HB0812 • 2026

Public Schools - Student Fights - School Investigation and Discipline

Education Labor

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Delegates Tomlinson , Alston , Amprey , Bouchat , Fair , Hornberger , A. Johnson , Kaufman , Spiegel , and Taveras
Last action: 2026-03-04
Official status: In the House - Withdrawn by Sponsor
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 - Student Fights - School Investigation and Discipline

Requiring a principal or school administration to investigate each student fight or physical struggle; prohibiting a school employee from disciplining a student under certain circumstances; and requiring a principal or school administration to expunge certain documentation from a student's disciplinary record under certain circumstances.

What This Bill Does

Requiring a principal or school administration to investigate each student fight or physical struggle; prohibiting a school employee from disciplining a student under certain circumstances; and requiring a principal or school administration to expunge certain documentation from a student's disciplinary record under certain circumstances.

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.

Bill History

2026-03-04 House
Withdrawn by Sponsor
2026-02-19 House
Hearing canceled
2026-02-11 House
Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-02-04 House
First Reading Ways and Means
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Public Schools - Student Fights - School Investigation and Discipline
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Ways and Means

Official Summary Text

Requiring a principal or school administration to investigate each student fight or physical struggle; prohibiting a school employee from disciplining a student under certain circumstances; and requiring a principal or school administration to expunge certain documentation from a student's disciplinary record under certain circumstances.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0812*

HOUSE BILL 812
F1 6lr2719
HB 1132/25 – W&M
By: Delegates Tomlinson, Alston, Amprey, Bouchat, Fair, Hornberger, A. Johnson,
Kaufman, Spiegel, and Taveras
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Schools – Student Fights – School Investigation and Discipline 2

FOR the purpose of requiring a principal or school administration to investigate each 3
student fight or physical struggle; prohibiting a school employee from disciplining a 4
student under certain circumstances; requiring a principal or school administration 5
to expunge certain documentation from a student’s disciplinary record under certain 6
circumstances; and generally relating to an investigation and discipline after a 7
student fight. 8

BY adding to 9
Article – Education 10
Section 7–311 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15

Article – Education 16

7–311. 17

(A) (1) A PRINCIPAL OR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION SHALL INVESTIGATE 18
EACH STUDENT FIGHT OR PHYSICAL STRUGGLE. 19

(2) AN INVESTIGATION UNDER THIS SUBSECTION SHALL INCLUDE AN 20
EVALUATION OF: 21

(I) WITNESS STATEMENTS; 22
2 HOUSE BILL 812

(II) VIDEO EVIDENCE, IF APPLICABLE; AND 1

(III) INPUT FROM ALL STUDEN TS INVOLVED IN THE F IGHT OR 2
PHYSICAL STRUGGLE. 3

(B) (1) A SCHOOL EMPLOYEE MAY NOT DISCIPLINE A STU DENT WHO, 4
AFTER THE INVESTIGAT ION REQUIRED UNDER S UBSECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION , 5
MORE LIKELY THAN NOT USED REASONABLE FORCE NECESSARY TO PROTE CT THE 6
STUDENT OR TO ESCAPE THE ATTACK. 7

(2) IF A STUDENT WAS DISC IPLINED DURING THE C OURSE OF THE 8
INVESTIGATION BUT WAS LATER DETERMINED TO HAVE USED REASONABLE FORCE 9
JUSTIFIED UNDER PARA GRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE PRINCIPAL OR 10
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIO N SHALL EXPUNGE ANY DOCUMENTATION OF THE 11
DISCIPLINE FROM THE STUDENT’S DISCIPLINARY RECORD. 12

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 13
1, 2026. 14