARE CONTROLLED OR IN POSSESSION OF 5
101	101	THE SCHOOL, THE COUNTY BOARD , OR AN OUTSIDE ORGANI ZATION CONTRACTED TO 6
102	102	PROVIDE SERVICES TO STUDENTS AT THE SCHO OL; AND 7
103	103
104	104	(IV) A PROHIBITION ON TEACH ERS AND OTHER SCHOOL 8
105	105	PERSONNEL WITHHOLDIN G OR CONC EALING INFORMATION F ROM PARENTS , 9
106	106	INCLUDING INFORMATIO N RELATING TO A STUD ENT’S: 10
107	107
108	108	1. CURRICULAR OR EXTRACU RRICULAR PROJECTS , 11
109	109	ASSIGNMENTS , OR ACTIVITIES; OR 12
110	110
111	111	2. PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, OR MENTAL HEALTH . 13
112	112
113	113	(B) A PARENT MAY FILE A WR ITTEN COMPLAINT FOR A VIOLATION OF THE 14
114	114	POLICY UNDER SUBSECT ION (A) OF THIS SECTION. 15
115	115
116	116	(C) ON RECEIPT OF A COMPL AINT UNDER SUBSECTIO N (B) OF THIS 16
117	117	SECTION, A COUNTY SUPERINTEND ENT SHALL: 17
118	118
119	119	(1) INVESTIGATE THE COMPL AINT; AND 18
120	120
121	121	(2) WITHIN 14 DAYS AFTER RECEIVING THE COMPLAINT , PROVIDE A 19
122	122	WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINANT DESC RIBING THE ACTIONS B EING 20
123	123	TAKEN BY THE LOCAL S CHOOL SYSTEM OR THE REMEDY BEING PROPOSE D. 21
124	124
125	125	(D) (1) (I) A PARENT MAY APPEAL TH E DECISION OF THE CO UNTY 22
126	126	SUPERINTENDENT UNDER SUBSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION TO T HE COUNTY 23
127	127	BOARD WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER RECEIVING THE COUNTY SUPERINTE NDENT’S 24
128	128	RESPONSE. 25
129	129
130	130	(II) AN APPEAL UNDER SUBPA RAGRAPH (I) OF THIS 26
131	131	PARAGRAPH SHALL CONT AIN: 27
132	132
133	133	1. DETAILS OF THE ALLEGE D VIOLATION FROM THE 28
134	134	COMPLAINT FILED WITH THE COUNTY SUPERINTE NDENT; 29
135	135
136	136	2. A COPY OF THE COUNTY S UPERINTENDENT ’S 30
137	137	RESPONSE; AND 31 4 HOUSE BILL 1385
138	138
139	139
140	140
141	141	3. THE REASONS WHY THE P ARENT FINDS THE COUN TY 1
142	142	SUPERINTENDENT ’S RESPONSE INSUFFICI ENT. 2
143	143
144	144	(2) A COUNTY BOARD SHALL A PPOINT A COMMITTEE T O ADDRESS 3
145	145	APPEALS UNDER THIS S UBSECTION. 4
146	146
147	147	(3) WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER RECEIPT O F AN APPEAL UNDER 5
148	148	PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE COMMITTEE SHALL PUBLISH A WRITTEN 6
149	149	REPORT CONTAINING AN Y FINDINGS OF FACT A ND RECOMMENDED ACTIO NS FOR 7
150	150	THE COUNTY BOARD . 8
151	151
152	152	(4) (I) FOR EACH APPEAL , THE COUNTY BOARD SHA LL VOTE TO 9
153	153	ACCEPT OR REJECT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF T HE COMMITTEE . 10
154	154
155	155	(II) THE DECISION OF THE C OUNTY BOARD REGARDIN G AN 11
156	156	APPEAL IS FINAL. 12
157	157
158	158	(E) (1) A PARENT MAY BRING AN ACTION IN A COURT OF APPROPRIATE 13
159	159	JURISDICTION AGAINST A COUNTY BOARD FOR A NY CONTINUING VIOLATIONS OF 14
160	160	THE POLICY UNDER SUB SECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION. 15
161	161
162	162	(2) IN AN ACTION BROUGHT UNDER THIS SUBSECTIO N, A COURT MAY 16
163	163	GRANT APPROPRIATE RE LIEF. 17
164	164
165	165	(3) AN ACTION UNDER THIS SUBSECTION MAY BE BR OUGHT ONLY 18
166	166	AFTER THE PARENT HAS EXHAUSTED ALL ADMINI STRATIVE REMEDIES AVAILA BLE 19
167	167	UNDER SUBSECTIONS (B), (C), AND (D) OF THIS SECTION. 20
168	168
169	169	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 21
170	170	1, 2025. 22
171	171