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