Primary and Secondary Schools - Discipline-Related Data - Collection and Publication

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1636*

HOUSE BILL 1636
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By: Delegate Acevero
Introduced and read first time: February 25, 2026
Assigned to: Rules and Executive Nominations

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Primary and Secondary Schools – Discipline–Related Data – Collection and 2
Publication 3

FOR the purpose of requiring the State Department of Education to make public certain 4
discipline–related data in a usable format for the Department’s website; requiring 5
the Department to maintain and use a certain risk ratio and State comparison 6
threshold to identify a school’s disproportional disciplinary practices; requiring 7
certain schools to create an action plan; and generally relating to school 8
discipline–related data collection and publication. 9

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–306(a), (e), and (f) 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

BY adding to 15
Article – Education 16
Section 7–306(f) and (g) 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21

Article – Education 22

7–306. 23

(a) (1) In this section [, “restorative ] THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE 24
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MEANINGS INDICATED. 1

(2) (I) “RESTORATIVE practices” means a communally and culturally 2
responsive, relationship–focused student discipline model that: 3

[(i)] 1. Is preventive and proactive; 4

[(ii)] 2. Emphasizes building strong relationships and setting 5
clear behavioral expectations that contribute to the well–being of the school community; 6

[(iii)] 3. In response to behavior that violates the clear behavioral 7
expectations that contribute to the well –being of the school community, focuses on 8
accountability for any harm done by the problem behavior; and 9

[(iv)] 4. Addresses ways to repair the relationships affected by the 10
problem behavior with the voluntary participation of an individual who was harmed. 11

[(2)] (II) “Restorative practices” may include: 12

[(i)] 1. Conflict resolution; 13

[(ii)] 2. Mediation; 14

[(iii)] 3. Peer mediation; 15

[(iv)] 4. Circle processes; 16

[(v)] 5. Restorative conferences; 17

[(vi)] 6. Social emotional learning; 18

[(vii)] 7. Trauma–informed care; 19

[(viii)] 8. Positive behavioral intervention supports; and 20

[(ix)] 9. Personal accountability. 21

(3) “SUBGROUP” MEANS A GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO ARE OF THE 22
SAME: 23

(I) RACE; 24

(II) ETHNICITY; 25

(III) GENDER; 26
HOUSE BILL 1636 3

(IV) DISABILITY STATUS, INCLUDING WHETHER TH E STUDENT 1
HAS AN INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM OR SECTION 504 PLAN; 2

(V) SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AS DETERMINED BY ELIGIBILITY 3
FOR FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS OR AN EQUIVALENT MEASURE; 4

(VI) GRADE LEVEL; OR 5

(VII) ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY. 6

(e) (1) On or before October 1 each year, the Department shall submit to the 7
Governor and, in accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State Government Article, the General 8
Assembly, a student discipline data report that includes a description of the uses of 9
restorative practices in the State and a review of disciplinary practices and policies in the 10
State. 11

(2) The Department shall disaggregate the information in any stude nt 12
discipline data report prepared by the Department by [race, ethnicity, gender, disability 13
status, eligibility for free or reduced price meals or an equivalent measure of socioeconomic 14
status, English language proficiency,] SUBGROUP and type of discipline for: 15

(i) The State; 16

(ii) Each local school system; [and] 17

(iii) Each public AND NONPUBLIC school, INCLUDING CHARTER 18
SCHOOLS; 19

(IV) THE MARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND; 20

(V) THE MARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF; 21

(VI) THE SEED SCHOOL OF MARYLAND; AND 22

(VII) THE JUVENILE SERVICES EDUCATION PROGRAM. 23

(3) Special education –related data in any report prepared under this 24
subsection shall be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender. 25

(F) (1) IN THIS SUBSECTION, “HIGH–SUSPENDING” INCLUDES: 26

(I) AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT SUSPENDS 10% OR MORE 27
OF ITS STUDENTS IN EACH SUBGROUP; AND 28

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(II) A SECONDARY SCHOOL THAT SUSPENDS 25% OR MORE OF 1
ITS STUDENTS IN EACH SUBGROUP. 2

(2) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE PUBLIC IN A USABLE FORMAT ON 3
THE DEPARTMENT’S WEBSITE ALL DISCIP LINE–RELATED DATA SEARCHA BLE BY 4
THE STATE LEVEL, LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM LEVEL, AND SCHOOL LEVEL. 5

(3) THE DATA INCLUDED ON THE DEPARTMENT’S WEBSITE UNDER 6
PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION MAY INCLUDE: 7

(I) ANY DISCIPLINARY PRACTICES OF A SCHOOL OR 8
INSTITUTION LISTED I N SUBSECTION (E)(2) OF THIS SECTION THAT ARE 9
DISPROPORTIONAL TO S IMILAR SCHOOLS WITH A SIMILAR COMPO SITION OF 10
SUBGROUPS; 11

(II) THE NUMBER AND PERCEN TAGES OF STUDENTS 12
SUSPENDED; 13

(III) EACH SCHOOL OR INSTITUTION ’S OVERALL SUSPENSION 14
RATE; AND 15

(IV) DATA ON HIGH–SUSPENDING SCHOOLS. 16

(G) (1) (I) IN THIS SUBSECTION TH E FOLLOWING WORDS HA VE THE 17
MEANINGS INDICATED. 18

(II) “RISK RATIO ” MEANS THE RATIO OF S TUDENTS IN A 19
SUBGROUP THAT ARE RE MOVED FROM A SCHOOL TO ALL OTHE R STUDENTS 20
ENROLLED AT THE SAME SCHOOL. 21

(III) “STATE COMPARISON THRESHOLD” MEANS A RATIO OF THE 22
REMOVAL RATE OF STUDENTS IN A SUBGROUP TO THE REMOVAL RATE: 23

1. OF ALL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN 24
THE STATE; OR 25

2. ACROSS THE SAME SCHOOL LEVELS. 26

(2) (I) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL: 27

1. MAINTAIN A RISK RATIO AND STATE COMPARISON 28
THRESHOLD OF 2.0; 29

2. USE THE RISK RATIO AN D STATE COMPARISON 30
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THRESHOLD TO IDENTIF Y A SCHOOL ’S DISCIPLINE PROCESS AS HAVING A 1
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON STUDENTS IN A SUBGROUP; AND 2

3. PROVIDE SCHOOLS AND LOCAL SC HOOL SYSTEMS 3
WITH SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO REDUCE DISPARITIES IN DISCIPLINE TO BELOW 4
THE 2.0 RISK RATIO AND STATE COMPARISON THRESHOLD , AND REDUCE 5
EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE OVERALL T O BELOW THE HIGH –SUSPENDING 6
THRESHOLD IDENTIFIED UNDER SUBSECTION (F) OF THIS SECTION. 7

(II) IF THE DEPARTMENT IDENTIFIES A SCHOOL AS 8
HIGH–SUSPENDING OR HAVING A DISPROPORTIONATE I MPACT, THE SCHOOL OR 9
LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM SHALL SUBMIT A CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN TO THE STATE 10
BOARD THAT DETAILS SPECIFIC ACTIONS THE SCHOOL OR LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM 11
WILL TAKE TO: 12

1. REDUCE THE HIGH–SUSPENDING OR 13
DISPROPORTIONATE IMP ACT WITHIN 1 YEAR AFTER THE DATE ON WHICH THE 14
DEPARTMENT IDENTIFIES THE SCHOOL AS HIGH –SUSPENDING OR HAVING A 15
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT; AND 16

2. ELIMINATE THE HIGH–SUSPENDING OR 17
DISPROPORTIONATE IMP ACT WITHIN 3 YEARS AFTER THE DATE ON WHICH THE 18
DEPARTMENT IDENTIFIES THE SCHOOL AS HIGH –SUSPENDING OR HAVING A 19
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT. 20

(III) ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 1, 2028, AND EACH OCTOBER 1 21
THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PUBL ISH ON ITS WEBSITE THE 22
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN AND INCLUDE: 23

1. THE LEVELS OF SUSPENS ION FOR ANY SCHOOL 24
IDENTIFIED AS HIGH–SUSPENDING; AND 25

2. THE DISPROPORTIONALIT Y DATA FOR ANY SCHOO L 26
IDENTIFIED AS HAVING A DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT. 27

[(f)] (H) (1) In this subsection, “alternative school discipline practice” means 28
a discipline practice used in a public school that is not an in –school suspension or an 29
out–of–school suspension. 30

(2) The Department shall collect data on alternative school discipline 31
practices in public schools for each local school system, including: 32

(i) The types of alternative school discipline practices that are used 33
in a local school system; and 34
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(ii) The type of misconduct for which an alternative discipline 1
practice is used. 2

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 3
1, 2026. 4