Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund - Uses - Cooperative Housing Corporations and Condominiums (Co-Op and Condo Energy Refund Equity Act)
House Bill 702 amends Maryland Education Article § 8-419 to require each county board of education to publish on its website a list of all special education service delivery models available in the local school system and those provided to parentally placed private school students within the school system’s jurisdiction. The bill defines “parentally placed private school student” as a child with a disability enrolled by a parent or guardian in a private elementary or secondary school or facility, including a religious school, and excludes children placed in private schools by a public agency for special education purposes.
The bill also requires county boards to clearly state that placement decisions for students in local school system special education service delivery models are made by an individualized education program (IEP) team in consultation with parents or guardians and consistent with federal least restrictive environment requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Upon request, the county board must provide a written copy of the published information. The act takes effect July 1, 2025.
The bill makes a targeted change to Maryland’s special education publication requirements by expanding what county boards must disclose online and in writing. It does not alter eligibility for special education services, but it does require school systems to publicly list service delivery models for both public school students and parentally placed private school students, increasing transparency for families and private school communities. It also reinforces existing federal IDEA principles by requiring a statement about IEP team decision-making and least restrictive environment considerations.
The available record shows no committee transcript, recorded votes, or other debate materials, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or support from the legislative discussion. Based on the bill’s narrow scope and administrative focus, the measure appears to be a low-contention transparency bill aimed at improving access to information for parents and guardians of students with disabilities. The enacted status suggests it moved forward without any documented controversy in the materials provided.
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided record. The only potentially sensitive issue is the bill’s application to parentally placed private school students, including students in religious schools, and the requirement that county boards publicly identify available service delivery models. Any disagreement would likely center on administrative burden, the scope of information to be published, or how the requirement interacts with local special education practices and federal IDEA obligations, but none of those concerns are documented in the supplied materials.