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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1006*
HOUSE BILL 1006
F3 6lr3280
CF SB 612
By: Talbot County Delegation
Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Talbot County – Public Schools – School Schedule Options 2
FOR the purpose of authorizing the Talbot County Board of Education to operate schools 3
within the county using a certain school scheduling model that is exempt from a 4
certain requirement under certain circumstances; requiring a school operating under 5
a certain scheduling model to provide certain employees an opportunity to make up 6
lost wages; and generally relating to public school scheduling models and the Talbot 7
County Board of Education. 8
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
Article – Education 10
Section 7–103(a) 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
Article – Education 15
Section 7–103(f) 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 18
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 19
Article – Education 20
Section 7–103(a), (f), and (g) 21
Annotated Code of Maryland 22
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 23
(As enacted by Chapter 346 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2025) 24
BY adding to 25
Article – Education 26
Section 7–103(f) 27
2 HOUSE BILL 1006
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 2
(As enacted by Chapter 346 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2025) 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
7–103. 7
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), (f), and (g) of this section, each public 8
school under the jurisdiction of a county board: 9
(1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for at least 180 actual school 10
days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours during a 10 –month period in each school year; 11
or 12
(ii) If normal school attenda nce is prevented because of conditions 13
described in subsection (b) of this section, shall be open for at least 1,080 hours during a 14
10–month period; 15
(2) Shall be open for pupil attendance a minimum of 3 hours during each 16
school day; and 17
(3) May not b e open on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays in order to meet 18
the 180–day or 1,080–hour requirement of this subsection. 19
(f) (1) In this subsection, “minimal hours of attendance” means the minimum 20
hours of attendance for the school year required under COMAR 13A.03.02.12, in effect on 21
July 1, 2025. 22
(2) THIS SUBSECTION APPLI ES ONLY TO THE ANNE ARUNDEL 23
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE TALBOT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION. 24
(3) Subject to the requirements of this subsection, [the Anne Arundel 25
County Board of Ed ucation] A COUNTY BOARD may elect to operate all of the schools 26
within the county using a scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days to allow 27
for less than 180 school days if the minimal hours of attendance are met. 28
[(3)] (4) If [the Anne Aru ndel County Board of Education ] A COUNTY 29
BOARD elects to use a scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days in accordance 30
with this subsection, the county board must use the scheduling model for all schools in the 31
county. 32
HOUSE BILL 1006 3
[(4)] (5) If [the Anne Arundel County Board of Education ] A COUNTY 1
BOARD uses a scheduling model that results in a school in the county being open for less 2
than 180 days, the county board shall offer school employees who receive pay at an hourly 3
rate an opportunity to make up the lost wages through other duties before the beginning of 4
the next school year. 5
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 6
as follows: 7
Article – Education 8
7–103. 9
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), [and] (f), AND (G) of this section, 10
each public school under the jurisdiction of a county board: 11
(1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for at least 180 actual school 12
days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours during a 10 –month period in each school year; 13
or 14
(ii) If normal school attendance is prevented because of conditions 15
described in subsection (b) of this section, shall be open for at least 1,080 hours during a 16
10–month period; 17
(2) Shall be open for pupil attendance a minimum of 3 hours during each 18
school day; and 19
(3) May not be open on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays in order to meet 20
the 180–day or 1,080–hour requirement of this subsection. 21
(F) (1) IN THIS SUBSECTION, “MINIMAL HOURS OF ATTENDANCE” MEANS 22
THE MINIMUM HOURS OF ATTENDANCE FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR REQUIRED UNDER 23
COMAR 13A.03.02.12, IN EFFECT ON JULY 1, 2025. 24
(2) SUBJECT TO THE REQUIR EMENTS OF THIS SUBSE CTION, THE 25
TALBOT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MAY ELECT T O OPERATE ALL OF THE 26
SCHOOLS WITHIN THE C OUNTY USING A SCHEDU LING MODEL THAT EL IMINATES 27
EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS TO ALLOW FOR LESS TH AN 180 SCHOOL DAYS IF THE 28
MINIMAL HOURS OF ATTENDANCE ARE MET. 29
(3) IF THE TALBOT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION ELECTS TO USE 30
A SCHEDULING MODEL THAT ELIMINATES EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS IN ACCORDANCE 31
WITH THIS SUBSECTION, THE COUNTY BOARD MUS T USE THE SCHEDULING MODEL 32
FOR ALL SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTY. 33
4 HOUSE BILL 1006
(4) IF THE TALBOT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION USES A 1
SCHEDULING MODEL THAT RESULTS IN A SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY BEING OPEN FOR 2
LESS THAN 180 DAYS, THE COUNTY BOARD SHALL OFFER SCHOOL EMPLOYEES WHO 3
RECEIVE PAY AT AN HOURLY RATE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE UP THE LOST WAGES 4
THROUGH OTHER DUTIES BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. 5
[(f)] (G) Publicly funded half–day prekindergarten programs are not subject to 6
the requirements of subsection (a) of this section. 7
[(g)] (H) Notwithstanding any other law and subject only to this section, each 8
county board annually shall set the start and end dates of the school year for schools in the 9
county. 10
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 11
(a) On or before June 30, 2027, and on or before June 30, 2028, the Talbot County 12
Board of Education shall report to the State Board of Education and, in accordance with § 13
2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on the operation of schools 14
during the preceding school year that used an alternative scheduling model in accordance 15
with Sections 1 and 2 of this Act. 16
(b) The reports required under this section shall include a summary of each day 17
a school operating under an alternative scheduling model was open and the number of 18
hours per day that the school was open with students in attendance. 19
SECTION 4. AND IT BE FURTHER ENACTED, That Section 2 of this Act shall take 20
effect on the taking effect of the termination provision specified in Section 3 of Chapter 346 21
of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2025. If that termination provision takes effect, 22
Section 1 of this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be 23
abrogated and of no further force and effect. This Act may not be interpreted to have any 24
effect on that termination provision. 25
SECTION 5. AND IT BE FURTHER ENACTED, That, subject to the provisions in 26
Section 4 of this Act, this Act shall take effect July 1, 2026. It shall remain effective for a 27
period of 2 years and, at the end of June 30, 2028, this Act, with no further action required 28
by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 29