Maryland legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Maryland HB197: Public Schools - Restorative Practices Schools - Comprehensive Plan
Status: Chaptered, May 6, 2025
Requiring the State Department of Education to develop a comprehensive plan by July 1, 2026, for the establishment of Restorative Practices Schools which integrate restorative practices into daily practices and activities of the whole school; requiring a county board of education to use the comprehensive plan if the county board chooses to establish a Restorative Practices School; and requiring the Department to report to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2026, on the comprehensive plan for Restorative Practices Schools.
What the bill says
An act concerning Public Schools - Restorative Practices Schools - Comprehensive Plan FOR the purpose of requiring the State Department of Education to develop a comprehensive plan to implement requirements for the establishment of Restorative Practices Schools; requiring a county board of education to use the comprehensive plan if the county board chooses to establish a Restorative Practices School; and generally relating to Restorative Practices Schools…
From the enrolled text, May 8, 2025:
AN ACT concerning Public Schools - Restorative Practices Schools - Comprehensive Plan FOR the purpose of requiring the State Department of Education to develop a comprehensive plan to implement requirements for the establishment of Restorative Practices Schools; requiring a county board of education to use the comprehensive plan if the county board chooses to establish a Restorative Practices School; and generally relating to Restorative Practices Schools. BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, Article - Education Section 7-306 Annotated Code of Maryland (2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) BY adding to Article - Education Section 7-306.1 Annotated Code of Maryland (2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: Article - Education 7-306. (a) (1) In this section, "restorative [approaches"] PRACTICES" means a COMMUNALLY AND CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE, relationship-focused student discipline model (ii) Emphasizes building strong relationships and setting clear behavioral expectations that contribute to the well-being of the school community; (iii) In response to behavior that violates the clear behavioral expectations that contribute to the well-being of the school community, focuses on accountability for any harm done by the problem behavior; and Ch. 240 2025 LAWS OF MARYLAND (iv) Addresses ways to repair the relationships affected by the problem behavior with the voluntary participation of …