The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland bans school resource officers from sexual activity with assigned students
Last action · May 12, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 453Sponsor: Bill Folden
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Does
Maryland prohibits s from engaging in sexual acts, sexual contact, or vaginal intercourse with any student enrolled at a school where they are assigned, effective July 1, 2026. Violators face charges carrying up to 3 years in prison, a fine up to $3,000, or both. The prohibition applies regardless of whether the officer is on duty at the time of the offense.
The law expands criminal liability specifically for school-assigned law enforcement personnel, adding students at their assigned schools to the list of protected persons alongside individuals in custody or active investigation subjects.
- School resource officers are sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in school environments. context
- Maryland law previously prohibited law enforcement officers from engaging in sexual activity with suspects, witnesses, victims in open investigations, and persons in their custody. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
School resource officers
Law enforcement officers assigned to schools face new criminal prohibitions and misdemeanor penalties for engaging in sexual activity with students at their assigned schools.
Students enrolled in schools with resource officers
Students at schools with assigned resource officers receive explicit statutory protection against sexual contact by those officers.
Key Facts
- A law enforcement officer is prohibited from engaging in sexual contact, vaginal intercourse, or a sexual act with a student enrolled in a school where the officer is assigned as a school resource officer.
- Violators of this prohibition are guilty of a misdemeanor.
- Conviction for violating this section is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 3 years, a fine not exceeding $3,000, or both.
- Sentences imposed for this violation may be separate from and consecutive to or concurrent with sentences for other specified sex offenses.
Show all 5 facts
- The act takes effect on July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does this new law apply to?
What are the penalties for violating this law?
When does the law take effect?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
13 actions- May 12, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 453
- Apr 6, 2026SenateFloorReturned Passed
- Apr 3, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (117-0)
- Apr 2, 2026HouseFloorFavorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
- Apr 2, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable Report by Judiciary
- Feb 27, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Judiciary
Show 7 earlier actions
- Feb 26, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (44-0)
- Feb 24, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed
- Feb 24, 2026SenateFloorFavorable Adopted
- Feb 23, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable Report by Judicial Proceedings
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Judicial Proceedings
- Jan 13, 2026SenateHearing 1/27 at 1:00 p.m.
- Oct 28, 2025SenateIntroducedPre-filed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools