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*hb0014*
HOUSE BILL 14
F1 (6lr0720)
ENROLLED BILL
— Ways and Means/Education, Energy, and the Environment —
Introduced by Delegate Foley
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
County Boards of Education – Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation – 2
Information Collection and Reporting Requirements 3
FOR the purpose of altering the contents of a certain bullying, harassment, or intimidation 4
form to require the identification of certain information; requiring each county board 5
of education to report information about groups with certain characteristics under 6
certain circumstances; requiring the State Department of Education to establish 7
certain standards by a certain date; requiring each county board of education to post 8
certain information on its website in a certain manner on or before a certain date 9
each year; and generally relating to bullying, harassment, or intimidation and 10
county boards of education. 11
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 12
Article – Education 13
Section 7–424 14
2 HOUSE BILL 14
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 2
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 3
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 4
Article – Education 5
7–424. 6
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 7
(2) “Bullying, harassment, or intimidation” means intentional conduct, 8
including verbal, physical, or written conduct, or an intentional electronic communication, 9
that: 10
(i) Creates a hostile e ducational environment by substantially 11
interfering with a student’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, or with a 12
student’s physical or psychological well–being and is: 13
1. Motivated by an actual or a perceived personal 14
characteristic including race, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, 15
gender identity, religion, ancestry, physical attributes, socioeconomic status, familial 16
status, or physical or mental ability or disability; 17
2. Sexual in nature, including descriptions or depictions of a 18
student with the student’s intimate parts exposed or while engaged in an act of sexual 19
contact; or 20
3. Threatening or seriously intimidating; and 21
(ii) 1. Occurs on school property, at a school activity or event, or 22
on a school bus; or 23
2. Substantially disrupts the orderly operation of a school. 24
(3) “Electronic communication” means a communication transmitted by 25
means of an electronic device, including a telephone, cellular phone, computer, or pager. 26
(4) “Intimate parts” means the naked genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or 27
female nipple. 28
(5) “Sexual contact” means sexual intercourse, including genital –genital, 29
oral–genital, anal–genital, or oral–anal, whether between persons of the same or opposite 30
sex. 31
HOUSE BILL 14 3
(b) (1) The Department shall require a county board to report incidents of 1
bullying, harassment, or intimidation against students attending a public school under the 2
jurisdiction of the county board. 3
(2) An incident of bullying, harassment, or intimidation m ay be reported 4
by: 5
(i) A student; 6
(ii) The parent, guardian, or close adult relative of a student; or 7
(iii) A school staff member. 8
(c) (1) The Department shall create a standard victim of bullying, harassment, 9
or intimidation report form. 10
(2) Each victim of bullying, harassment, or intimidation report form shall: 11
(i) Identify the victim and the alleged perpetrator, if known; 12
(ii) Indicate the age of the victim and alleged perpetrator; 13
(iii) Describe the incident, including alleged statements made by the 14
alleged perpetrator; 15
(IV) IF THE INCIDENT IS BE LIEVED TO HAVE BEEN MOTIVATED 16
IN WHOLE OR IN SUBST ANTIAL PART BY ANY O F THE IDENTIFY ANY ACTUAL OR 17
PERCEIVED PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (A)(2)(I)1 OF 18
THIS SECTION, INDICATE THOSE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS, IF KNOWN THAT ARE 19
BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A MOTIVATING FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT; 20
[(iv)] (V) Indicate the location of the incident; 21
[(v)] (VI) Identify any physical injury suffered by the victim and 22
describe the seriousness and any permanent effects of the injury; 23
[(vi)] (VII) Indicate the number of days a student is absent from 24
school, if any, as a result of the incident; 25
[(vii)] (VIII) Identify any request for psychological services initiated by 26
the victim or the victim’s family due to psychological injuries suffered; and 27
[(viii)] (IX) Include instructions on how to fill out the form and the 28
mailing address to where the form shall be sent. 29
4 HOUSE BILL 14
(3) A county board shall distribute copies of the victim of bullying, 1
harassment, or intimidation report form to each public school under the county board’s 2
jurisdiction. 3
(d) (1) A county board may establish an anonymous two –way electronic tip 4
program to allow the reporting of an act of bullying, harass ment, or intimidation of a 5
student. 6
(2) The purpose of the anonymous two–way electronic tip program is for a 7
student, a parent, guardian, or close adult relative of a student, or a school staff member to 8
report acts of bullying, harassment, or intimidation. 9
(3) Each county board that establishes an anonymous two –way electronic 10
tip program shall publicize the anonymous two –way electronic tip program in student 11
handbooks, school system websites, and other locations that the county board determines 12
are necessary or appropriate. 13
(4) On receipt of a report of an act of bullying, harassment, or intimidation 14
from an anonymous two –way electronic tip, the recipient of the report or the recipient’s 15
designee shall: 16
(i) Complete a victim of bullying, harass ment, or intimidation 17
report form in accordance with subsection (c) of this section; and 18
(ii) Provide a transcript of the conversation to a designated person 19
in the school. 20
(5) The Governor may include funding in the State budget to provide 21
grants to county boards to establish an anonymous two–way electronic tip program. 22
(e) (1) Each SUBJECT TO THE REQUIR EMENTS OF THIS SUBSE CTION, 23
EACH county board shall submit summaries of report forms filed with the county board to 24
the State Board on or before January 31 each year. 25
(2) A county board shall delete any information that identifies an 26
individual. 27
(3) (I) A COUNTY BOARD SHALL I NCLUDE IN ITS REPORT 28
INCIDENTS OF BULLYIN G, HARASSMENT, OR INTIMIDATION THAT , AFTER A 29
THOROUGH AND IMPARTI AL INVESTIGATION, ARE DETERMINED TO HA VE BEEN 30
MOTIVATED IN WHOLE OR IN SUBSTANTIAL PART BY PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS 31
DESCRIBED IN SUBSECT ION (A)(2)(I)1 OF THIS SECTION OF M EMBERS OF A 32
PARTICULAR GROUP, IF: 33
HOUSE BILL 14 5
(I) 1. THERE HAS BEEN A SUBS TANTIAL INCREASE IN 1
INCIDENTS OF BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR INTIMIDATION FOR STUDENTS IN THAT 2
GROUP OVER THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR; OR 3
(II) 2. THERE HAS BEEN A SUBS TANTIAL DECREASE IN 4
INCIDENTS OF BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR INTIMIDATION FOR STUDENTS IN THAT 5
GROUP OVER THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR; OR 6
3. THERE IS A DISPROPORT IONATE INCIDENT RATE OF 7
BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR INTIMIDATION FOR STUDENTS IN THAT GROUP. 8
(II) ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2027, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL 9
ESTABLISH STANDARDS FOR THE CONDITIONS D ESCRIBED UNDER SUBPARAGRAPH 10
(I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH. 11
(F) (1) ON SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , ON OR 12
BEFORE JANUARY 31 EACH YEAR , EACH COUNTY BOARD SH ALL POST IN A 13
PROMINENT LOCATION O N ITS WEBSITE MAKE AVAILABLE ON RE QUEST 14
INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS OF BULLYING, HARASSMENT, OR 15
INTIMIDATION REPORTED TO THE STATE BOARD BY THE COUNTY B OARD UNDER 16
SUBSECTION (E) OF THIS SECTION THAT WERE DETERMINED TO BE MOTIVATED BY 17
AN ACTUAL OR PERCEIV ED PERSONAL CHARACTE RISTIC OF AN INDIVID UAL OR A 18
GROUP, DISAGGREGATED BY THE MOT IVATING PERSONAL CHA RACTERISTIC 19
INFORMATION DESCRIBED UNDER SUBSECTION (E)(3) OF THIS SECTION. 20
(2) A COUNTY BOARD MAY NOT PUBLISH ANY INFORMAT ION THAT 21
COULD BE USED TO IDENTIFY AN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT. 22
[(f)] (G) The information conta ined in a victim of bullying, harassment, or 23
intimidation report form in accordance with subsection (c) of this section or received from 24
an anonymous two–way electronic tip in accordance with subsection (d) of this section: 25
(1) Is confidential and may not be redisclosed except as otherwise provided 26
under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or this section; and 27
(2) May not be made a part of a student’s permanent educational record. 28
[(g)] (H) (1) The Department shall submit a report on or before March 31 each 29
year to the Senate Education, [Health, and Environmental Affairs ] ENERGY, AND THE 30
ENVIRONMENT Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, in accordance 31
with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, consisting of a summary of the information 32
included in the victim of bullying, harassment, or intimidation report forms filed with the 33
county boards the previous year. 34
6 HOUSE BILL 14
(2) The report submitted by the Department shall include, to the extent 1
feasible: 2
(i) A description of the act constituting the bullying, harassment, or 3
intimidation; 4
(ii) The age of the victim and alleged perpetrator; 5
(iii) The allegation of the alleged perpetrator’s motive; 6
(iv) A description of the investiga tion of the complaint and any 7
corrective action taken by the appropriate school authorities; 8
(v) The number of days a student is absent from school, if any, as a 9
result of the incident; and 10
(vi) The number of false allegations reported. 11
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 12
1, 2026. 13
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.