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*hb0326*
HOUSE BILL 326
F1 6lr1795
By: Delegate Ebersole
Introduced and read first time: January 16, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 9, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Education – Maryland Center for School Safety – Anonymous Reporting System 2
FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Center for School Safety to develop and 3
administer an anonymous reporting system; requiring the Center to develop 4
operational guidelines and procedures for the anonymous reporting system and to 5
provide certain training; requiring eac h local school system to participate in the 6
anonymous reporting system, subject to a certain exception; requiring a certain 7
custodian of records to deny inspection of information and materials related to the 8
anonymous reporting system; and generally relating to the school safety anonymous 9
reporting system. 10
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
Article – Education 12
Section 7–1502(g) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15
BY adding to 16
Article – Education 17
Section 7–1514 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 20
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 21
Article – General Provisions 22
2 HOUSE BILL 326
Section 4–314.1(a) 1
Annotated Code of Maryland 2
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 3
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5
Article – Education 6
7–1502. 7
(g) The Center shall perform the following functions and duties: 8
(1) Provide technical assistance and consultation to local school systems, 9
State and local government, and community organizations on best practices for safe schools 10
and violence prevention; 11
(2) Develop a website containing a searchable database of definitive 12
research, books, videos, white papers, speakers, websites, and other school safety resources; 13
(3) Develop criteria that may be applied consistently and uniformly in local 14
school systems for coding unsafe incidents and serious or violent offenses; 15
(4) Research and recommend the us e of common assessment tools to be 16
used to identify specific problems and needs of schools and neighborhoods to facilitate 17
intervention before assessed findings become problematic; 18
(5) Assist local school systems to conduct a thorough assessment of thei r 19
school safety data, school building layouts, and use of human resources for monitoring 20
purposes to determine the need for: 21
(i) Surveillance and other security technology; and 22
(ii) Innovations to maximize the use of human resources to monitor 23
activity and influence positive relationship building; 24
(6) Maintain and maximize relationships with emergency responders, law 25
enforcement personnel, parents, and other emergency preparedness stakeholders to ensure 26
seamless execution in an emergency event, including: 27
(i) Consolidate resources among stakeholders to maximize support 28
and secure necessary skills to ensure emergency plan implementation; 29
(ii) Conduct collaborative training and preparation exercises; and 30
(iii) Identify improvements and ensure nonduplication of effort in 31
emergency response procedures; 32
HOUSE BILL 326 3
(7) Provide safety information on traveling to and from school to parents 1
and students twice a year that includes data related to bus and pedestrian safety, strategies 2
for ensuring personal safety, efforts of the local school system or school to improve safety, 3
and information on the available options for reporting incidents or concerns; 4
(8) Utilize and update an existing clearinghouse of law enforcement 5
resources that are available to support school safety to ensure that it includes information 6
regarding the purpose and process for accessing available funding; 7
(9) Assist local school systems to improve and monitor traffic control 8
measures in the immediate vicinity of schools to reduc e the potential for pedestrian and 9
vehicle accidents; 10
(10) Assist the Department to evaluate and update current data systems to 11
ensure they are best suited for providing useful information on school safety issues; 12
(11) Assist local school systems to monitor local school system and 13
individual school behavior data to ensure fairness in the application of consequences for 14
student misbehavior; 15
(12) Assist the Department and local school systems: 16
(i) To prepare an annual report that combines multiple school safety 17
data systems into one format for public review; and 18
(ii) To incorporate new data points into existing data collection 19
systems; 20
(13) Assist in the development of safety and security criteria for the design 21
and operation of school facilities; 22
(14) Assist local school systems to identify resources and implement training 23
for students and parents about relationship violence, identifying the signs of unhealthy 24
relationships, and preventing relationship violence; 25
(15) Provide technical assistance to local school systems in the review of 26
safety and security audits and the implementation of improvements in school facilities; 27
(16) Analyze data on school resource officers and develop guidelines and 28
training for local school systems as required under § 7–1508 of this subtitle; 29
(17) Certify school safety coordinators as required under § 7 –1508 of this 30
subtitle; 31
4 HOUSE BILL 326
(18) Submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a summary of 1
reports on school resource officer and local law enforcemen t agency coverage in public 2
schools as required under § 7–1508 of this subtitle; 3
(19) Consult with local school systems on safety evaluations developed 4
under § 7–1510 of this subtitle; 5
(20) Review and comment on school emergency plans developed under § 6
7–1510 of this subtitle; 7
(21) Report to the General Assembly and the Governor on life –threatening 8
incidents as required under § 7–1510 of this subtitle; 9
(22) Collaborate with an institution of higher education or a designated 10
federal or national research entity to study the effectiveness and psychological impact of 11
active shooter safety drills or trainings by researching and analyzing the data collected 12
from local school systems in accordance with § 7–1509(f) of this subtitle; 13
(23) On or before October 1, 2024, identify best practices for active shooter 14
safety drills or trainings, and periodically update those identifications using the data 15
collected from local school systems in accordance with § 7–1509(f) of this subtitle; [and] 16
(24) Administer the Secure Schools Emergency Response Grant Program 17
under § 7–1513 of this subtitle; AND 18
(25) DEVELOP AND ADMINISTE R THE ANONYMOUS REPO RTING 19
SYSTEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 7–1514 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 20
7–1514. 21
(A) (1) THE CENTER SHALL DEVELOP AND ADMINISTER AN ANONYMOUS 22
REPORTING SYSTEM. 23
(2) THE ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEM SHALL: 24
(I) COORDINATE THE RECEIPT OF INFORMATION RELATING TO 25
A SCHOOL OR STUDENT SAFETY CONCERN IN A MANNER THAT MAINTAIN S THE 26
ANONYMITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL REPORTING THE INFORMATION; AND 27
(II) PROVIDE A MECHANISM FOR ANY REPORTED INFORMATION 28
TO BE FORWARDED TO S CHOOL OFFICIALS OR O THER APPROPRIATE RES PONSE 29
PERSONNEL. 30
(3) THE CENTER SHALL: 31
HOUSE BILL 326 5
(I) DEVELOP OPERATIONAL G UIDELINES AND PROCED URES 1
FOR THE ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEM; AND 2
(II) PROVIDE TRAINING SESSIONS FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL ON 3
NAVIGATING THE ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEM. 4
(B) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , 5
BEGINNING JULY 1, 2027, EACH LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM SHALL PARTICIPATE IN THE 6
ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEM DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SECTION. 7
(2) (I) A LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM MAY CHOOSE NOT TO 8
PARTICIPATE IN THE ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEM ONLY IF THE LOCAL SCHOOL 9
SYSTEM, ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2027, OPERATES AND MAKES A VAILABLE TO THE 10
PUBLIC A REPORTING SY STEM THAT IS SUBSTAN TIALLY SIMILAR TO TH E 11
ANONYMOUS REPORTING SYSTEM DEVELOPED UNDER THIS SECTION. 12
(II) A LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT CHOOSES NOT TO 13
PARTICIPATE IN THE A NONYMOUS REPORTING S YSTEM SHALL PROVIDE WRITTEN 14
NOTICE TO THE CENTER ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2026. 15
Article – General Provisions 16
4–314.1. 17
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a custodian shall deny 18
inspection of any record disclosing: 19
(1) a safety evaluation or school emergency plan developed under § 7–1510 20
of the Education Article; 21
(2) an emergency response policy developed under § 7 –1509 of the 22
Education Article and § 3–520 of the Public Safety Article; 23
(3) guidelines for school resource officers and supplemental coverage by 24
local law enforcement agencies developed by the Maryland Center for School Safety under 25
§ 7–1508 of the Education Article; 26
(4) a plan to implement the Maryland Center for School Safety’s guidelines 27
adopted by a local school system under § 7–1508 of the Education Article; [or] 28
(5) any school mapping data produced under the School Mapping Data 29
Program in accordance with § 7–1510.1 of the Education Article; OR 30
(6) INFORMATION AND MATE RIALS RELATED TO THE ANONYMOUS 31
REPORTING SYSTEM DEVELOPED UNDER § 7–1514 OF THE EDUCATION ARTICLE. 32
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SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
1, 2026. 2
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.