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SB 601

Education - Dependent Children of Service Members - Advance Enrollment Procedures

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Ben Brooks

Allows dependent children of relocating service members to enroll in Maryland public schools in advance (remote, no fee) to ensure seamless education before arrival.

Third Reading Passed
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Bill Summary · SB 601

SB 601 — Education: Dependent Children of Service Members — Advance Enrollment Procedures (Maryland)

Status: Third Reading Passed (enacted as of 2025; effective date: July 1, 2025)
Introduced: January 23, 2025
Sponsor: Senator Brooks (cross-file HB 596)

Purpose / Intent

To reduce enrollment barriers for school‑age children of service members relocating to Maryland by allowing advance enrollment in county public schools, ensuring continuity of education (including for children with disabilities), and centralizing guidance for service members about enrollment procedures and available supports.

Key provisions

  • Advance enrollment allowed: County superintendents must permit a dependent child of a service member who is relocating to Maryland on military orders to apply for and advance enroll in a public school in the county before the family is domiciled there.

  • Remote registration requirement: County superintendents must establish a remote registration process for advance enrollment that:

    • May not charge a fee, and
    • May not require the service member, parent/guardian, or child to physically appear in the county to complete any part of the advance enrollment.

  • Documentation and timing to finalize enrollment: To finalize advance enrollment, within 10 days of the service member’s published arrival date the service member must provide:

    • Evidence the child is a dependent of the service member,
    • A copy of the military orders showing stationing in the State for the current or immediately following school year, and
    • Proof of residence in the county (including temporary on‑base lodging, leased/purchased home, federal housing unit, or off‑base military housing).

  • Continuity and program access:

    • A dependent child who advance enrolls may remain enrolled until completion of the highest grade level available at the school (subject to case‑by‑case review by the local system).
    • Local systems must prioritize continuity of a dependent child’s education when making enrollment determinations.
    • Dependent children using advance enrollment must have access to all academic courses and programs for which they qualify, including extracurricular, athletic, and social programs.

  • Special education coordination: If the child is a child with a disability receiving special education and related services in the sending state equivalent to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), the enrolling local school system must promptly coordinate with the child’s parents/guardians and the sending district to avoid undue delay in transferring services.

  • State guidance and outreach: The Secretary of Veterans and Military Families, in consultation with the state’s Military Family Education Liaison and other relevant entities, must publish and maintain information about advance enrollment procedures and assistance/services available to service members (including for children with disabilities).

  • Definitions: “Service member” is clarified to include members of the uniformed services and reserve components on active duty orders (per 37 U.S.C. § 101). “Enrollment” includes course registration and charter school lotteries; “child with a disability” references existing statutory definitions.

Who is affected

  • Primary: Dependent children of service members relocating to Maryland (including those with disabilities), and their parents/guardians.
  • Secondary: County superintendents and local school systems (administrative responsibility to implement remote processes and coordinate transfers).
  • State agencies: Secretary of Veterans and Military Families (responsible for publishing guidance).

Fiscal and implementation impact

  • Fiscal note: State and local fiscal impact reported as minimal; local school systems expected to implement the requirements with existing resources.
  • Effective date: July 1, 2025.

Practical effect

The bill creates a standardized, no‑fee pathway for military families to secure school placement before arriving in Maryland, aims to reduce gaps in enrollment and services (especially special education), and centralizes information to assist service members navigating school enrollment.

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

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