SB0526 • 2026

Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day - Establishment

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Senator A. Washington
Last action: 2026-02-10
Official status: In the Senate - Hearing 3/04 at 1:00 p.m.
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day - Establishment

Designating November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day to commemorate Ruby Bridges, who became the first African American student to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana; designating the second Wednesday in October each year as Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day to promote safe pedestrian routes to and from school; and requiring the State Department of Education to provide resources for a program of education for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and to plan Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day.

What This Bill Does

Designating November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day to commemorate Ruby Bridges, who became the first African American student to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana; designating the second Wednesday in October each year as Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day to promote safe pedestrian routes to and from school; and requiring the State Department of Education to provide resources for a program of education for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and to plan Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-02-10 Senate
Hearing 3/04 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-02-04 Senate
First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Public Schools - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day - Establishment

Official Summary Text

Designating November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day to commemorate Ruby Bridges, who became the first African American student to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana; designating the second Wednesday in October each year as Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day to promote safe pedestrian routes to and from school; and requiring the State Department of Education to provide resources for a program of education for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and to plan Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0526*

SENATE BILL 526
F1 6lr3058
CF HB 486
By: Senator A. Washington
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Schools – Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and Maryland School 2
Pedestrian Awareness Day – Establishment 3

FOR the purpose of designating a certain date as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day; 4
designating a certain day as Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day; requiring 5
the State Department of Education to make resources available in a certain manner 6
for a program of education for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and to plan 7
Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day; and generally relating to Ruby Bridges 8
Walk to School Day and Maryland School Pedestrian Awareness Day. 9

BY adding to 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–137 and 7–138 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

7–137. 18

(A) THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION IS TO DESIGNATE NOVEMBER 14 EACH 19
YEAR AS “RUBY BRIDGES WALK TO SCHOOL DAY” TO COMMEMORATE RUBY 20
BRIDGES, WHO, ON NOVEMBER 14, 1960, BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN 21
STUDENT TO INTEGRATE AN ALL–WHITE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEW ORLEANS, 22
LOUISIANA. 23

2 SENATE BILL 526

(B) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE RESOURCE MATERIALS 1
PUBLICLY AVAILABLE TO ASSIST LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN PLANNING A PROGRAM 2
OF EDUCATION FOR RUBY BRIDGES WALK TO SCHOOL DAY. 3

(2) THE RESOURCE MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN 4
ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION: 5

(I) MAY INCLUDE INSTRUCTI ONAL MATERIALS , INCLUDING 6
AGE–APPROPRIATE LESSON PLANS, DISCUSSION GUIDES, HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, 7
AND MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES; AND 8

(II) SHALL INCLUDE RESOURC ES TO ASSIST TEACHER S TO 9
ENGAGE STUDENTS IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. 10

7–138. 11

(A) THE PURPOSE OF THIS S ECTION IS TO DESIGNA TE THE SECOND 12
WEDNESDAY IN OCTOBER EACH YEAR AS “MARYLAND SCHOOL PEDESTRIAN 13
AWARENESS DAY” TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL S CHOOL SYSTEMS, IN COLLABORATION 14
WITH THE COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY, TO PROMOTE SAFE PEDESTRIAN ROUTES TO 15
AND FROM SCHOOLS. 16

(B) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE RESOURCE MATERIALS P UBLICLY 17
AVAILABLE TO ASSIST LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN PLANNING MARYLAND SCHOOL 18
PEDESTRIAN AWARENESS DAY. 19

(C) THE RESOURCE MATERIALS PROVIDED B Y THE DEPARTMENT IN 20
ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION MAY INCLUDE: 21

(1) PEDESTRIAN SAFETY BEST PRACTICES; 22

(2) AGE–APPROPRIATE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY LESSON PLANS; 23

(3) MODEL WALK AUDIT TEMPLATES AND DISCUSSION GUIDES; 24

(4) AVAILABLE GRANT RESOURCES; AND 25

(5) ANY OTHER MATERIALS RELATED TO PEDESTRIAN AWARENESS. 26

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 27
1, 2026. 28