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SB 916

Education - Curriculum Standards - Requirements (Educate to Stop the Hate Act)

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Ben Kramer

Mandates statewide antihate education standards and resources, revising social studies by 2026, with funding ties to local compliance and ongoing systemwide curriculum alignment.

Hearing 3/05 at 1:00 p.m.
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Bill Summary · SB 916

SB 916 — Education – Curriculum Standards – Requirements (Educate to Stop the Hate Act)

Status: Introduced Jan 24, 2025. Effective date: July 1, 2025. Hearing noted for 3/05 at 1:00 p.m.

Purpose / Intent

SB 916 (the “Educate to Stop the Hate Act”) directs the State Department of Education (MSDE) and the State Board of Education to strengthen and standardize Maryland’s curriculum standards—with a specific requirement to add antihate education—so students learn the historical context, root causes, and contemporary manifestations of prejudice, racism, and hate. The stated policy rationale is to reduce hate and intolerance by improving K–12 instruction on these subjects.

Key provisions

  • Definitions: creates/clarifies terms for “content standards,” “curriculum standards,” and “curriculum resources.”
  • MSDE duties:
    • Develop content standards, curriculum standards, and curriculum resources for each subject/grade that build sequentially and reflect evidence‑based practices and the science of instruction.
    • By January 1, 2026, review, revise, and adopt social studies content standards to include interdisciplinary antihate education grounded in historical context.
    • Establish an ongoing stakeholder engagement process and review all standards/resources at least every 8 years.
  • Curriculum resource requirements: resources must include course syllabi, sample lessons, model student work with explanations, and curriculum units organized into complete courses (so a student following them can meet college/career readiness by end of grade 10).
  • Local boards: amends county board duties to require establishment of curriculum guides and courses of study aligned with MSDE’s content/curriculum standards and curriculum resources.
  • Enforcement/Accountability: authorizes the State Superintendent to withhold State funds from a county board that fails to adopt aligned curricula (per referenced statutes).
  • Nonpublic schools: encourages (and expects for certificate‑holding nonpublic schools) inclusion of at least a unit on the described topics beginning in the 2026–2027 school year.
  • Emphasis: standards and resources must consider impacts on all students, with strategic focus on marginalized student groups and on root causes of marginalization.

Who is affected

  • State: MSDE and the State Board of Education (development, adoption, assessment).
  • Local: County boards of education, superintendents, local curriculum developers, and teachers (must develop or adopt aligned guides and curricula).
  • Students: all public school students; certain nonpublic schools are encouraged/expected to adopt similar units.
  • Fiscal/administrative: local school systems (curriculum development, materials, teacher training); potential state funding consequences for noncompliance.

Timeline & implementation

  • Effective July 1, 2025.
  • MSDE deadline to adopt revised social studies standards including antihate education: January 1, 2026.
  • Intended implementation/alignment in local curricula beginning school year 2026–2027.
  • MSDE required to review standards at minimum every 8 years; stakeholder engagement to be maintained during development and review.

Fiscal impact (summary)

  • State: MSDE reports much of the work has been underway and can meet the January 2026 deadline using existing resources; no direct revenue impact identified.
  • Local: likely increased expenditures (potentially meaningful in FY2026–2027) for local curriculum development, course redesign, instructional materials, and teacher professional development. Longer‑term costs may be smaller once new curricula are in place.
  • Enforcement: potential withholding of State funds from noncompliant county boards could affect local revenues.

Practical effect

The bill centralizes and standardizes curricular expectations around antihate education and related content standards, creates a clear near‑term deadline for social studies revisions, and ties local compliance to state funding authority—creating a statutory pathway to ensure statewide alignment of curriculum and instructional resources.

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

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