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*hb0782*
HOUSE BILL 782
F1 5lr2969
By: Delegate Atterbeary Delegates Atterbeary, Ebersole, Fair, Griffith,
Hornberger, R. Long, Miller, Mireku–North, Patterson, Roberts, Vogel,
Wells, Wilkins, Wims, Wu, and Young
Introduced and read first time: January 29, 2025
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Study on Detecting Deadly Weapons in Public Middle and High Schools 2
FOR the purpose of requiring the State Department of Education Maryland Center for 3
School Safety to study how best to detect deadly weapons in public middle and high 4
schools and how best to rapidly report the detection of weapons to a law enforcement 5
agency; and generally relating to a study on detecting deadly weapons in public 6
middle and high schools. 7
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 8
That: 9
(a) The State Department of Education Maryland Center for School Safety shall 10
study how best to: 11
(1) detect deadly weapons on public middle and high school properties; and 12
(2) have schools rapidly report the detection of a deadly weapon to a law 13
enforcement agency. 14
(b) (1) The study required under this section shall include a comprehensive 15
audit evaluation of the current security infrastructure used in each public school system in 16
the State. 17
2 HOUSE BILL 782
(2) The audit evaluation shall include an evaluation of meetings with 1
members of each local school system to assess: 2
(i) physical and technological security measures currently in use; 3
and 4
(ii) any gaps or areas that require improvement within the current 5
security system. 6
(3) The Center shall build on information collected as part of regular safety 7
evaluations and other reports collected under § 7–1510 of the Education Article in 8
conducting its evaluation. 9
(4) Information collected as part of an evaluation is not a public record and 10
shall be protected in the same manner as records covered by § 4–314.1 of the General 11
Provisions Article. 12
(c) The study shall, at minimum, include an evaluation of: 13
(1) any widely accepted available methods not currently used by the public 14
school systems in the State and the feasibility of using those methods to help fill gaps or 15
make improvements in the security system identified in the comprehensive audit 16
evaluation; 17
(2) how the current security system could best be adapted to achieve better 18
detection of deadly weapons and quicker reporting to law enforcement agencies when 19
deadly weapons have been detected; 20
(3) software that uses artificial intelligence to identify deadly weapons, and 21
the necessary steps to ensure that the software works effectively, including integration 22
used for school safety and how it can best be integrated effectively with security cameras 23
and other currently used safety measures; 24
(4) an increased use of security cameras in public middle and high schools 25
and their ideal placement; and 26
(5) an increased use of metal detectors, including handheld metal 27
detectors, in public middle and high school entrances. 28
(d) (1) On or before December 1, 2025, in a manner that does not jeopardize 29
school safety, the State Department of Education Maryland Center for School Safety shall 30
issue an interim report, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on 31
the findings of its study to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, the Senate 32
Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment, and the House Ways and Means 33
Committee. 34
HOUSE BILL 782 3
(2) On or before December 1, 2026, in a manner that does not jeopardize 1
school safety, the Maryland Center for School Safety shall issue a final report, in accordance 2
with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on the findings of its study to the President 3
of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and 4
the Environment, and the House Ways and Means Committee. 5
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER EN ACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 6
1, 2025. It shall remain effective for a period of 1 year 2 years and 1 month and, at the end 7
of June 30, 2026 2027, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, 8
shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 9
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.