Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB916 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	sb0916
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 916
8	8	F1 5lr1381
9	9	SB 1058/24 – EEE
10	10	By: Senator Kramer
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Education – Curriculum Standards – Requirements 2
19	19	(Educate to Stop the Hate Act) 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of requiring that certain curriculum guides and courses of study 4
22	22	established by county boards of education be aligned with certain content standards, 5
23	23	curriculum standards, and curriculum resources and authorizing the State 6
24	24	Superintendent of Schools to withhold certain funds from county boards that fail to 7
25	25	do so; requiring the State Department of Education to develop certain content 8
26	26	standards; establishing certain requirements for the Department’s process for 9
27	27	developing, reviewing, and adopting certain content standards, curriculum 10
28	28	standards, and curriculum resources; requiring the State Board of Education to 11
29	29	review, revise, and adopt certain content standards, curriculum standards, and 12
30	30	curriculum resources and review, revise, and enhance certain history and social 13
31	31	studies frameworks; encouraging certain nonpublic schools in the State to include in 14
32	32	the school’s curriculum at least a unit of instruction on certain topics; and generally 15
33	33	relating to curriculum standards. 16
34	34
35	35	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 17
36	36	Article – Education 18
37	37	Section 4–111(a) and 7–202.1 19
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 20
39	39	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
40	40
41	41	Preamble 22
42	42
43	43	WHEREAS, Hate, bigotry, and prejudice undermine the very fabric of our society, 23
44	44	jeopardizing the fundamental principles of equity, dignity, and respect for all individuals; 24
45	45	and 25
46	46	2 SENATE BILL 916
47	47
48	48
49	49	WHEREAS, Hateful sentiment is reaching unprecedented levels in contemporary 1
50	50	society and is reaching a critical mass that threatens both the physical and psychological 2
51	51	well–being of our residents; and 3
52	52
53	53	WHEREAS, Social media and technology are being used to disseminate false and 4
54	54	inaccurate information leading to the rising tide of hate crimes, discrimination, and 5
55	55	intolerance that threatens the harmonious coexistence of diverse communities; and 6
56	56
57	57	WHEREAS, Understanding American and world history can be critical in addressing 7
58	58	the dramatic rise in hate rhetoric and hate–related actions and crimes; and 8
59	59
60	60	WHEREAS, Education will help students understand the roots and ramifications of 9
61	61	prejudice, racism, and stereotyping, develop an awareness of the value of pluralism and 10
62	62	diversity, explore the dangers of remaining silent, apathetic, and indifferent to the 11
63	63	oppression of others, and learn how the abuse of power can lead to the implementation of 12
64	64	destructive, government–sponsored policies ranging from social engineering to genocide; 13
65	65	and 14
66	66
67	67	WHEREAS, It is a policy of the General Assembly to avoid legislating the instruction 15
68	68	of the public school system, but the unprecedented expressions of hate, bigotry, and 16
69	69	prejudice have reached a critical and alarming mass requiring that the General Assembly 17
70	70	take unprecedented policy action to best achieve outcomes for the people of the State; now, 18
71	71	therefore, 19
72	72
73	73	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
74	74	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
75	75
76	76	Article – Education 22
77	77
78	78	4–111. 23
79	79
80	80	(a) Subject to the applicable provisions of this article and the bylaws, basic 24
81	81	policies, and guidelines established by the State Board, each county board, on the written 25
82	82	recommendation of the county superintendent, shall: 26
83	83
84	84	(1) Establish curriculum guides and courses of study ALIGNED WITH THE 27
85	85	CONTENT STANDARDS , CURRICULUM STANDARDS , AND CURRICULUM RESOU RCES 28
86	86	DEVELOPED UNDER § 7–202.1 OF THIS ARTICLE for the schools under its jurisdiction, 29
87	87	including appropriate programs of instruction or training for mentally or physically 30
88	88	handicapped children; and 31
89	89
90	90	(2) Supply printed copies of these materials to any teacher or interested 32
91	91	[citizen] INDIVIDUAL. 33
92	92
93	93	7–202.1. 34
94	94	SENATE BILL 916 3
95	95
96	96
97	97	(a) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 1
98	98	INDICATED. 2
99	99
100	100	(2) “CONTENT STANDARDS ” MEANS THE STATEMENTS FOR THE 3
101	101	PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTI ON THAT DESCRIBE T HE KNOWLEDGE AND SKI LLS 4
102	102	STUDENTS ARE EXPECTE D TO ATTAIN FOR EACH SUBJECT AND GRADE LEVEL . 5
103	103
104	104	(3) “CURRICULUM RESOURCES ” MEANS GUIDANCE DOCUM ENTS AND 6
105	105	FRAMEWORKS USED BY A COUNTY BOARD TO DEVE LOP CURRICULA TO IMP LEMENT 7
106	106	CONTENT STANDARDS . 8
107	107
108	108	(4) “CURRICULUM STANDARDS ” MEANS THE STATEMENTS THAT 9
109	109	OUTLINE APPROACHES T O LEARNING FOR EACH SUBJECT ACROSS GRADE LEVELS . 10
110	110
111	111	(B) (1) The Department shall, in consultation with experienced and highly 11
112	112	effective teachers, including teachers on the career ladder under Title 6, Subtitle 10 of this 12
113	113	article, develop CONTENT STANDARDS , curriculum standards, and curriculum resources 13
114	114	for each subject at each grade level, that build on one another in logical sequence, in core 14
115	115	subjects that may be used by local school systems and public school teachers. 15
116	116
117	117	(2) THE CONTENT STANDARDS , CURRICULUM STANDARDS , AND 16
118	118	CURRICULUM RESOURCES DEVELOPED UNDER PARA GRAPH (1) OF THIS 17
119	119	SUBSECTION SHALL : 18
120	120
121	121	(I) INCLUDE EVIDENCE –BASED PRACTICES AND THE SCIENCE 19
122	122	OF INSTRUCTION TO EN SURE THAT ALL S TUDENTS MEET THEIR F ULL POTENTIAL ; 20
123	123
124	124	(II) CONSIDER THE IMPACT O N ALL STUDENTS WITH A 21
125	125	STRATEGIC FOCUS ON M ARGINALIZED STUDENT GROUPS; AND 22
126	126
127	127	(III) REFLECT THE HISTORY O F MARGINALIZED GROUP S WITH 23
128	128	PARTICULAR CONSIDERA TION OF THE ASSOCIAT ED HISTORICAL CONTE XT AND 24
129	129	ROOT CAUSES OF MARGINALIZATION . 25
130	130
131	131	(3) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REVI EW THE CONTENT STAND ARDS, 26
132	132	CURRICULUM STANDARDS , AND CURRICULUM RESOU RCES AT LEAST EVERY 8 27
133	133	YEARS. 28
134	134
135	135	(4) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTA BLISH A PROCESS FOR 29
136	136	MAINTAINING STAKEHOL DER ENGAGEMENT DURING THE PROCESSES OF 30
137	137	DEVELOPING AND REVIE WING CONTENT STANDAR DS, CURRICULUM STANDARDS , 31
138	138	AND CURRICULUM RESOU RCES. 32
139	139	4 SENATE BILL 916
140	140
141	141
142	142	(5) IF A COUNTY BOARD FAI LS TO ESTABLISH CURRICULA AND 1
143	143	COURSES OF STUDY ALI GNED WITH THE CONTEN T STANDARDS , CURRICULUM 2
144	144	STANDARDS, AND CURRICULUM RESOURCES DEVELOPED UNDER PARA GRAPH (1) OF 3
145	145	THIS SUBSECTION , THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT MAY WI THHOLD STATE FUNDS IN 4
146	146	ACCORDANCE WITH §§ 2–303 AND 5–205 OF THIS ARTICLE. 5
147	147
148	148	[(b)] (C) (1) The purpose of the CONTENT STANDARDS , curriculum 6
149	149	standards, and curriculum resources developed under this section is to provide county 7
150	150	boards with technical assistance to inform high–quality instruction that will ultimately 8
151	151	result in students meeting the college and career readiness standards in the manner 9
152	152	described under § 7–205.1 of this subtitle. 10
153	153
154	154	(2) The curriculum resources developed under this section shall include, 11
155	155	for each core subject at each grade level: 12
156	156
157	157	(i) Course syllabi; 13
158	158
159	159	(ii) Sample lessons for teachers to use as models; 14
160	160
161	161	(iii) Examples of student work that meet standards for proficiency; 15
162	162
163	163	(iv) Explanations of why student work examples meet proficiency 16
164	164	standards so that teachers know what student knowledge is required; and 17
165	165
166	166	(v) Curriculum units aligned with the course syllabi. 18
167	167
168	168	(3) In developing the curriculum resources under this subsection, the 19
169	169	Department: 20
170	170
171	171	(i) May use as a model a course or unit developed by a teacher in or 21
172	172	out of the State; but 22
173	173
174	174	(ii) Shall review each model course and unit for quality, using 23
175	175	accepted benchmarks such as approval by EdReports or Tier 1 and Tier 2 evidence–based 24
176	176	standards established by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. 25
177	177
178	178	(4) The Department shall compile curriculum units in such a manner that: 26
179	179
180	180	(i) Complete courses are formed; and 27
181	181
182	182	(ii) When taken by a student in sequence, the student can achieve 28
183	183	the college and career readiness standard adopted under § 7–205.1 of this subtitle by the 29
184	184	end of grade 10. 30
185	185	SENATE BILL 916 5
186	186
187	187
188	188	[(c)] (D) The Department shall submit CONTENT STANDARDS , CURRICULUM 1
189	189	STANDARDS, AND curriculum resources [and curriculum standards] developed under this 2
190	190	section to the State Board for adoption. 3
191	191
192	192	[(d)] (E) The State Board shall establish a system of assessments to ensure that 4
193	193	students are acquiring the knowledge contained in the CONTENT STANDARDS AND 5
194	194	curriculum standards in English, Mathematics, Science, and History or Social Studies. 6
195	195
196	196	[(e)] (F) (1) Using the assessments established under subsection [(d)] (E) of 7
197	197	this section, the Department shall identify low–performing schools. 8
198	198
199	199	(2) An Expert Review Team established under § 5–411 of this article, under 9
200	200	the supervision of the Department, shall visit schools identified under paragraph (1) of this 10
201	201	subsection according to the criteria established under § 5–411 of this article. 11
202	202
203	203	(3) If the Department, based on a recommendation of an Expert Review 12
204	204	Team, determines that a school’s low performance on assessments is, largely, due to 13
205	205	curricular problems, the school shall adopt the curriculum resources developed under this 14
206	206	section. 15
207	207
208	208	(4) Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, this section does 16
209	209	not require a public school or county board to adopt the Department’s CONTENT 17
210	210	STANDARDS, curriculum standards, and curriculum resources and may not be construed 18
211	211	to restrict a county board’s authority to adopt curricula under § 4–111 of this article. 19
212	212
213	213	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 20
214	214
215	215	(a) On or before January 1, 2026, the State Board of Education shall: 21
216	216
217	217	(1) (i) review, revise, and adopt the curriculum standards for the State 22
218	218	comprehensive instructional program in social studies to include comprehensive antihate 23
219	219	education using associated historical contexts that have led to racism and prejudice in 24
220	220	society; and 25
221	221
222	222	(ii) develop and adopt interdisciplinary curriculum resources to 26
223	223	promote antihate education using associated historical contexts that have led to racism and 27
224	224	prejudice in society; 28
225	225
226	226	(2) (i) develop or revise and adopt content standards for high school 29
227	227	history to include instruction on: 30
228	228
229	229	1. the history and contributions of historically disadvantaged 31
230	230	groups; 32
231	231
232	232	2. the topics of genocide, torture, war crimes, crimes against 33
233	233	humanity, and the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities; and 34 6 SENATE BILL 916
234	234
235	235
236	236
237	237	3. the transatlantic slave trade; 1
238	238
239	239	(ii) revise and enhance the high school history frameworks to 2
240	240	incorporate the content standards adopted in accordance with item (i) of this item; and 3
241	241
242	242	(iii) review, revise, and adopt curriculum standards to incorporate 4
243	243	the history of genocide, including the Holocaust; and 5
244	244
245	245	(3) (i) 1. adopt content standards for elementary school social 6
246	246	studies for grades 4 and 5 to include instruction on the Holocaust within the grade 5 unit; 7
247	247
248	248	2. adopt content standards for middle school social studies to 8
249	249	include a study of the roots of antisemitism that led to the Holocaust so that students may 9
250	250	contextualize the study of the Holocaust in high school; and 10
251	251
252	252	3. adopt content standards for high school Modern World 11
253	253	History and United States History to include instruction on the Holocaust by first 12
254	254	understanding the origins of the Holocaust and to evaluate the causes, course, and 13
255	255	consequences of the Holocaust; and 14
256	256
257	257	(ii) review and enhance the elementary school and middle school 15
258	258	frameworks and the high school history frameworks to incorporate the content standards 16
259	259	regarding the Holocaust adopted in accordance with item (i) of this item. 17
260	260
261	261	(b) (1) It is the intent of the General Assembly that, beginning in the 18
262	262	2026–2027 school year, all county boards of education in the State and all nonpublic schools 19
263	263	in the State that hold a Certificate of Approval issued by the State Board of Education 20
264	264	under § 2–206 of the Education Article establish curriculum resources for the schools under 21
265	265	their jurisdiction aligned with the content standards and curriculum standards adopted by 22
266	266	the State Board under subsection (a) of this section. 23
267	267
268	268	(2) A nonpublic school that is operated by a registered bona fide church 24
269	269	organization or that has not been approved by the State Board under § 2–206 of the 25
270	270	Education Article is encouraged to include in the school’s social studies and history 26
271	271	curriculum at least a unit of instruction on the topics described in subsection (a) of this 27
272	272	section using or based on the content standards and curriculum standards adopted by the 28
273	273	State Board under subsection (a) of this section. 29
274	274
275	275	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 30
276	276	1, 2025. 31