KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Maryland

HB0486 • 2026

Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day - Establishment

Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day - Establishment

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Delegate Fennell
Last action
2026-02-22
Official status
In the Senate - First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day - Establishment

Designating November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day to commemorate Ruby Bridges, who became the first African American student to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana; requiring the State Department of Education to provide resource materials to assist public school systems in planning a program of education for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day; and requiring the resources developed by the Department to assist teachers in engaging students in discussions about civil rights and social justice.

What This Bill Does

  • Designating November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day to commemorate Ruby Bridges, who became the first African American student to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana; requiring the State Department of Education to provide resource materials to assist public school systems in planning a program of education for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day; and requiring the resources developed by the Department to assist teachers in engaging students in discussions about civil rights and social justice.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

593022/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 593022/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 486 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

  • AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 486 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 On page 1, strike beginning with “and” in line 2 down through “Day” in line 3; in line 5, strike “designating a certain day as Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day;”; strike beginning with “and” in line 7 down through “Day” in line 8; in line 9, strike “and Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day”; and in line 12, strike “and 7–138”.
  • AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 On page 2, strike in their entirety lines 11 through 26, inclusive.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-02 House

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means

  2. 2026-02-23 House

    Third Reading Passed (119-6)

  3. 2026-02-22 House

    Favorable with Amendments { 593022/1 Adopted

  4. 2026-02-22 House

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  5. 2026-02-22 Senate

    Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment

  6. 2026-02-02 House

    Hearing canceled

  7. 2026-02-02 House

    Hearing 2/11 at 2:00 p.m.

  8. 2026-01-28 House

    Hearing 2/11 at 1:00 p.m.

  9. 2026-01-23 House

    First Reading Ways and Means

  10. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day - Establishment

  11. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Ways and Means

  12. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day - Establishment

Official Summary Text

Designating November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day to commemorate Ruby Bridges, who became the first African American student to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana; requiring the State Department of Education to provide resource materials to assist public school systems in planning a program of education for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day; and requiring the resources developed by the Department to assist teachers in engaging students in discussions about civil rights and social justice.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0486*

HOUSE BILL 486
F1 6lr1835
CF SB 526
By: Delegate Fennell
Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 22, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Schools – Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and Maryland School 2
Pedestrian Awareness Day – Establishment 3

FOR the purpose of designating a certain date as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day; 4
designating a certain day as Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day; requiring 5
the State Department of Education to make resources available in a certain manner 6
for a progr am of education for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and to plan 7
Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day; and generally relating to Ruby Bridges 8
Walk to School Day and Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day. 9

BY adding to 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–137 and 7–138 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16

Article – Education 17

7–137. 18

(A) THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION IS TO DESIGNATE NOVEMBER 14 EACH 19
YEAR AS “RUBY BRIDGES WALK TO SCHOOL DAY” TO COMMEMORATE RUBY 20
2 HOUSE BILL 486

BRIDGES, WHO, ON NOVEMBER 14, 1960, BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN 1
STUDENT TO INTEGRATE AN ALL–WHITE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEW ORLEANS, 2
LOUISIANA. 3

(B) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE RESOURCE MATERIALS 4
PUBLICLY AVAILABLE TO ASSIST LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN PLANNING A PROGRAM 5
OF EDUCATION FOR RUBY BRIDGES WALK TO SCHOOL DAY. 6

(2) THE RESOURCE MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN 7
ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION: 8

(I) MAY INCLUDE INSTRUCTI ONAL MATERIALS , INCLUDING 9
AGE–APPROPRIATE LESSON PLANS, DISCUSSION GUIDES, HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, 10
AND MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES; AND 11

(II) SHALL INCLUDE RESOURC ES TO ASSIST TEACHER S TO 12
ENGAGE STUDENTS IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. 13

7–138. 14

(A) THE PURPOSE OF THIS S ECTION IS TO DESIGNA TE THE SECOND 15
WEDNESDAY IN OCTOBER EACH YEAR AS “MARYLAND SCHOOL PEDESTRIAN 16
AWARENESS DAY” TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL S CHOOL SYSTEMS, IN COLLABORATION 17
WITH THE COUNTY OR M UNICIPALITY, TO PROMOTE SAFE PEDESTRIAN ROUTES TO 18
AND FROM SCHOOLS. 19

(B) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE RESOURCE MATERIALS P UBLICLY 20
AVAILABLE TO ASSIST LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN PLANNING MARYLAND SCHOOL 21
PEDESTRIAN AWARENESS DAY. 22

(C) THE RESOURCE MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN 23
ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION MAY INCLUDE: 24

(1) PEDESTRIAN SAFETY BEST PRACTICES; 25

(2) AGE–APPROPRIATE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY LESSON PLANS; 26

(3) MODEL WALK AUDIT TEMPLATES AND DISCUSSION GUIDES; 27

(4) AVAILABLE GRANT RESOURCES; AND 28

(5) ANY OTHER MATERIALS RELATED TO PEDESTRIAN AWARENESS. 29

HOUSE BILL 486 3

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.