Public Middle, High, and Charter Schools - Start Time for Instruction

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0103*

SENATE BILL 103
F1 6lr1510
SB 468/25 – EEE (PRE–FILED) CF HB 189
By: Senator Benson
Requested: October 31, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Middle, High, and Charter Schools – Start Time for Instruction 2

FOR the purpose of requiring, beginning in a certain school year, each public middle school 3
and each public high school to begin instruction not earlier than certain times unless 4
granted a waiver by the State Board of Education under certain circumstances; 5
requiring each county board of education and each public charter school to 6
implement a certain public service campaign to raise awareness of sleep deprivation 7
and later school start times; and generally relating to the start time of instruction in 8
public middle, high, and charter schools. 9

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–103 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16

Article – Education 17

7–103. 18

(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), (f), [and] (g), AND (H) of this section, 19
each public school under the jurisdiction of a county board: 20

(1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for at least 180 actual school 21
days and a minimum of 1,080 school hou rs during a 10–month period in each school year; 22
or 23
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(ii) If normal school attendance is prevented because of conditions 1
described in subsection (b) of this section, shall be open for at least 1,080 hours during a 2
10–month period; 3

(2) Shall be open f or pupil attendance a minimum of 3 hours during each 4
school day; 5

(3) BEGINNING IN THE 2028–2029 SCHOOL YEAR: 6

(I) FOR A MIDDLE SCHOOL , SHALL BEGIN INSTRUCT ION NOT 7
EARLIER THAN 8 A.M.; AND 8

(II) FOR A HIGH SCHOOL , SHALL BEGIN INSTRUCT ION NOT 9
EARLIER THAN 8:30 A.M.; and 10

[(3)] (4) May not be open on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays in order to 11
meet the 180–day or 1,080–hour requirement of this subsection. 12

(b) (1) If a county board submits a written application to the State Board that 13
describes a demonstrated effort by the county board to comply with subsection (a) of this 14
section, the State Board may [permit] ALLOW: 15

(i) The following adjustments: 16

1. An increase in the length of the school year; or 17

2. A decrease in the length of the school year; 18

(ii) Exceptions from the requirement that the school year be 19
completed within a 10–month period; 20

(iii) Adjustments in the length of the school day; and 21

(iv) Schools to be open on holidays. 22

(2) [These] THE adjustments UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 23
SUBSECTION may be granted only if normal school attendance is prevented because of: 24

(i) [Natural] A NATURAL disaster; 25

(ii) [Civil] A CIVIL disaster; or 26

(iii) Severe weather conditions. 27

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(3) Education funding from State or local sources may not be reduced if 1
there are less than 180 school days in any year because of an approved application under 2
paragraph (1)(i)2 of this subsection. 3

(4) In case of emergency, the State Board may open schools on holidays. 4

(c) (1) The following days are public school holidays: 5

(i) Thanksgiving Day and the day after; 6

(ii) Christmas Eve [and from then] through January 1, INCLUSIVE; 7

(iii) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; 8

(iv) Presidents’ Day; 9

(v) The Friday before Easter [and from then] through the Monday 10
after Easter, INCLUSIVE; 11

(vi) Memorial Day; and 12

(vii) Primary and general election days. 13

(2) If the federal and State observances of a holiday are on different days, 14
the board of education of each county shall determine which date shall be the date of 15
observance for the public schools within the county. 16

(3) The public schools shall devote a part of at least one day to appropriate 17
exercises for each of the following: 18

(i) Washington’s Birthday; 19

(ii) Lincoln’s Birthday; 20

(iii) Veterans’ Day; 21

(iv) Columbus Day; 22

(v) Arbor Day; 23

(vi) Black History Month, with an emphasis on Harriet Tubman and 24
Frederick Douglass and the contributions they made in the fight against slavery; and 25

(vii) Any other day of national significance. 26

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(4) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, the public schools, 1
in the following counties, may remain open and in session on primary and general election 2
days: 3

(i) Calvert; 4

(ii) Caroline; 5

(iii) Dorchester; 6

(iv) Kent; 7

(v) Talbot; and 8

(vi) Worcester. 9

(d) Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, the State Board shall 10
divide the school year into the terms it considers appropriate. 11

(e) (1) The county boards of Allegany, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Howard, 12
Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties, and the Board of School Commissioners of 13
Baltimore City, may elect to operate one or more schools within the county or Baltimore 14
City on a year –round basis, provided that the 180 –day and the minimum hour 15
requirements under this section are met. 16

(2) Nothing in this section precludes a county board from conducting a 17
year–round pilot study or program that is funded by the county board. 18

(f) (1) In this subsection, “minimal hours of attendance” means the minimum 19
hours of attendance for the school year required under COMAR 13A.03.02.12, in effect on 20
July 1, 2025. 21

(2) Subject to the requirements of this subse ction, the Anne Arundel 22
County Board of Education may elect to operate all of the schools within the county using 23
a scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days to allow for less than 180 school 24
days if the minimal hours of attendance are met. 25

(3) If the Anne Arundel County Board of Education elects to use a 26
scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days in accordance with this subsection, 27
the county board must use the scheduling model for all schools in the county. 28

(4) If the Anne Aru ndel County Board of Education uses a scheduling 29
model that results in a school in the county being open for less than 180 days, the county 30
board shall offer school employees who receive pay at an hourly rate an opportunity to make 31
up the lost wages through other duties before the beginning of the next school year. 32

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(g) Publicly funded half –day prekindergarten programs are not subject to the 1
requirements of subsection (a) of this section. 2

(H) (1) ON REQUEST BY A COUNT Y BOARD , THE STATE BOARD MAY 3
GRANT A WAIVER TO A MIDDLE S CHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL TO BEGIN INSTRUCTION 4
AT A TIME EARLIER THAN THE TIME SPECIFIED UNDER SUBSECTION (A)(3) OF THIS 5
SECTION IF THE STATE BOARD DETERMINES THAT THERE IS A COMPELLIN G 6
REASON FOR A SCHOOL TO REQUIRE A DIFFERENT START TIME. 7

(2) A LACK OF FUNDING AVAI LABLE FOR ALIGNING T HE START OF 8
INSTRUCTION WITH THE TIMES SPECIFIED UNDE R SUBSECTION (A)(3) OF THIS 9
SECTION IS NOT A COM PELLING REASON FOR G RANTING A WAIVER UND ER THIS 10
SUBSECTION. 11

[(h)] (I) Notwithstanding any other law and subject only to this section, each 12
county board annually shall set the start and end dates of the school year for schools in the 13
county. 14

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 15

(a) Beginning in the 2027–2028 school year, and concluding before the start of the 16
following school year, each county board of education, including Baltimore City, and each 17
public charter school shall implement a public information campaign to raise awareness of: 18

(1) the health, safety, and academic impacts of sleep deprivation on middle 19
and high school students; 20

(2) the student benefits of a later school start time; and 21

(3) local strategies that will be used to implement the new start time. 22

(b) The public information campaign shall be targeted toward each school’s 23
community, including parents, teachers, school administrators, coaches, and other 24
interested parties and shall provide an opportunity for feedback. 25

(c) The State Department of Education shall assist a county board of education 26
or a public charter school with implementation of the public information campaign if the 27
county board or public charter school requests assistance. 28

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 29
1, 2026. 30