Education - Student Behavior - Parent and Guardian Notice and Required Counseling (Parent and Guardian Accountability Act)

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0655*

HOUSE BILL 655
F1, D4, O4 6lr1882
HB 1313/25 – W&M
By: Delegates R. Long, Anderson, Ciliberti, Hutchinson, and Tomlinson
Introduced and read first time: January 30, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Education – Student Behavior – Parent and Guardian Notice and Required 2
Counseling 3
(Parent and Guardian Accountability Act) 4

FOR the purpose of establishing that it is unlawful for a parent or guardian of a student in 5
a public school to fail to seek and participate in counseling with the parent’s or 6
guardian’s child after receiving a certain notice of violent and disruptive behavior; 7
requiring a public school principal t o provide a certain written notice to the parent 8
or guardian of a student who engages in a certain number of incidents of violent and 9
disruptive behavior on school premises or during school–related activities during the 10
school year; and generally relating to violent and disruptive behavior of students in 11
public schools. 12

BY adding to 13
Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 14
Section 3–8A–30.1 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17

BY adding to 18
Article – Education 19
Section 7–304.2 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 22

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 23
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 24

Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 25

2 HOUSE BILL 655

3–8A–30.1. 1

(A) IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR A PARENT OR GUARDIAN O F A STUDENT IN A 2
PUBLIC SCHOOL, AFTER RECEIVING NOTICE UNDER § 7–304.2 OF THE EDUCATION 3
ARTICLE OF THE PARENT ’S OR GUARDIAN ’S CHILD ’S VIOLENT AND DISRUP TIVE 4
BEHAVIOR ON SCHOOL P REMISES OR DURING SC HOOL–RELATED A CTIVITIES, TO 5
FAIL TO SEEK AND PAR TICIPATE IN COUNSELI NG WITH THE PARENT ’S OR 6
GUARDIAN’S CHILD. 7

(B) A PARENT OR GUARDIAN C ONVICTED UNDER THIS SECTION MAY BE 8
ORDERED BY THE COURT TO PERFORM COMMUNITY SERVICE AS DETERMINE D BY 9
THE COURT. 10

Article – Education 11

7–304.2. 12

(A) (1) IF A STUDENT IN A PUB LIC SCHOOL ENGAGES I N TWO OR MORE 13
INCIDENTS OF VIOLENT AND DISRUPTIVE BEHAV IOR ON SCHOOL PREMIS ES OR 14
DURING SCHOOL –RELATED ACTIVITIES D URING A SCHOOL YEAR , THE SCHOOL 15
PRINCIPAL SHALL PROVIDE WRITTEN NOTICE TO THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN OF THE 16
STUDENT REGARDING THE STUDENT’S BEHAVIOR. 17

(2) THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIRED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 18
SUBSECTION SHALL ADDITIONALLY: 19

(I) REQUIRE THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN OF THE STUDENT TO 20
SEEK AND PARTICIPATE IN COUNSELING WITH THE STUDENT; 21

(II) ADVISE THAT FAILURE T O SEEK AND PARTICIPA TE IN 22
COUNSELING WITH THE STUDENT IS UNLAWFUL UNDER § 3–8A–30.1 OF THE 23
COURTS ARTICLE AND HAS POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES; 24

(III) INCLUDE REFERRALS TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND 25
OTHER APPROPRIATE COUNSELING SERVICES; AND 26

(IV) INCLUDE INFORMATION R EGARDING ANY PROGRAM 27
ESTABLISHED BY THE COUNTY BOARD UNDER § 7–304 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 28

(B) A STUDENT’S PARENT OR GUARDIAN WHO RECEIVES NOTICE UNDER 29
THIS SECTION IS SUBJ ECT TO THE PROVISION S OF § 3–8A–30.1 OF THE COURTS 30
ARTICLE. 31

HOUSE BILL 655 3

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