MD HB1060

State Department of Education must develop a tracking system for petitions for emergency evaluation (psychiatric holds under § 10–622 of the Health – General Article) made in public schools, nonpublic schools, Maryland School for the Blind, Maryland School for the Deaf, and SEED School of Maryland

Schools must collect detailed data on each petition including student demographics (name, age, gender, race, ethnicity), disability/IEP/504 status, the employee initiating the petition, reason for the petition, whether handcuffs were used, and outcomes (evaluation, hospitalization, release)

County boards must submit compilation reports to the Department by January 1, 2027, and each July 1 and January 1 thereafter; the Department must submit annual reports to the General Assembly by October 1 starting in 2027 with data disaggregated by school and student characteristics

A workgroup including school officials, mental health providers, law enforcement, and advocacy representatives must study the use of emergency evaluation petitions in schools and report findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2027

Effective July 1, 2026; the workgroup provision (Section 2) sunsets on December 31, 2027