Public Schools - Individuals With Disabilities - Accessibility and Emergency Planning, the official text

WES MOORE, Governor                  Ch. 666

Chapter 666

                   (House Bill 311)

AN ACT concerning

Public Schools – Individuals With Disabilities – Accessibility and Emergency
                                                    Planning

FOR the purpose of requiring each local school system to identify, in its regular safety
         evaluation, issues of accessibility for individuals with disabilities; requiring local
         school systems to include in a certain annual report instances in which a public
         school facility became inaccessible for a student with a disability in a manner that
         could impede evacuation or an emergency response; requiring a certain annual
         report to be confidential and limiting disclosure of the report to certain individuals;
         and generally relating to accessibility and emergency planning for individuals with
         disabilities.

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,
         Article – Education
         Section 7–1510(a) and (f)
         Annotated Code of Maryland
         (2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement)

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments,
         Article – Education
         Section 7–1510(b), (d), and (e)
         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

7–1510.

         (a) On or before June 15, 2019, and regularly thereafter, each local school system
shall conduct a safety evaluation of each public school under the local school system’s
jurisdiction to:

                  (1) Identify and, if necessary, develop solutions for physical safety
concerns, including issues with building security AND ASSOCIATED ISSUES OF
ACCESSIBILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES; and

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Ch. 666   2026 LAWS OF MARYLAND

                  (2) Identify and evaluate any patterns of safety concerns on school property
or at school–sponsored events.

(b) In performing the safety evaluations, each designated safety coordinator shall:

          (1) Consult with the Center for guidance;

                  (2) Coordinate with the Interagency Commission on School Construction’s
facility assessment process, established under § 5–310 of this article, in identifying issues
with public school facilities that could impact school safety; and

          (3) Submit a summary of the completed safety evaluations to the Center.

         (d) On or before August 1, 2020, and regularly thereafter, each local school system
shall update the school emergency plan for each public school in the school system’s
jurisdiction to:

          (1) Include detailed plans for the manner in which each public school will

address:

          (i) Behavioral threats;

          (ii) Emergency events; and

          (iii) Accommodations for students with disabilities in emergency

events;

                  (2) Conform with the Emergency Planning Guidelines updated under
subsection (c) of this section; and

          (3) Incorporate any changes required under subsection (f) of this section.

         (e) Each local school system shall submit the plans updated under subsection (d)
of this section to the Center for review and comment.

         (f) (1) On or before August 1, 2020, and each August 1 thereafter, each local
school system shall submit a report to the Center that includes, for the immediately
preceding school year:

                           (i) Aggregate data about threats made against any school or school
system facility;

                           (ii) Information about any school lockdowns, evacuations, or other
emergency responses that occurred;

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WES MOORE, Governor  Ch. 666

                         (III) INSTANCES IN WHICH A PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITY BECAME

INACCESSIBLE FOR A STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY IN A MANNER THAT COULD

IMPEDE EVACUATION OR AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE;

                         [(iii)] (IV) Incidents in which a public school’s emergency plan failed
in part or in whole to function as anticipated in an emergency or an emergency drill; and

                         [(iv)] (V) School hours spent in an emergency or an emergency drill.

                  (2) Each local school system shall, in consultation with the Center, update
each emergency plan to correct weaknesses identified under paragraph (1) of this
subsection.

                (3) (I) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBPARAGRAPH (II) OF THIS
PARAGRAPH, A REPORT SUBMITTED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION:

                                 1. SHALL BE CONFIDENTIAL;

                                 2. MAY NOT BE DISCLOSED; AND

                                 3. IS NOT CONSIDERED A PUBLIC RECORD AND SHALL BE
EXEMPT FROM INSPECTION UNDER THE MARYLAND PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT.

                         (II) A REPORT MAY BE DISCLOSED TO A MEMBER OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON REQUEST.

         SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July
1, 2026.

Approved by the Governor, May 26, 2026.

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