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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb1004*
SENATE BILL 1004
F3 6lr0974
CF HB 1174
By: Howard County Senators
Introduced and read first time: February 24, 2026
Assigned to: Rules
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Howard County – Board of Education – Mandatory School Holidays 2
Ho. Co. 11–26 3
FOR the purpose of requiring the Howard County Board of Education to close public schools 4
in the county to students to observe certain holidays beginnin g in a certain school 5
year; and generally relating to the Howard County Board of Education and 6
mandatory school holidays. 7
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 8
Article – Education 9
Section 7–103(a) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
Article – Education 14
Section 7–103(c) 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MA RYLAND, 18
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
Article – Education 20
7–103. 21
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), (f), and (g) of this section, each public 22
school under the jurisdiction of a county board: 23
2 SENATE BILL 1004
(1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for at least 180 actual school 1
days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours during a 10 –month period in each school year; 2
or 3
(ii) If normal school attendance is prevented because of conditions 4
described in subsection (b) of this section, shall b e open for at least 1,080 hours during a 5
10–month period; 6
(2) Shall be open for pupil attendance a minimum of 3 hours during each 7
school day; and 8
(3) May not be open on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays in order to meet 9
the 180–day or 1,080–hour requirement of this subsection. 10
(c) (1) The following days are public school holidays: 11
(i) Thanksgiving Day and the day after; 12
(ii) Christmas Eve and from then through January 1; 13
(iii) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; 14
(iv) Presidents’ Day; 15
(v) The Friday before Easter and from then through the Monday 16
after Easter; 17
(vi) Memorial Day; and 18
(vii) Primary and general election days. 19
(2) If the federal and State observances of a holiday are on different days, 20
the board of education of each county shall determine which date shall be the date of 21
observance for the public schools within the county. 22
(3) The public schools shall devote a part of at least one day to appropriate 23
exercises for each of the following: 24
(i) Washington’s Birthday; 25
(ii) Lincoln’s Birthday; 26
(iii) Veterans’ Day; 27
(iv) Columbus Day; 28
(v) Arbor Day; 29
SENATE BILL 1004 3
(vi) Black History Month, with an emphasis on Harriet Tubman and 1
Frederick Douglass and the contributions they made in the fight against slavery; and 2
(vii) Any other day of national significance. 3
(4) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, the public schools, 4
in the following counties, may remain open and in session on primary and general election 5
days: 6
(i) Calvert; 7
(ii) Caroline; 8
(iii) Dorchester; 9
(iv) Kent; 10
(v) Talbot; and 11
(vi) Worcester. 12
(5) (I) THIS PARAGRAPH APPLIES ONLY IN HOWARD COUNTY. 13
(II) BEGINNING IN THE 2027–2028 SCHOOL YEAR , THE 14
HOWARD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL CLOSE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE 15
COUNTY FOR STUDENT ATTENDAN CE ONLY TO OBSERVE THE FOLLO WING 16
HOLIDAYS: 17
1. THE FIRST DAY ONLY OF: 18
A. DIWALI; 19
B. EID AL–ADHA; 20
C. EID AL–FITR; 21
D. LUNAR NEW YEAR; AND 22
E. ROSH HASHANAH; 23
2. YOM KIPPUR; AND 24
3. JUNETEENTH. 25
4 SENATE BILL 1004
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
1, 2026. 2