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Authorizing a county board of education to consider the provision of educator workforce housing as a school purpose under certain provisions of law; altering the eligible recipients of certain financial assistance and the housing innovation projects the Department of Housing and Community Development shall prioritize for certain financial assistance under the Housing Innovation Pilot Program; etc.

Establishing the MDiplomaWorks pathway as an alternative method of earning a high school diploma in the State; providing the MDiplomaWorks pathway is a method to recognize and certify high school diploma achievement through demonstrated academic and career competencies, including workforce experience; and requiring, in calendar years 2027 and 2028, the Department of Labor to publish on its website information on the MDiplomaWorks pathway to inform potentially eligible applicants.

Providing collective bargaining rights to certain graduate assistants at the University of Maryland, College Park or the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; defining "graduate assistant" as a graduate student who is a teaching, administrative, or research assistant or in a comparable position, a fellow, or a postdoctoral intern; and establishing a separate collective bargaining unit for the graduate assistants.

Altering the purpose, composition, and duties of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee; repealing the CTE Skills Standards Advisory Committee; and requiring State agencies and certain workforce development and education programs to use a certain list of occupations as a guideline for curriculum alignment, credentialing, and career advancement.

Providing collective bargaining rights to nontenure track faculty of system institutions of higher education, Morgan State University, or St. Mary's College of Maryland whose primary assignments involve academic instruction, including teachers, researchers, and department heads and those in comparable positions; and establishing a separate collective bargaining unit for nontenure track faculty.

Requiring the reporting of certain procurement contracts and memoranda of understanding entered into by certain public elementary and secondary education systems in the State; and requiring each local school system to make publicly available on the local school system's website certain in-kind services agreements, procurement contracts, and memoranda of understanding.

Entering into the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact for the purpose of authorizing licensed school psychologists who hold multistate licenses to provide school psychological services in member states; establishing requirements for multistate licensure; establishing the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact Commission; providing for the withdrawal from the Compact; etc.

Prohibiting a law enforcement officer from engaging in certain sexual acts, sexual contact, or vaginal intercourse with a student enrolled in a school where the law enforcement officer is assigned as a school resource officer.

Prohibiting a law enforcement officer from engaging in certain sexual acts, sexual contact, or vaginal intercourse with a student enrolled in a school where the law enforcement officer is assigned as a school resource officer; and providing that a person who violates the Act is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a term of imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine not exceed $3,000 or both.

Providing collective bargaining rights to nontenure track faculty of system institutions of higher education, Morgan State University, or St. Mary's College of Maryland whose primary assignments involve academic instruction, including teachers, researchers, and department heads and those in comparable positions; and establishing a separate collective bargaining unit for nontenure track faculty.

Authorizing the Department of Education to establish a process to include a notation indicating veteran status on licenses and public profiles of primary and secondary educators; etc.

Establishing the MDiplomaWorks pathway as an alternative method of earning a high school diploma in the State; establishing the Program as a method to recognize and certify high school diploma achievement through demonstrated academic and career competencies, and workforce experience; requiring an applicant to complete a combination of components as approved by the Maryland Department of Labor; and requiring the Department to publish Program information on its website to inform potentially eligible applicants about the new pathway.

Providing collective bargaining rights to certain graduate assistants at certain public institutions of higher education; defining "graduate assistant" as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park or the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who is a teaching, administrative, or research assistant or in a comparable position, a fellow, or a postdoctoral intern; and establishing a separate collective bargaining unit for the graduate assistants.

Requiring, by September 1 each year, the reporting of certain procurement contracts and memoranda of understanding entered into by certain public elementary and secondary education systems in the State; requiring, by October 1 each year, the State Superintendent to issue a report compiling the required information; and requiring each local school system to make publicly available on the local school system's website certain in-kind services agreements, procurement contracts, and memoranda of understanding.

Entering into the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact for the purpose of authorizing licensed school psychologists who hold multistate licenses to provide school psychological services in member states; establishing requirements for multistate licensure; establishing the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact Commission; providing for the withdrawal from the Compact; etc.

Acknowledging the importance of teaching a culturally diverse curriculum in elementary and secondary schools in the State; providing that curricula taught in elementary and secondary schools should include the history of communities that have experienced discrimination; and affirming the State of Maryland's commitment to a complete education.

Establishing the Adult Prison School Board Model Development Committee to develop a comprehensive plan for a school board system to oversee correctional education for individuals subject to the criminal and juvenile justice systems; and requiring the Committee to issue an interim report by June 1, 2027, and a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by June 1, 2028.

Requiring a family child care provider who is a member of a reserve component to designate a substitute to provide family child care for not more than 45 working days in any 12-month period while the family child care provider is absent for required training and active service.

Repealing the prohibition on a public school employer negotiating the maximum number of students assigned to a class.

Requiring individuals who will have direct contact with children in certain child care facilities to submit to a criminal history records check; requiring the State Department of Education, by June 30, 2027, to establish a centralized unit for the processing and management of information about criminal history records checks; altering the applicability of probationary employment qualifications for first-time child care teachers in child care centers in the State that serve children who are at least 2 years old; etc.

Requiring the State Board of Education to provide a pathway for individuals who are qualified to be child care teachers, but lack proof of necessary educational attainment, to attest to qualifying educational credentials to be a child care teacher teaching in a child care center.

Requiring the Governor, in each of fiscal years 2028 through 2030, to appropriate to the Maryland Child Care Credential Program $5,687,000.

Authorizing a county board of library trustees to provide for the selection of a student member of the board; and establishing the qualifications, setting a 1-year term of office, and providing for the voting rights of the student member of a county board of library trustees, if selected.

Requiring individuals who will have direct contact with children in certain child care facilities to submit to a criminal history records check; requiring the State Department of Education to establish a centralized unit for the processing and management of information about criminal history records checks; requiring the Department to submit a report to the General Assembly by October 1, 2028, related to its review of the process for background checks; etc.

Altering the calculation of certain funding for the State Library Resource Center for fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year thereafter.

Authorizing the Commission on Civil Rights to enforce a prohibition against discrimination and retaliation in educational institutions based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or marital status; establishing the powers, duties, and limitations of the authority of the Commission on Civil Rights to enforce the prohibition against educational discrimination; establishing a private right of action; etc.

Renaming the Young Readers Matching Grant Program to be the Young Readers Grant Program; altering the purpose and application requirements of the Program; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill and appropriation of $450,000 for the program in each fiscal year; altering the calculation of certain funding for certain regional resource centers and each county public library system for certain fiscal years; and altering the types of services of which each public library is required to offer at least one service.

Altering the calculation of certain funding for the State Library Resource Center for fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year thereafter.

Requiring the Governor to include an appropriation of $450,000 in the annual budget bill for the Growing Family Child Care Opportunities Program for fiscal years 2028 through 2030.

Requiring the Governor, in each of fiscal years 2028 through 2030, to appropriate to the Maryland Child Care Credential Program $5,687,000.

Requiring the Governor to include an appropriation of $450,000 in the annual budget bill for the Growing Family Child Care Opportunities Program for fiscal years 2028 through 2030.

Prohibiting a freeze in enrollment in the Child Care Scholarship Program from including certain individuals enrolled in certain governmental support programs, children with siblings enrolled in the Program, and children who are homeless; requiring the State Department of Education to establish a waitlist for the Program under certain conditions; requiring the Department to vie priority for enrollment in the Program to certain individuals on the waitlist; requiring a new application for the program that collects certain information; etc.

Authorizing a county board of library trustees to provide for the selection of a student member of the board; and establishing the qualifications, setting a 1-year term of office, and providing for the voting rights of the student member of a county board of library trustees, if selected.

Requiring the State Department of Education, for applications received after July 1, 2026, to establish a framework to prioritize the children of individuals who provide care for children in licensed child care centers, registered family child care homes, and registered large family child care homes for scholarships under the Child Care Scholarship Program.

Establishing the Workgroup on Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students to study ways to support transgender and gender diverse students and, on or before December 1, 2026, make recommendations regarding statewide statutory and regulatory policies.

Requiring the State Department of Education to establish a framework, for applications received after July 1, 2026, to prioritize the children of individuals who provide care for children in licensed child care centers, registered family child care homes, and registered large family child care homes for scholarships under the Child Care Scholarship Program.

Requiring public and nonpublic primary and secondary schools to adopt certain written student privacy policies and procedures; and requiring nonpublic prekindergarten programs and nonpublic primary and secondary schools to report certain information about certain incidents of alleged discrimination to the State Department of Education annually.

Requiring a child care providers in registered family child care homes and registered large family child care homes and licensees and staff of a child care center to complete training on the detection and reporting of child abuse at certain intervals.

Requiring public and nonpublic primary and secondary schools to adopt certain written student privacy policies and procedures; requiring nonpublic prekindergarten programs and nonpublic primary and secondary schools, beginning September 1, 2027, to report the number of incidents of alleged discrimination to the State Department of Education annually; and requiring, beginning December 31, 2027, the submission of an annual report discussing relevant findings and trends for the immediately preceding reporting period.

Establishing the Education Savings Account Program in the State administered by the State Department of Education; providing that on a quarterly basis the State shall deposit into an account of an eligible student a certain percentage of the per pupil amount of State and local funds for each education program in the resident school district for which the eligible student would be included in the enrollment count; allowing a subtraction modification under the State income tax for deposits into an education savings account; etc.

Establishing the Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program within the State Department of Education's Office of Child Care to support and expand a pilot program in Baltimore City that provides monthly child care allowances to first responders to access quality child care that aligns with the demands of a career in public safety; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $600,000 to the Program in fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year thereafter; etc.

Establishing the Maryland Positive Youth Development Commission in the State Department of Education to make grant awards to certain eligible organizations that provide positive youth development programming to certain youth; establishing the Maryland Positive Youth Development Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund; and requiring interest earnings of the Fund to be credited to the Fund.

Establishing the Maryland Institute for Literacy and Equity organized as a partnership between the University of Maryland, College Park Campus and Morgan State University to serve as a State-funded research and technical assistance center to promote literacy in the State; and requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill certain appropriations to the University of Maryland, College Park Campus, Morgan State University, and the Institute.

Altering certain provisions of law relating to an opioid overdose reversal drug to allow for the possession, storage, or administration of an expired opioid overdose reversal drug within 1 year after the expiration date.

Requiring the State Department of Education to identify, inform, and assist Child Care Scholarship Program applicants who qualify for enrollment in publicly funded prekindergarten, Head Start, and Early Head Start subject to certain conditions; requiring the process for identifying and assisting eligible applicants whose children qualify for a program to continue as long as the waitlist is in effect; and limiting certain copays for certain individuals under the Program.

Requiring the State Department of Education to study and make recommendations on establishing an independent regulatory framework for after school and out of school time child care programs; and requiring the Department to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to certain committees of the General Assembly by December 1, 2026.

Establishing that certain certificated and noncertificated public school employees, library system employees, and employer organizations have the right to engage in a strike; repealing the authority of the Public Employee Relations Board to deny or revoke an employee organization's certification as exclusive representative of public employees in State and local government under certain circumstances; etc.

Requiring the State Department of Education to issue a warning to child care providers for certain violations of a rule or regulation adopted by the Department within a certain period of time; requiring the Department to establish a unit with the dedicated purpose of processing and managing information about criminal history records checks for applicants to child care providers; requiring the unit to notify an individual who has submitted an application about the status and result of the application within a certain time; etc.

Altering the calculation of certain funding for certain regional resource centers and each county public library system for certain fiscal years; altering the types of services of which each public library is required to offer at least one service to include programs to increase early childhood literacy and learning, school readiness, literacy proficiency, and student success, an education program to advance information literacy, and an initiative that increases digital equity and access to the Internet; etc.

Establishing the Maryland Positive Youth Development Commission in the State Department of Education to make grant awards to certain eligible organizations that provide positive youth development programming to certain youth; establishing the Maryland Positive Youth Development Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund; and requiring interest earnings of the Fund to be credited to the Fund.

Prohibiting a school from discriminating against an applicant for employment or an employee because of the applicant's or the employee's legal use of cannabis outside the workplace, outside of work hours, and without the use of the school's equipment or property; establishing that the Act does not prohibit a school from taking certain actions against an employee under certain circumstances or authorize certain behaviors by an employee; and providing the Act does not apply to certain safety-sensitive employees.