Prince George's County - School Facilities and Public Safety and Behavioral Health Surcharges - Deferral of Payment PG 405-26
HB0379 would require the Prince George’s County Board of Education to provide, at no cost to students, two types of safety-related testing products in every public middle school and high school in the county beginning in the 2025–2026 school year. The bill defines a “drink spiking detection product” as a product used to test beverages for contamination with GHB or ketamine, and a “drug detection strip” as a disposable strip used to test drugs for fentanyl. The products would have to be made available in school-based health clinics, school libraries, and school bathrooms.
The bill is narrowly targeted to Prince George’s County and would add a new section to the Education Article of the Maryland Code. It would create a county-specific requirement for the local board of education to distribute these products in designated school locations, while leaving the broader statewide education framework unchanged. The bill would take effect July 1, 2025, if enacted.
HB0379 would amend the Education Article by adding Section 7-455, imposing a new local obligation on the Prince George’s County Board of Education. It would require middle and high schools in the county to provide free drink-spiking detection products and fentanyl drug detection strips to students, and to stock them in specified school facilities. The bill affects only Prince George’s County public schools and would not directly change statewide school policy outside that county.
The available context shows no committee transcript, vote record, or recorded floor debate, so there is no documented public discussion to gauge support or opposition. The bill was ultimately withdrawn by the sponsor in the House, which suggests it did not advance to a vote and may have lacked sufficient support, needed revisions, or was no longer pursued for other procedural reasons.
Because there are no transcripts or votes, no specific objections are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of contention inherent in the bill include whether schools should be responsible for distributing drug- and drink-spiking detection products, whether such products are effective or appropriate for school settings, and whether the requirement should be imposed only in Prince George’s County rather than statewide. The bill’s placement of products in bathrooms and other school spaces could also raise concerns about implementation, supervision, and student privacy.