Education - Curriculum Standards - Requirements (Educate to Stop the Hate Act)
SB 916, the Educate to Stop the Hate Act, would require Maryland’s Department of Education and State Board of Education to develop, review, and adopt new content standards, curriculum standards, and curriculum resources for core subjects, with an emphasis on evidence-based instruction, the science of instruction, and the needs of marginalized student groups. It also requires county boards of education to align their curriculum guides and courses of study with those state-developed standards, and it authorizes the State Superintendent to withhold state funds from county boards that do not comply.
The bill further directs the State Board, by January 1, 2026, to revise social studies and history standards to include comprehensive anti-hate education, the history and contributions of historically disadvantaged groups, genocide and crimes against humanity, the transatlantic slave trade, and expanded Holocaust instruction across elementary, middle, and high school grades. It also encourages certain nonpublic schools to include at least one unit on these topics and expresses legislative intent that, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, county boards and approved nonpublic schools align their curriculum resources with the new standards.
The bill would amend Maryland Education Article §§ 4-111 and 7-202.1 to expand the State Department of Education’s role in creating statewide curriculum standards and resources, and to tie local curriculum development more closely to those state materials. It adds a potential funding consequence for county boards that fail to align their curricula, while preserving local authority except in cases where low performance is attributed to curricular problems. It also creates new state-level requirements for social studies and history instruction, including Holocaust education and instruction on historically disadvantaged groups and atrocities.
The bill’s stated purpose and preamble reflect strong support for anti-hate education, historical literacy, and instruction aimed at combating prejudice, racism, antisemitism, and discrimination. The available record contains no committee testimony or recorded votes, so there is no documented opposition or amendment debate in the provided materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be framed as a policy response to rising hate and intolerance and is presented in strongly affirmative terms.
The main potential points of contention are the bill’s reach into curriculum policy, the degree of state control over local school systems, and the possibility of withholding state funds from county boards that do not align with state-developed standards. Another likely issue is the mandate-like effect of the bill’s intent language for public schools and approved nonpublic schools, especially regarding required Holocaust and anti-hate content. Some stakeholders may also object to the breadth of topics required in history and social studies, or to the bill’s framing of curriculum through a particular policy lens, while supporters would likely emphasize the educational and civic value of the standards.