Bill > HB14

This bill requires Maryland County Boards of Education to collect and report information about incidents of bullying, harassment, or intimidation against students. "Bullying, harassment, or intimidation" is defined as intentional conduct, including electronic communication, that creates a hostile educational environment by interfering with a student's education or well-being, and is motivated by personal characteristics like race, sex, or religion, is sexual in nature, or is threatening, and occurs on school property, at school events, or disrupts school operations. The bill mandates the creation of a standardized report form for victims, which will collect details about the incident, the individuals involved, and any resulting injuries or absences, and requires county boards to distribute these forms to schools. Additionally, county boards are permitted to establish anonymous electronic tip programs for reporting such incidents, with the Governor potentially providing funding for these programs. Summaries of these reports, with all identifying information removed, must be submitted annually to the State Board by January 31st, and county boards must also post information on their websites about incidents motivated by personal characteristics, disaggregated by those characteristics. The collected information is confidential and cannot be part of a student's permanent record. Finally, the Department of Education will submit an annual report to legislative committees summarizing these incidents, including details about the nature of the act, the individuals involved, the investigation, and any corrective actions taken.

Budget and Finance

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0014?ys=2026RS