Maryland
Md. General Assembly passes inclusive schools bill
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has 30 days to sign HB 850
The Maryland General Assembly voted Monday to ban state-funded schools and county boards of education from discriminating against students on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity race, nationality, disability, and other identity markers.
The House of Delegates passed the Inclusive Schools Act, also known as House Bill 850, by a 96-36 margin. It is now headed to Republican Gov. Larry Hoganās desk and the governor has 30 days to either sign or veto the legislation. If he takes no action, the bill will take effect on July 1.
āAfter five years of introduction, me and [Sen. Cory McCrayās] prohibition on discrimination in schools has reached final passage,ā said state Del. Jheanelle K. Wilkins (D-Montgomery County) in a Twitter post Monday evening.
Wilkins was one of the billās sponsors.
Should state-funded schools ā pre-kindergarten, primary and secondary ā and boards of education not adhere to nondiscrimination policies, they risk losing part of all their financing. The bill also prohibits retaliatory actions against students, parents and individuals who file complaints alleging discrimination.
āThere is an important message in this legislation, as well, that taxpayer money should never fund those engaging in discrimination, bias, and hate,ā said FreeState Justice Executive Director Jeremy LaMaster in an online press release Tuesday morning.
The Maryland State Department of Education will increase general fund expenditure by $42,100 in fiscal year 2023 to accommodate provisions for the bill, according to the billās fiscal and policy note.
The passing of the Inclusive Schools Act follows years of documented discrimination in schools around the state.
The Baltimore Sun reported in 2020 that Black students in the Carroll County Public Schools District were subjected to harassment that included being called racial slurs, bullied, caricatured when classmates asked to touch their hair, and being perceived as unsafe to be around.
āWe all have to live by these certain rules and regulations in order to avoid the speculation [that] weāre doing something bad,ā student Kelechukwu Ahulamibe told the Baltimore Sun, referring to the ārules of survivalā his mother taught him to maneuver his surroundings.
Black people comprise 3.9 percent of the countyās population, according to Census data. This has translated into a lack of Black students in its school system that has left some feeling like outsiders in their community.
To remedy this, public schools in the area have created student cultural organizations where marginalized children and allies can congregate and support each other. The Carroll County Public School District also has an Equity and Inclusion Outreach program available for parents and students as a resource for educational programming and accountability.
The Maryland Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would make Maryland a sanctuary state for transgender people who are seeking gender-affirming health care and providers who offer it.
Senate Bill 119 passed by a 33-13 vote margin.
State Sens. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard Counties), Shelly Hettleman (D-Baltimore County) and Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery County) introduced SB 119. An identical bill has been put forth in the Maryland House of Delegates.
A law that requires Maryland’s Medicaid program to cover gender-affirming treatments took effect on Jan. 1.
Maryland
Protests interrupt Moms for Liberty meeting about removing books in Howard County schools
Guest speaker led book-removal campaign in Carroll County
BY KRISTEN GRIFFITHĀ | When a Howard County chapter of Moms for Liberty wanted to learn how to remove books from schools, they wereĀ met with a swarm of protesters sporting rainbow colors and signsĀ looking to send the message that such actions are not welcome in their district.
The conservative parentsā group met Monday night at Howardās Central Branch library in Columbia to brainstorm how they could get books they deemed inappropriate out of their childrenās school libraries. Their guest speaker for the evening was Jessica Garland, who led a successful book-removal campaign in Carroll County. The Howard chapter wanted the playbook.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Are Md. prisons out of bounds with federal requirements for trans prisoners?
Department of Correctional Services says transgender prisoners āhoused according to physical genitaliaā
BY BEN CONARCK | Nearly a year after formerly incarcerated transgender people testified to Maryland lawmakers about the troubling conditions they faced in state prisons and Baltimore jails, the agency in charge of their care continues to violate federal standards in how it houses trans prisoners, according to a coalition of trans rights advocates.
The Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition, bolstered by policy experts and attorneys, contends that while the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has made some strides towards improving conditions, its policy of housing trans prisoners āaccording to physical genitaliaā violates the federal standard that those individuals should be housed on a case-by-case basis determined by health and safety and any security problems, among other factors. The group laid out its argument in a 15-page memo presented to the department and lawmakers this week.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.