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WES MOORE, Governor Ch. 775
Chapter 775
(House Bill 14)
AN ACT concerning
County Boards of Education – Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation –
Information Collection and Reporting Requirements
FOR the purpose of altering the contents of a certain bullying, harassment, or intimidation
form to require the identification of certain information; requiring each county board
of education to report information about groups with certain characteristics under
certain circumstances; requiring the State Department of Education to establish
certain standards by a certain date; requiring each county board of education to post
certain information on its website in a certain manner on or before a certain date
each year; and generally relating to bullying, harassment, or intimidation and
county boards of education.
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,
Article – Education
Section 7–424
Annotated Code of Maryland
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement)
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND,
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:
Article – Education
7–424.
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.
(2) “Bullying, harassment, or intimidation” means intentional conduct,
including verbal, physical, or written conduct, or an intentional electronic communication,
that:
(i) Creates a hostile educational environment by substantially
interfering with a student’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, or with a
student’s physical or psychological well–being and is:
1. Motivated by an actual or a perceived personal
characteristic including race, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity, religion, ancestry, physical attributes, socioeconomic status, familial
status, or physical or mental ability or disability;
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Ch. 775 2026 LAWS OF MARYLAND
2. Sexual in nature, including descriptions or depictions of a
student with the student’s intimate parts exposed or while engaged in an act of sexual
contact; or
3. Threatening or seriously intimidating; and
(ii) 1. Occurs on school property, at a school activity or event, or
on a school bus; or
2. Substantially disrupts the orderly operation of a school.
(3) “Electronic communication” means a communication transmitted by
means of an electronic device, including a telephone, cellular phone, computer, or pager.
(4) “Intimate parts” means the naked genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or
female nipple.
(5) “Sexual contact” means sexual intercourse, including genital–genital,
oral–genital, anal–genital, or oral–anal, whether between persons of the same or opposite
sex.
(b) (1) The Department shall require a county board to report incidents of
bullying, harassment, or intimidation against students attending a public school under the
jurisdiction of the county board.
(2) An incident of bullying, harassment, or intimidation may be reported
by:
(i) A student;
(ii) The parent, guardian, or close adult relative of a student; or
(iii) A school staff member.
(c) (1) The Department shall create a standard victim of bullying, harassment,
or intimidation report form.
(2) Each victim of bullying, harassment, or intimidation report form shall:
(i) Identify the victim and the alleged perpetrator, if known;
(ii) Indicate the age of the victim and alleged perpetrator;
(iii) Describe the incident, including alleged statements made by the
alleged perpetrator;
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WES MOORE, Governor Ch. 775
(IV) IF THE INCIDENT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN MOTIVATED
IN WHOLE OR IN SUBSTANTIAL PART BY ANY OF THE IDENTIFY ANY ACTUAL OR
PERCEIVED PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (A)(2)(I)1 OF
THIS SECTION, INDICATE THOSE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS, IF KNOWN THAT ARE
BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A MOTIVATING FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT;
[(iv)] (V) Indicate the location of the incident;
[(v)] (VI) Identify any physical injury suffered by the victim and
describe the seriousness and any permanent effects of the injury;
[(vi)] (VII) Indicate the number of days a student is absent from
school, if any, as a result of the incident;
[(vii)] (VIII) Identify any request for psychological services initiated by
the victim or the victim’s family due to psychological injuries suffered; and
[(viii)] (IX) Include instructions on how to fill out the form and the
mailing address to where the form shall be sent.
(3) A county board shall distribute copies of the victim of bullying,
harassment, or intimidation report form to each public school under the county board’s
jurisdiction.
(d) (1) A county board may establish an anonymous two–way electronic tip
program to allow the reporting of an act of bullying, harassment, or intimidation of a
student.
(2) The purpose of the anonymous two–way electronic tip program is for a
student, a parent, guardian, or close adult relative of a student, or a school staff member to
report acts of bullying, harassment, or intimidation.
(3) Each county board that establishes an anonymous two–way electronic
tip program shall publicize the anonymous two–way electronic tip program in student
handbooks, school system websites, and other locations that the county board determines
are necessary or appropriate.
(4) On receipt of a report of an act of bullying, harassment, or intimidation
from an anonymous two–way electronic tip, the recipient of the report or the recipient’s
designee shall:
(i) Complete a victim of bullying, harassment, or intimidation
report form in accordance with subsection (c) of this section; and
in the school. (ii) Provide a transcript of the conversation to a designated person
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Ch. 775 2026 LAWS OF MARYLAND
(5) The Governor may include funding in the State budget to provide
grants to county boards to establish an anonymous two–way electronic tip program.
(e) (1) Each SUBJECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SUBSECTION,
EACH county board shall submit summaries of report forms filed with the county board to
the State Board on or before January 31 each year.
(2) A county board shall delete any information that identifies an
individual.
(3) (I) A COUNTY BOARD SHALL INCLUDE IN ITS REPORT
INCIDENTS OF BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR INTIMIDATION THAT, AFTER A
THOROUGH AND IMPARTIAL INVESTIGATION, ARE DETERMINED TO HAVE BEEN
MOTIVATED IN WHOLE OR IN SUBSTANTIAL PART BY PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (A)(2)(I)1 OF THIS SECTION OF MEMBERS OF A
PARTICULAR GROUP, IF:
(I) 1. THERE HAS BEEN A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN
INCIDENTS OF BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR INTIMIDATION FOR STUDENTS IN THAT
GROUP OVER THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR; OR
(II) 2. THERE HAS BEEN A SUBSTANTIAL DECREASE IN
INCIDENTS OF BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR INTIMIDATION FOR STUDENTS IN THAT
GROUP OVER THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR; OR
3. THERE IS A DISPROPORTIONATE INCIDENT RATE OF
BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR INTIMIDATION FOR STUDENTS IN THAT GROUP.
(II) ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2027, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL
ESTABLISH STANDARDS FOR THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED UNDER SUBPARAGRAPH
(I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH.
(F) (1) ON SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION, ON OR
BEFORE JANUARY 31 EACH YEAR, EACH COUNTY BOARD SHALL POST IN A
PROMINENT LOCATION ON ITS WEBSITE MAKE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS OF BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR
INTIMIDATION REPORTED TO THE STATE BOARD BY THE COUNTY BOARD UNDER
SUBSECTION (E) OF THIS SECTION THAT WERE DETERMINED TO BE MOTIVATED BY
AN ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR A
GROUP, DISAGGREGATED BY THE MOTIVATING PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC
INFORMATION DESCRIBED UNDER SUBSECTION (E)(3) OF THIS SECTION.
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WES MOORE, Governor Ch. 775
(2) A COUNTY BOARD MAY NOT PUBLISH ANY INFORMATION THAT
COULD BE USED TO IDENTIFY AN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT.
[(f)] (G) The information contained in a victim of bullying, harassment, or
intimidation report form in accordance with subsection (c) of this section or received from
an anonymous two–way electronic tip in accordance with subsection (d) of this section:
(1) Is confidential and may not be redisclosed except as otherwise provided
under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or this section; and
(2) May not be made a part of a student’s permanent educational record.
[(g)] (H) (1) The Department shall submit a report on or before March 31 each
year to the Senate Education, [Health, and Environmental Affairs] ENERGY, AND THE
ENVIRONMENT Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, in accordance
with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, consisting of a summary of the information
included in the victim of bullying, harassment, or intimidation report forms filed with the
county boards the previous year.
(2) The report submitted by the Department shall include, to the extent
feasible:
(i) A description of the act constituting the bullying, harassment, or
intimidation;
(ii) The age of the victim and alleged perpetrator;
(iii) The allegation of the alleged perpetrator’s motive;
(iv) A description of the investigation of the complaint and any
corrective action taken by the appropriate school authorities;
(v) The number of days a student is absent from school, if any, as a
result of the incident; and
(vi) The number of false allegations reported.
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July
1, 2026.
Approved by the Governor, May 26, 2026.
–5–Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.