Education - Sexual Abuse and Assault Awareness and Prevention Program - Human and Sex Trafficking
HB 355 expands Maryland’s existing school-based sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention program to include instruction on human and sex trafficking. The bill requires the State Board and each nonpublic school participating in the relevant state program to continue providing age-appropriate education on sexual abuse and assault, but adds a new requirement that students in grades 6 through 8 receive material promoting awareness and prevention of human and sex trafficking.
The bill also clarifies that the instruction must be taught by a trained teacher and incorporated into the health curriculum of each county board and participating nonpublic school. The State Board is directed to adopt regulations to implement the changes, and the act takes effect July 1, 2026.
HB 355 amends Section 7-439 of the Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, broadening the scope of required health education in public schools and certain nonpublic schools. It does not create a new standalone program, but modifies an existing one by adding human and sex trafficking awareness and prevention content for middle school grades, thereby affecting curriculum requirements, teacher training expectations, and State Board regulatory authority.
The available legislative record suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill. The House committee reported the bill favorably and the House adopted it, indicating support for adding trafficking prevention education to existing student safety instruction. No vote breakdowns or committee transcript excerpts are available, so there is no evidence in the provided record of organized opposition or divided debate.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, any debate would likely center on the appropriate grade level for trafficking-related instruction, how the material should be integrated into health curricula, and the implementation burden on schools and teacher training programs. However, the available record does not identify any named opponents or disputed amendments.