EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LA W.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0694*
HOUSE BILL 694
F1, O3, O4 5lr1924
CF SB 851
By: Delegates Kaufman, Addison, Allen, Boyce, Feldmark, Guyton, Lopez,
McComas, Palakovich Carr, Phillips, Ruth, Schindler, Shetty, Solomon,
Taveras, Terrasa, Wims, and Wolek
Introduced and read first time: January 24, 2025
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 27, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Schools – Individuals With Disabilities – Main Entrance Accessibility and 2
Emergency Planning 3
FOR the purpose of requiring each county board of education to publish on its website and 4
report to the General Assembly on the number of main entrances to public school 5
buildings in the county that are not accessible for individuals with disabilities and 6
not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; requiring each local 7
school system to send a copy of the local school system’s emergency plan to the State 8
Department of Education; requiring the Department to report certain information to 9
the General Assembly on or before a certain date each year; local school system to 10
identify in its regular safety evaluation issues of accessibility for individuals with 11
disabilities; requiring local school systems to include in a certain annual report 12
instances in which a public school facility became inaccessible for a student with a 13
disability in a manner that could impede evacuation or an emergency response; and 14
generally relating to school building main entrance accessibility and emergency 15
planning for individuals with disabilities. 16
BY adding to 17
Article – Education 18
Section 7–136 19
Annotated Code of Maryland 20
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
2 HOUSE BILL 694
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 1
Article – Education 2
Section 7–435 7–1510(a) and (f) 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 5
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 6
Article – Education 7
Section 7–1510(b), (d), and (e) 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 10
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 12
Article – Education 13
7–136. 14
ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2025, AND EACH SEPTEMBER 1 THEREAFTER , 15
EACH COUNTY BOARD SH ALL PUBLISH ON ITS W EBSITE AND REPORT , IN 16
ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, TO THE 17
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE NUMBE R OF MAIN ENTRANCES TO PUBLIC SCHOOL 18
BUILDINGS IN THE COU NTY THAT ARE NOT ACC ESSIBLE FOR INDIVIDU ALS WITH 19
DISABILITIES AND NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH T HE FEDERAL AMERICANS WITH 20
DISABILITIES ACT. 21
7–435. 22
(a) On or before December 1, 2017, the Department shall, in consultation with 23
disability advocacy groups, update the Emergency Planning Guidelines for Local School 24
Systems and Schools to accommodate, safeguard, and evacuate students, staff, and visitors 25
with disabilities on public school grounds in accordance with the federal Americans with 26
Disabilities Act. 27
(b) (1) On or before July 1, 2018, each local school system shall update the local 28
school system’s emergency plan to comply with the update of the Department’s guidelines 29
and regulations under subsection (a) of this section. 30
(2) (I) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2025, AND EACH 31
SEPTEMBER 1 THEREAFTER , EACH LOCAL SCHOOL SY STEM SHALL SEND A CO PY OF 32
THE LOCAL SCHOOL SYS TEM’S EMERGENCY PLAN TO THE DEPARTMENT . 33
(II) ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2025, AND EACH DECEMBER 34
1 THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL : 35
HOUSE BILL 694 3
1. ANALYZE THE EMERGENCY PLANS RECEIVED UNDER 1
SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH ; AND 2
2. REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IN 3
ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, ON WHETHER 4
EACH LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM IS IN COMPLIA NCE WITH THE DEPARTMENT ’S 5
GUIDELINES AND REGUL ATIONS UNDER SUBSECT ION (A) OF THIS SECTION. 6
(c) If a student with an IEP requires specific accommodations for evacuation in 7
an emergency, the student’s IEP shall include accommodations for the student during an 8
emergency. 9
(d) If a student with a 504 plan requires specific accommodations for evacuation 10
in an emergency, the student’s 504 team shall discuss and address the student’s needs as 11
necessary. 12
7–1510. 13
(a) On or before June 15, 2019, and regularly thereafter, each local school system 14
shall conduct a safety evaluation of each public school under the local school system’s 15
jurisdiction to: 16
(1) Identify and, if necessary, develop solutions for physical safety 17
concerns, including issues with building security AND ASSOCIATED ISSUE S OF 18
ACCESSIBILITY FOR IN DIVIDUALS WITH DISAB ILITIES; and 19
(2) Identify and evaluate any patterns of safety concerns on school property 20
or at school–sponsored events. 21
(b) In performing the safety evaluations, each designated safety coordinator shall: 22
(1) Consult with the Center for guidance; 23
(2) Coordinate with the Interagency Commission on School Construction’s 24
facility assessment process, established under § 5–310 of this article in identifying issues 25
with public school facilities that could impact school safety; and 26
(3) Submit a summary of the completed safety evaluations to the Center. 27
(d) On or before August 1, 2020, and regularly thereafter, each local school system 28
shall update the school emergency plan for each public school in the school system’s 29
jurisdiction to: 30
(1) Include detailed plans for the manner in which each public school will 31
address: 32
4 HOUSE BILL 694
(i) Behavioral threats; 1
(ii) Emergency events; and 2
(iii) Accommodations for students with disabilities in emergency 3
events; 4
(2) Conform with the Emergency Planning Guidelines updated under 5
subsection (c) of this section; and 6
(3) Incorporate any changes required under subsection (f) of this section. 7
(e) Each local school system shall submit the plans updated under subsection (d) 8
of this section to the Center for review and comment. 9
(f) (1) On or before August 1, 2020, and each August 1 thereafter, each local 10
school system shall submit a report to the Center that includes, for the immediately 11
preceding school year: 12
(i) Aggregate data about threats made against any school or school 13
system facility; 14
(ii) Information about any school lockdowns, evacuations, or other 15
emergency responses that occurred; 16
(III) INSTANCES IN WHICH A PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILI TY BECAME 17
INACCESSIBLE FOR A S TUDENT WITH A DISABI LITY IN A MANNER THA T COULD 18
IMPEDE EVACUATION OR AN EMERGENCY RESPONS E; 19
[(iii)] (IV) Incidents in which a public school’s emergency plan failed 20
in part or in whole to function as anticipated in an emergency or an emergency drill; and 21
[(iv)] (V) School hours spent in an emergency or an emergency drill. 22
(2) Each local school system shall, in consultation with the Center, update 23
each emergency plan to correct weaknesses identified under paragraph (1) of this 24
subsection. 25
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 26
1, 2025. 27