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Bill Summary · HB 488

Summary — HB 488: Public Schools — Discipline‑Related Data — Collection and Publication

Status: Passed 1st Reading (effective date in bill: July 1, 2025)
Reporting begins: October 1, 2026 (first annual report)

Main purpose

Require the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to collect, publish, and annually report detailed, disaggregated discipline data for public schools and to identify and require corrective action for schools with high suspension rates or discipline policies that have a disproportionate impact on student subgroups.

Key provisions

  • Data publication

    • MSDE must publish all discipline‑related data as an accessible, disaggregated electronic spreadsheet available for download on its website (state, local school system, and individual school levels).
    • Required disaggregation: grade level, race, ethnicity, disability status (including 504 plan or IEP), socioeconomic status (e.g., free/reduced meals), English language proficiency, gender, and type of discipline.
    • Annual submission to Governor and General Assembly beginning October 1, 2026.

  • Identification of high‑suspending and disproportionate‑impact schools

    • “High‑suspending” defined (per subgroup, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, disability status and ELL):
    • Elementary school: suspends 10% or more of students in each subgroup.
    • Secondary school: suspends 25% or more of students in each subgroup.
    • MSDE will maintain a risk ratio and a State comparison threshold (both set at 2.0) to identify disproportionate discipline impacts. (“Risk ratio” = removal rate for a subgroup ÷ removal rate for all other students at the same school.)

  • Required local action plans

    • If MSDE identifies a school as high‑suspending or having a disproportionate impact, the local school system (LEA) must prepare and submit a plan to the State Board of Education:
    • Reduce the disproportionate impact within 1 year of identification.
    • Eliminate the disproportionate impact within 3 years of identification.

  • MSDE action plan and annual publication

    • MSDE must annually publish an action plan summarizing identified disproportionality and suspension levels, designed to support LEAs in reducing discipline disparities and exclusionary discipline overall.
    • FERPA privacy protection: MSDE is not required to report subgroup data if the subgroup population is fewer than 10 and disclosure would violate federal student privacy law.

Who is affected

  • State: MSDE — new data publication, analysis, reporting, and action‑planning responsibilities.
  • Local: LEAs and individual public schools — may need to prepare and implement remediation plans; LEAs could require additional capacity if multiple schools are identified.
  • Students and families: greater transparency about discipline patterns and targeted remediation where disparities exist.
  • State Board of Education and Governor/General Assembly — receive annual reports and action plans.

Fiscal impact (from fiscal note)

  • State general fund staffing costs estimated:
    • FY 2026: $56,000
    • FY 2027: $64,100
    • FY 2028: $67,000
    • FY 2029: $70,000
    • FY 2030: $73,000
  • Local school systems: expected to manage reporting and plan development with existing resources in most cases; some LEAs could need additional staff if many schools are identified.

Implementation timeline

  • Bill takes effect July 1, 2025.
  • MSDE must begin annual reporting and publish first required public data and action report by October 1, 2026, and annually thereafter.

If you want, I can:
- Extract the specific statutory text changes and present them side‑by‑side with current law; or
- Create a one‑page compliance checklist for LEAs that would be identified under the bill.

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

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