Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB627 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	hb0627
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 627
8	8	F1, F2, F5 5lr1568
9	9	HB 615/24 – W&M CF 5lr1569
10	10	By: Delegates Ruth, Ebersole, Fair, Forbes, Guyton, Harris, Lehman, McCaskill,
11	11	Palakovich Carr, Pasteur, and Terrasa
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Ways and Means and Appropriations
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Education – Prohibited Behavior on School Grounds and Property – Application 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of specifying that provisions of law prohibiting and penalizing certain 3
22	22	disruptive and threatening behavior on certain school grounds and property do not 4
23	23	apply to students who commit offenses at the institution they attend or students who 5
24	24	commit offenses at another institution while participating in or attending a sporting 6
25	25	event or other extracurricular program sponsored at that institution; and generally 7
26	26	relating to the application of provisions of law that prohibit and penalize disruptive 8
27	27	and threatening behavior on school grounds and property. 9
28	28
29	29	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
30	30	Article – Education 11
31	31	Section 26–101 12
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
33	33	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
34	34
35	35	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
36	36	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
37	37
38	38	Article – Education 17
39	39
40	40	26–101. 18
41	41
42	42	(a) THE PROHIBITIONS AND PENALTIES IN THIS SE CTION DO NOT APPLY T O 19
43	43	A PERSON WHO IS : 20
44	44
45	45	(1) A STUDENT CURRENTLY AT TENDING THE INSTITUT ION OF 21
46	46	ELEMENTARY , SECONDARY , OR HIGHER EDUCATION WHERE THE OFFENSE OC CURS; 22
47	47	OR 23 2 HOUSE BILL 627
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(2) A STUDENT CURRENTLY AT TENDING ANOTHER INST ITUTION OF 1
52	52	ELEMENTARY , SECONDARY , OR HIGHER EDUCATION WHO IS PARTICIPATING IN OR 2
53	53	ATTENDING A SPORTING EVENT OR OTHER EXTRA CURRICULAR P ROGRAM 3
54	54	SPONSORED BY THE INS TITUTION WHERE THE O FFENSE OCCURS . 4
55	55
56	56	(B) A person may not willfully disturb or otherwise willfully prevent the orderly 5
57	57	conduct of the activities, administration, or classes of any institution of elementary, 6
58	58	secondary, or higher education. 7
59	59
60	60	[(b)] (C) A person may not molest or threaten with bodily harm any student, 8
61	61	employee, administrator, agent, or any other individual who is lawfully: 9
62	62
63	63	(1) On the grounds or in the immediate vicinity of any institution of 10
64	64	elementary, secondary, or higher education; 11
65	65
66	66	(2) On a school vehicle; 12
67	67
68	68	(3) At an activity sponsored by a school that is held off school property; or 13
69	69
70	70	(4) On property that is owned by a county board and is used for 14
71	71	administrative or other purposes. 15
72	72
73	73	[(c)] (D) (1) [A] SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , A 16
74	74	person may not threaten with bodily harm any employee of any institution of elementary, 17
75	75	secondary, or higher education at home by any means, including in person, by telephone, 18
76	76	or by electronic mail. [This] 19
77	77
78	78	(2) THE prohibition IN PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION applies 20
79	79	only to threats arising out of the scope of the employee’s employment. 21
80	80
81	81	[(d)] (E) In addition to the penalties provided in this section or in § 6–409 of the 22
82	82	Criminal Law Article, on application by the governing board of any institution of 23
83	83	elementary, secondary, or higher education, the circuit court of the county in which the 24
84	84	institution is located may issue an injunction restraining any specific activities that violate 25
85	85	this section. 26
86	86
87	87	[(e)] (F) Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a 27
88	88	misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $2,500, imprisonment not 28
89	89	exceeding 6 months, or both. 29
90	90
91	91	[(f)] (G) (1) On or before December 1, 2022, and each December 1 thereafter, 30
92	92	each county board of education, including the Baltimore City Board of School 31
93	93	Commissioners, shall report to the Department on the number of school disruptions in the 32
94	94	county in violation of this section for the immediately preceding school year. 33
95	95	HOUSE BILL 627 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	(2) A county board shall report the information required under paragraph 1
99	99	(1) of this subsection in the following manner: 2
100	100
101	101	(i) The disruptions shall be sorted into the following categories: 3
102	102
103	103	1. Attendance; 4
104	104
105	105	2. Arson, fire, or explosives; 5
106	106
107	107	3. Dangerous substances; 6
108	108
109	109	4. Sex offenses; and 7
110	110
111	111	5. Attack with a weapon, threats, or fighting; and 8
112	112
113	113	(ii) Each incident of disruption shall be disaggregated by: 9
114	114
115	115	1. The race, ethnicity, disability status, and gender of the 10
116	116	individual; 11
117	117
118	118	2. The actions taken against an individual by the local school 12
119	119	or county board resulting from a violation, including suspensions of fewer than 10 days, 13
120	120	suspensions of 10 days or more, and expulsions; and 14
121	121
122	122	3. Referrals for prosecution. 15
123	123
124	124	(3) On or before February 1, 2023, and each February 1 thereafter, the 16
125	125	Department shall submit to the Maryland Center for School Safety and, in accordance with 17
126	126	§ 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly a report on incidents of 18
127	127	school disruptions in public schools in the State from a compilation of the reports submitted 19
128	128	to the Department under paragraph (1) of this subsection and disaggregated in the manner 20
129	129	required under paragraph (2) of this subsection. 21
130	130
131	131	(4) Each county board shall include information on school disruptions from 22
132	132	the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 school years in its report to the Department for the report 23
133	133	due on December 1, 2022. 24
134	134
135	135	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 25
136	136	1, 2025. 26
137	137