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*hb1084*
HOUSE BILL 1084
F3 EMERGENCY BILL 6lr1006
By: Montgomery County Delegation
Introduced and read first time: February 10, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 18, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Montgomery County – County Board of Education – School Operation 2
Requirements 3
MC 14–26 4
FOR the purpose of authorizing the Montgomery County Board of Education to require 5
public schools within the county to be open for pupil attendance for a minimum 6
number of actual school days or a minimum number of school hours instead of both 7
under certain circumstances; requiring a school open fewer than a certain number of 8
hours or days to provide certain employees an opportunity to make up lost wages; 9
requiring the county board to report to the State Department of Education and the 10
General Assembly on elementary, middle, and high schools open fewer than a certain 11
number of hours or days; and generally relating to school operation requirements 12
and the Montgomery County Board of Education. 13
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
Article – Education 15
Section 7–103(a), (g), and (h) 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 18
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 19
Article – Education 20
Section 7–103(b) and (d) through (f) 21
Annotated Code of Maryland 22
2 HOUSE BILL 1084
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 1
BY adding to 2
Article – Education 3
Section 7–103(g) 4
Annotated Code of Maryland 5
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 6
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 7
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 8
Article – Education 9
7–103. 10
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), (f), [and] (g), AND (H) of this section, 11
each public school under the jurisdiction of a county board: 12
(1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for a t least 180 actual school 13
days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours during a 10 –month period in each school year; 14
or 15
(ii) If normal school attendance is prevented because of conditions 16
described in subsection (b) of this section, shall be open for at le ast 1,080 hours during a 17
10–month period; 18
(2) Shall be open for pupil attendance a minimum of 3 hours during each 19
school day; and 20
(3) May not be open on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays in order to meet 21
the 180–day or 1,080–hour requirement of this subsection. 22
(b) (1) If a county board submits a written application to the State Board that 23
describes a demonstrated effort by the county board to comply with subsection (a) of this 24
section, the State Board may permit: 25
(i) The following adjustments: 26
1. An increase in the length of the school year; or 27
2. A decrease in the length of the school year; 28
(ii) Exceptions from the requirement that the school year be 29
completed within a 10–month period; 30
(iii) Adjustments in the length of the school day; and 31
HOUSE BILL 1084 3
(iv) Schools to be open on holidays. 1
(2) These adjustments may be granted only if normal school attendance is 2
prevented because of: 3
(i) Natural disaster; 4
(ii) Civil disaster; or 5
(iii) Severe weather conditions. 6
(3) Education funding from State or local sources may not be reduced if 7
there are less than 180 school days in any year because of an approved application under 8
paragraph (1)(i)2 of this subsection. 9
(4) In case of emergency, the State Board may open schools on holidays. 10
(d) Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, the State Board shall 11
divide the school year into the terms it considers appropriate. 12
(e) (1) The county boards of Allegany, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Howard, 13
Montgomery, and Prince G eorge’s counties, and the Board of School Commissioners of 14
Baltimore City, may elect to operate one or more schools within the county or Baltimore 15
City on a year –round basis, provided that the 180 –day and the minimum hour 16
requirements under this section are met. 17
(2) Nothing in this section precludes a county board from conducting a 18
year–round pilot study or program that is funded by the county board. 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) Subject to the requirements of this subsection, the Anne Arundel 23
County Board of Education may elect to operate all of the schools within the county using 24
a scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days to allow for less than 180 school 25
days if the minimal hours of attendance are met. 26
(3) If the Anne Arundel County Board of Education elects to use a 27
scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days in accordance with this subsection, 28
the county board must use the scheduling model for all schools in the county. 29
(4) If the Anne Arundel County Board of Education uses a scheduling 30
model that results in a school in the county being open for less than 180 days, the county 31
board shall offer school employees who receive pay at an hourly rate an opportunity to make 32
up the lost wages through other duties before the beginning of the next school year. 33
4 HOUSE BILL 1084
(G) (1) IN THIS SUBSECTION, “MINIMAL HOURS OF ATTENDANCE” MEANS 1
THE MINIMUM HOURS OF ATTEN DANCE FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR REQUIRED UNDER 2
COMAR 13A.03.02.12, IN EFFECT ON JANUARY 1, 2026. 3
(2) THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MAY ELECT 4
TO REQUIRE PUBLIC SC HOOLS WITHIN THE COU NTY TO BE OPEN FOR P UPIL 5
ATTENDANCE ONLY FOR AT LEAST: 6
(1) THE THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF ACTUAL SCHOOL DAYS REQUIRED 7
UNDER SUBSECTION (A)(1)(I) OF THIS SECTION; OR 8
(2) THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF SCHOOL HOURS REQUIRE D UNDER 9
SUBSECTION (A)(1)(I) OF THIS SECTION THE MINIMAL HOURS OF ATTENDANCE IF: 10
(I) THE SCHOOL CALENDAR WA S ADOPTED IN ACCORDA NCE 11
WITH SUBSECTION (A)(1) OF THIS SECTION; 12
(II) NORMAL SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE 13
COUNTY WAS PREVENTED DUE TO A CONDITION D ESCRIBED UNDER SUBSE CTION 14
(B)(2) OF THIS SECTION, NECESSITATING ADDITIONAL TIME TO MEET THE NUMBER 15
OF REQUIRED SCHOOL DAYS OR MINIMAL HOURS OF ATTENDANCE: 16
1. AFTER THE SCHEDULED E ND OF THE SCHOOL YEA R; 17
OR 18
2. DURING A DAY THAT SCH OOLS ARE SCHEDULED FOR 19
CLOSURE; 20
(III) THE LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS USED AT LEAST 2 SCHOOL 21
DAYS INCORPORATED INTO ITS CALENDAR FOR SCHOOL CLOSURES DUE TO SEVERE 22
WEATHER; 23
(IV) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE 24
MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS APPLIED FOR AN ADJUSTMENT 25
TO THE SCHOOL YEAR UNDER SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION; AND 26
(V) PUBLIC SCHOOLS REMAIN OPEN FOR AT LEAST 175 ACTUAL 27
SCHOOL DAYS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. 28
(3) THIS SUBSECTION MAY N OT BE CONSTRUED TO R EQUIRE THE 29
MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION TO RECEIVE AN APPROVAL OR 30
DENIAL OF A REQUE ST TO ADJUST THE SCH OOL YEAR BEFORE ELEC TING TO 31
REQUIRE ONLY THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF ACTUAL SCHOOL DAYS OR THE MINIMAL 32
HOURS OF ATTENDANCE UNDER PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION. 33
HOUSE BILL 1084 5
(4) IF A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY IS OPEN F OR FEWER THAN 1
180 ACTUAL SCHOO L DAYS OR THE MINIMA L HOURS OF ATTENDANC E IN 2
ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SUBSECTION, THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF 3
EDUCATION SHALL PROVIDE SCHOOL EMPLOYEES WHO RECEIVE PAY AT AN HOURLY 4
RATE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE UP THE LOST WAGES THROUGH OTHER DUTIES 5
BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. 6
[(g)] (H) Publicly funded half–day prekindergarten programs are not subject to 7
the requirements of subsection (a) of this section. 8
[(h)] (I) Notwithstanding any other law and subject only to this section, each 9
county board annually shall set the start and end dates of the school year for schools in the 10
county. 11
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 12
(a) On or before June 30, 2026, and on or before June 30, 2027, the Montgomery 13
County Board of Education shall report to the State Board of Education and, in accordance 14
with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, to the General Assembly on the operation 15
of schools during the preceding school year that were open fewer than 180 actual school 16
days or the minimal hou rs of attendance in accordance with § 7 –103(g) of the Education 17
Article, as enacted by Section 1 of this Act. 18
(b) The reports required under this section shall include a summary for 19
elementary, middle, and high schools open fewer than 180 actual school d ays or the 20
minimal hours of attendance on: 21
(1) the days the schools were open; and 22
(2) the number of hours per day that the schools were open with students 23
in attendance. 24
SECTION 2. 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 25
July 1, 2026 is an emergency measure, is necessary for the immediate preservation of the 26
public health or safety, has been passed by a yea and nay vote supported by three–fifths of 27
all the members elected to each of the two Houses of the General Assembly, and shall take 28
effect from the date it is enacted. It shall remain effective through June 30, 2027, and, at 29
the end of June 30, 2027, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, 30
shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 31