Maryland schools must report disability access problems affecting emergencies

Each local school system must include accessibility issues for people with disabilities in its regular safety evaluation of each public school. Evaluations cover every public school under the local school system’s jurisdiction. Systems must conduct evaluations regularly; the law sets no new schedule for them.

Each local school system must report instances when a public school facility became inaccessible for a student with a disability in a way that could impede evacuation or an emergency response. The report covers incidents at public school facilities that affect a student with a disability and could impede evacuation or an emergency response. Each August 1 report covers the immediately preceding school year.

Each local school system’s annual report to the Center must be confidential, may not be disclosed, and is not a public record open to inspection. This applies to reports submitted to the Center about the preceding school year. A report may be disclosed to a member of the General Assembly on request. The confidentiality rule applies to each annual report submitted under the reporting requirement.