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*sb0204*
SENATE BILL 204
F1 (6lr0716)
ENROLLED BILL
— Education, Energy, and the Environment/Ways and Means —
Introduced by Senators Kagan and Ready, Ready, Attar, Brooks, Carozza, Feldman,
Ferguson, Gallion, Gile, Harris, Hester, Hettleman, King, Lewis Young,
Love, McKay, Simonaire, Smith, Waldstreicher, A. Washington,
M. Washington, Watson, and West
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
President.
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Schools – Maryland Civic Excellence Program – Established 2
FOR the purpose of establishing the Maryland Civic Excellence Program in the State 3
Department of Education for certain public high school students; requiring the State 4
Board of Education to establish the criteria and requirements for the Program in 5
regulation; requiring that a certain capstone project be included in the Program; 6
authorizing a local school system to participate in the Program to recognize students 7
who meet criteria related to student proficiency in civics and civic literacy public 8
high school students for their civic readiness and civic engagement ; and generally 9
relating to the Maryland Civic Excellence Program. 10
BY adding to 11
2 SENATE BILL 204
Article – Education 1
Section 7–137 2
Annotated Code of Maryland 3
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 4
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 5
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 6
Article – Education 7
7–137. 8
(A) IN THIS SECTION , “PROGRAM” MEANS THE MARYLAND CIVIC 9
EXCELLENCE PROGRAM. 10
(B) (1) THERE IS A MARYLAND CIVIC EXCELLENCE PROGRAM IN THE 11
DEPARTMENT THAT RECOGNIZES THE CIVIC READINESS AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 12
OF PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE STATE. 13
(2) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO RECOGNI ZE STUDENTS 14
AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS T HAT PROMOTE THE CIVI C READINESS AND CIVI C 15
ENGAGEMENT OF STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE STATE. 16
(C) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM. 17
(D) (C) (1) NOT LATER THAN THE 2027–2028 SCHOOL YEAR , THE 18
DEPARTMENT STATE BOARD, IN CONSULTATION WITH EXPERTS AND 19
STAKEHOLDERS, SHALL DEVELOP GUIDELINES T O ASSIST PARTICIPATI NG LOCAL 20
SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO DE TERMINE STUDENT PROF ICIENCY IN CIVICS AN D CIVIC 21
LITERACY ADOPT REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH THE CRITERIA AND REQUIREMENTS 22
FOR AWARDING A SEAL OF CIVIC EXCELLENCE TO A QUALIFIED STUDE NT WHO 23
ATTENDS A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN A PARTICIPATING LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM. 24
(2) THE CRITERIA ESTABLIS HED BY THE STATE BOARD SHALL 25
INCLUDE A REQUIREMEN T THAT , IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A SEAL OF CIVIC 26
EXCELLENCE, A STUDENT MUST COMPL ETE A CAPSTONE PROJE CT THROUGH AN 27
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTI VITY THAT IS FOCUSED ON CIVIC SERVICE IN STATE, 28
COUNTY, OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 29
(E) (D) (1) THIS SUBSECTION APPLIES O NLY TO A A LOCAL SCHOOL 30
SYSTEM THAT PARTICIPATES MAY CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM. 31
SENATE BILL 204 3
(2) A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL I N A PARTICIPATING LOCAL SCHOOL 1
SYSTEM SHALL UTILIZE THE GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED UNDER SUBSECTION (D) OF 2
THIS SECTION TO ESTABLISH: 3
(I) A MARYLAND CIVIC EXCELLENCE PROGRAM IN SCHOOLS; 4
(II) APPLICATION CRITERIA TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM; 5
AND 6
(III) CRITERIA FOR AWARDING A STUDENT THE SEAL OF CIVIC 7
EXCELLENCE MAY NOT OPT OUT OF PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM. 8
(3) IF A LOCAL SCHOOL SYS TEM CHOOSES TO PARTI CIPATE IN THE 9
PROGRAM, A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL SHALL IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM, IN 10
ACCORDANCE WITH THE REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE STATE BOARD, BY 11
INCORPORATING A CIVIC SERVICE CAPSTONE PROJECT INTO AN EXTRACURRICULAR 12
ACTIVITY AT THE SCHOOL THAT: 13
(I) IS AN EXISTING EXTRAC URRICULAR ACTIVITY AT THE TIME 14
THE LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM CHOOSES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM; OR 15
(II) IS A NEW EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY THAT IS SUPERVISED 16
BY A PAID STAFF MEMBER. 17
(F) (E) A PARTICIPATING LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT D ETERMINES A 18
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT HAS FULFILLE D THE CRITERIA UNDER THE 19
PROGRAM MAY ESTABLISHED IN REGUL ATIONS ADOPTED IN AC CORDANCE WITH 20
SUBSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION SHALL: 21
(1) AWARD THE STUDENT A SEAL OF CIVIC EXCELLENCE; AND 22
(2) RECOGNIZE THE AWARD BY AWARDING A CORD OR MEDAL OR BY 23
ATTACHING OTHER INSIGNIA ON THE STUDENT’S HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. 24
(G) (F) A PARTICIPATING LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM MAY CO LLABORATE 25
WITH NONPROFIT ORGAN IZATIONS, CIVIC ORGANIZATIO NS, OR INSTITUTIONS OF 26
HIGHER EDUCATION TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM. 27
(H) (G) ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2028, AND EACH JULY 1 THEREAFTER, 28
EACH PARTICIPATING LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM SHALL SUBMIT TO THE DEPARTMENT 29
A REPORT ON THE PROGRAM BASED ON THE MOST RECENTLY COMPLETED SCHOOL 30
YEAR. 31
4 SENATE BILL 204
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
1, 2026. 2
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.