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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
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*sb0612*
SENATE BILL 612
F3 6lr3279
CF HB 1006
By: Talbot County Senators
Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Talbot County – Public Schools – School Schedule Options 2
FOR the purpose of authorizing the Talbot County Board of Education to operate schools 3
within the county using a certain school scheduling model that is exempt from a 4
certain requirement under certain circumstances; requiring a school operating under 5
a certain scheduling model to provide the county board to offer certain employees an 6
opportunity to make up lost wages under certain circumstances ; and generally 7
relating to public school scheduling models and the Talbot County Board of 8
Education. 9
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–103(a) 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 15
Article – Education 16
Section 7–103(f) 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20
Article – Education 21
Section 7–103(a), (f), and (g) 22
2 SENATE BILL 612
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 2
(As enacted by Chapter 346 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2025) 3
BY adding to 4
Article – Education 5
Section 7–103(f) 6
Annotated Code of Maryland 7
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 8
(As enacted by Chapter 346 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2025) 9
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 10
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 11
Article – Education 12
7–103. 13
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), (f), and (g) of this section, each public 14
school under the jurisdiction of a county board: 15
(1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for at least 180 actual school 16
days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours during a 10 –month period in each school year; 17
or 18
(ii) If normal school attendance is prevented because of cond itions 19
described in subsection (b) of this section, shall be open for at least 1,080 hours during a 20
10–month period; 21
(2) Shall be open for pupil attendance a minimum of 3 hours during each 22
school day; and 23
(3) May not be open on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays in order to meet 24
the 180–day or 1,080–hour requirement of this subsection. 25
(f) (1) In this subsection, “minimal hours of attendance” means the minimum 26
hours of attendance for the school year required under COMAR 13A.03.02.12, in effect on 27
July 1, 2025. 28
(2) THIS SUBSECTION APPLI ES ONLY TO THE ANNE ARUNDEL 29
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE TALBOT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION. 30
(3) Subject to the requirements of this subsection, [the Anne Arundel 31
County Board of Education ] A COUNTY BOARD may elect to operate all of the schools 32
within the county using a scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days to allow 33
for less than 180 school days if the minimal hours of attendance are met. 34
SENATE BILL 612 3
[(3)] (4) If [the Anne Arundel County Board of Ed ucation] A COUNTY 1
BOARD elects to use a scheduling model that eliminates early dismissal days in accordance 2
with this subsection, the county board must use the scheduling model for all schools in the 3
county. 4
[(4)] (5) If [the Anne Arundel County Board o f Education ] A COUNTY 5
BOARD uses a scheduling model that results in a school in the county being open for less 6
than 180 days, the county board shall offer school employees who receive pay at an hourly 7
rate an opportunity to make up the lost wages through other duties before the beginning of 8
the next school year. 9
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 10
as follows: 11
Article – Education 12
7–103. 13
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), [and] (f), AND (G) of this section, 14
each public school under the jurisdiction of a county board: 15
(1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for at least 180 actual school 16
days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours during a 10 –month period in each school year; 17
or 18
(ii) If normal school at tendance is prevented because of conditions 19
described in subsection (b) of this section, shall be open for at least 1,080 hours during a 20
10–month period; 21
(2) Shall be open for pupil attendance a minimum of 3 hours during each 22
school day; and 23
(3) May not be open on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays in order to meet 24
the 180–day or 1,080–hour requirement of this subsection. 25
(F) (1) IN THIS SUBSECTION, “MINIMAL HOURS OF ATTENDANCE” MEANS 26
THE MINIMUM HOURS OF ATTENDANCE FOR THE S CHOOL YEAR REQUIRED UNDER 27
COMAR 13A.03.02.12, IN EFFECT ON JULY 1, 2025. 28
(2) SUBJECT TO THE REQUIR EMENTS OF THIS SUBSE CTION, THE 29
TALBOT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MAY ELECT T O OPERATE ALL OF THE 30
SCHOOLS WITHIN THE C OUNTY USING A SCHEDU LING MODEL THAT ELIM INATES 31
EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS TO ALLOW FOR LESS FEWER THAN 180 SCHOOL DAYS IF THE 32
MINIMAL HOURS OF ATTENDANCE ARE MET. 33
4 SENATE BILL 612
(3) IF THE TALBOT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION ELECTS TO USE 1
A SCHEDULING MODEL THAT ELIMINATES EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS IN ACCORDANCE 2
WITH THIS SUBSECTION, THE COUNTY BOARD MUST USE THE S CHEDULING MODEL 3
FOR ALL SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTY. 4
(4) IF THE TALBOT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION USES A 5
SCHEDULING MODEL THAT RESULTS IN A SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY BEING OPEN FOR 6
LESS FEWER THAN 180 DAYS, THE COUNTY BOARD SHA LL OFFER SCHOOL 7
EMPLOYEES WHO RECEIVE PAY AT AN HOURLY RATE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE UP 8
THE LOST WAGES THROUGH OTHER DUTIES BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT 9
SCHOOL YEAR. 10
[(f)] (G) Publicly funded half–day prekindergarten programs are not subject to 11
the requirements of subsection (a) of this section. 12
[(g)] (H) Notwithstanding any other law and subject only to this section, each 13
county board annually shall set the start and end dates of the school year for schools in the 14
county. 15
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 16
(a) On or before June 30, 2027 2028, and on or before June 30, 2028 2029, the 17
Talbot County Board of Education shall report to the State Board of Education and, in 18
accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on the 19
operation of schools during the preceding school year that used an alternative scheduling 20
model in accordance with Sections 1 and 2 of this Act. 21
(b) The reports required under this section shall inclu de a summary of each day 22
a school operating under an alternative scheduling model was open and the number of 23
hours per day that the school was open with students in attendance. 24
SECTION 4. AND IT BE FURTHER ENACTED, That Section 2 of this Act shall take 25
effect on the taking effect of the termination provision specified in Section 3 of Chapter 346 26
of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2025. If that termination provision takes effect, 27
Section 1 of this Act, with no further action required by the General Ass embly, shall be 28
abrogated and of no further force and effect. This Act may not be interpreted to have any 29
effect on that termination provision. 30
SECTION 5. AND IT BE FURTHER ENACTED, That, subject to the provisions in 31
Section 4 of this Act, this Act shall take effect July 1, 2026 2027. It shall remain effective 32
for a period of 2 years and, at the end of June 30, 2028 2029, this Act, with no further action 33
required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 34