WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 14

County Boards of Education - Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation - Information Collection and Reporting Requirements

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Linda Foley

Maryland schools must collect and report standardized data on bullying and harassment incidents to the state for oversight and transparency.

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 775
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 14

Legislative bill overview

HB 14 requires Maryland county boards of education to collect, track, and report standardized data on incidents of bullying, harassment, and intimidation in schools. The bill establishes consistent reporting requirements across all counties and mandates submission of this data to the state for analysis and transparency.

Why is this important

School safety and student well-being depend partly on understanding the scope and patterns of bullying and harassment. Standardized data collection enables school districts to identify problem areas, measure intervention effectiveness, and allows parents and policymakers to assess school safety conditions across regions. Currently, inconsistent reporting practices obscure the true prevalence of these issues.

Potential points of contention

  • Administrative burden and cost: Schools may argue that new data collection and reporting requirements strain already limited resources and administrative capacity, particularly in under-resourced districts
  • Privacy and discipline concerns: Questions about what incidents get reported, how student identities are protected, and whether data collection could lead to disproportionate discipline of certain student groups
  • Definitions and consistency: Disagreement over how "bullying," "harassment," and "intimidation" are defined and distinguished—subjective categorization could lead to vastly different reporting across counties and undermine data comparability

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.