Maryland legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Maryland SB103: Public Middle, High, and Charter Schools - Start Time for Instruction
Status: In committee, January 16, 2026
Requiring, beginning in the 2028-2029 school year, each public middle school and each public high school to begin instruction not earlier than 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., respectively, unless granted a waiver by the State Board of Education under certain circumstances; and requiring each county board of education and each public charter school to implement a certain public service campaign to raise awareness of sleep deprivation and later school start times.
What the bill says
A bill ENTITLED AN ACT concerning Public Middle, High, and Charter Schools - Start Time for Instruction FOR the purpose of requiring, beginning in a certain school year, each public middle school and each public high school to begin instruction not earlier than certain times unless granted a waiver by the State Board of Education under certain circumstances; requiring each county board of education and each public charter school to implement a certain public service campaign to raise awareness of sleep deprivation and later school start times…
From the introduced text, January 11, 2026:
A BILL ENTITLED AN ACT concerning Public Middle, High, and Charter Schools - Start Time for Instruction FOR the purpose of requiring, beginning in a certain school year, each public middle school and each public high school to begin instruction not earlier than certain times unless granted a waiver by the State Board of Education under certain circumstances; requiring each county board of education and each public charter school to implement a certain public service campaign to raise awareness of sleep deprivation and later school start times; and generally relating to the start time of instruction in public middle, high, and charter schools. BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, Article - Education Section 7-103 Annotated Code of Maryland (2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: Article - Education 7-103. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (e), (f), [and] (g), AND (H) of this section, each public school under the jurisdiction of a county board: (1) (i) Shall be open for pupil attendance for at least 180 actual school days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours during a 10-month period in each school year; or EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW. [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from exist in g …