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Bill Summary · SB 851

SB 851 — Public Schools: Individuals with Disabilities — Main Entrance Accessibility & Emergency Planning

Status: Hearing 3/05 at 1:00 p.m. | Introduced: Feb 27, 2025
Sponsors: Senators Zucker, Augustine, Lewis Young (crossfile: HB 694)

Purpose / Intent

The bill aims to improve accessibility of school main entrances for individuals with disabilities and strengthen statewide oversight of school emergency planning to ensure local emergency plans conform with Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) guidelines (which implement the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA). It increases transparency by requiring public reporting and creates an annual review loop between local school systems and MSDE.

Key provisions

  • Annual county reporting on inaccessible main entrances
    • On or before September 1, 2025, and each September 1 thereafter, each county board of education must publish on its website and report to the General Assembly (per §2‑1257, State Government Article) the number of public school main entrances in the county that are not accessible to individuals with disabilities and not in compliance with the ADA.
  • Annual submission and state review of emergency plans
    • On or before September 1, 2025, and each September 1 thereafter, each local school system must send a copy of its emergency plan to MSDE.
    • On or before December 1, 2025, and each December 1 thereafter, MSDE must:
    • Analyze the emergency plans received; and
    • Report to the General Assembly whether each local school system complies with MSDE’s emergency planning guidelines and regulations (updated previously to align with ADA).
  • IEP / 504 accommodations
    • The bill reaffirms existing requirements that if a student’s IEP requires specific evacuation or emergency accommodations, those accommodations must be included in the IEP; similarly, a 504 team must address emergency needs for students with 504 plans.
  • Effective date
    • The act takes effect July 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • County boards of education: required to assess and publish the count of non‑compliant main entrances.
  • Local school systems (districts): must submit emergency plans annually to MSDE and ensure plans conform to ADA‑aligned guidelines.
  • MSDE (and Maryland Center for School Safety in practice): must review plans and report compliance to the General Assembly.
  • Students, staff, visitors with disabilities: the measures are intended to improve physical access and emergency accommodations.

Timeline & Procedural highlights

  • Annual deadlines: Sept 1 (county publication & plan submission) and Dec 1 (MSDE analysis and reporting).
  • Builds on prior MSDE emergency planning guidance required to be updated (deadline referenced: Dec 1, 2017 and related 2018 local plan updates).
  • Crossfile: HB 694; reflects legislative reporting format per §2‑1257.

Fiscal & implementation impact

  • State: MSDE (with Maryland Center for School Safety) likely can meet review and reporting duties with existing resources; one analysis noted possible minor contractual costs but overall manageable.
  • Local: Minimal one‑time or short‑term costs expected to assess physical ADA compliance (most intensive in FY2026); the bill does not change ADA requirements or mandate building upgrades — it requires inventorying and reporting non‑compliant main entrances.

Notes

  • The bill is focused on transparency and oversight rather than imposing new construction obligations; identified accessibility deficiencies would continue to be governed by existing ADA and state building law/regulations.

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

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