Primary and Secondary Education - Educator Professional Development - Course on Well-Being and Flourishing

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*hb0546*

HOUSE BILL 546
F1 (6lr1100)
ENROLLED BILL
— Ways and Means/Education, Energy, and the Environment —
Introduced by Delegate Wolek Delegates Wolek, Mireku–North, and Pasteur

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

Primary and Secondary Education – Educator Professional Development – 2
Course on Well–Being and Flourishing 3

FOR the purpose of requiring the State Department of Education to make available a 4
continuing professional development course on educator well–being and flourishing 5
to school personnel and administrators on or before a certain date; and generally 6
relating to an educator professional development course on well –being and 7
flourishing. 8

BY adding to 9
Article – Education 10
Section 6–132 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13

2 HOUSE BILL 546

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2

Article – Education 3

6–132. 4

(A) (1) ON SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION , ON OR 5
BEFORE JULY 1, 2027, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE AVAILABLE A CONTINUING 6
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP MENT COURSE ON EDUCA TOR WELL –BEING AND 7
FLOURISHING. 8

(2) THE COURSE SHALL BE M ADE AVAILABLE TO ALL SCHOOL 9
PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATORS. 10

(3) THE COURSE MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH SYNCHRONOUS 11
OR ASYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTION. 12

(4) TO FULFILL THE REQUIR EMENTS OF THIS SUBSE CTION, THE 13
DEPARTMENT MAY: 14

(I) DEVELOP A COURSE; 15

(II) ADAPT AN EXISTING COU RSE DEVELOPED BY A THIRD 16
PARTY; OR 17

(III) MAKE AVAILABLE AN EXI STING COURSE DEVELOP ED BY A 18
THIRD PARTY. 19

(B) THE DEPARTMENT IS REQUIRE D TO PROVIDE A COURS E UNDER THIS 20
SECTION ONLY IF THE COURSE CAN BE PROVIDED AT NO COST OR AT A COMPARABLE 21
COST, AS DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT, TO THE COST THE DEPARTMENT PAYS 22
FOR PROVIDING A COMPARABLE COURSE. 23

(C) THE COURSE A COURSE OFFERED UNDER THIS SECTION S HALL BE 24
MADE AVAILABLE AT A COMPARABLE RATE TO CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL 25
DEVELOPMENT COURSES FOR LICENSED PERSONN EL THAT CONTAIN THE SAME 26
NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POINTS. 27

(C) (D) (1) THE COURSE A COURSE OFFERED MADE AVAILABLE BY THE 28
DEPARTMENT UNDER THIS SECTION S HALL CONSIST OF INST RUCTION ON 29
UNDERSTANDING THE EI GHT DIMENSIONS OF WE LL–BEING IDENTIFIED BY THE 30
FEDERAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 31
HOUSE BILL 546 3

AND APPLYING THOSE L ESSONS TO INCREASING THE EDUCATOR ’S PERSONAL 1
WELL–BEING. 2

(2) THE COURSE SHALL INCLUDE INSTRUCTION ON: 3

(I) SOCIAL WELL –BEING, INCLUDING THE IMPORT ANCE OF 4
DIFFERENT TYPES OF RELAT IONSHIPS AND BUILDIN G FRIENDSHIPS AND A SENSE 5
OF BELONGING AND COMMUNITY; 6

(II) ENVIRONMENTAL WELL–BEING, INCLUDING: 7

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF A CONNECTION TO NATURE AND 8
THE OUTDOORS; AND 9

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF FEE LING SAFE TO AN 10
EDUCATOR’S OVERALL WELL–BEING; 11

(III) PHYSICAL WELL–BEING, INCLUDING THE IMPORTANCE OF A 12
HEALTHY BODY TO OVERALL WELL–BEING; 13

(IV) EMOTIONAL WELL –BEING, INCLUDING THE IMPORT ANCE 14
OF BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS FEELINGS, ADJUST TO EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES, COPE 15
WITH LIFE’S STRESSORS, AND ENJOY LIFE; 16

(V) SPIRITUAL WELL–BEING, INCLUDING THE IMPORTANCE OF 17
A SENSE OF MEANING, PURPOSE, AND CHARACTER; 18

(VI) OCCUPATIONAL WELL –BEING, INCLUDING THE 19
IMPORTANCE OF WORK TO AN INDIVIDUAL’S PERSONAL WELL–BEING; 20

(VII) INTELLECTUAL WELL –BEING, INCLUDING THE 21
IMPORTANCE OF BEING ABLE TO KEEP AN ACTI VE BRAIN, CULTIVATE PERSONAL 22
INTERESTS, AND PURSUE LIFELONG LEARNING; AND 23

(VIII) FINANCIAL WELL–BEING, INCLUDING THE IMPORTANCE OF 24
UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL PROCESSES AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES. 25

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 26
1, 2026. It shall remain effective for a period of 5 years and, at the end of June 30, 2031, 27
this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 28
of no further force and effect. 29