[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6743463,"mediaKeyId","5586922-8c79e2aae585a43495121dffda97cafc","parentId",5586922,"title","MSDE previews draft revisions to Maryland health and physical education standards","audioSeconds",715,"startMs",103000,"endMs",818000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5586922-8c79e2aae585a43495121dffda97cafc&start=103&end=818","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5586922-8c79e2aae585a43495121dffda97cafc/thumbnail_103000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6743463/Maryland/MSDE-previews-draft-revisions-to-Maryland-health-and-physical-education-standards","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6743463-e552d4e2f43c8b44f30a9ab3b5cb687f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771089147&Signature=hgazzxrmMkQJdFZiMBcSVBu8cQcMVeEIumq6LE4tjOUkKL0P6q0-xBZcLfqECebQz4UFY~wBg-VEX5LTJMuRssUi1wGuJmSHWf8FUUc8MSAYjQmz23Ot40sc23fBXZ0JQ0V3jxgrDGmcbfwxVfadDJ7BCXAZ-r2uw0mbBqrjDyyPfKwNyko~H1woTVpmAUQ6UuLQzT2sb1G2~wXv2ZY8X-gmnAopH8pPi0O-40L9DNJTEY1a7jioaqEslbwAu38erdJCAuDqmpIZvAd~OlkqcveP2V3adq-pcO6D-Nj5Jt4lemWcBnw3C91fHQ2qSJz7lFsFRpoSid3C5-vmYTPr2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maryland Department of Education","date","2025-08-14T21:30:17.347Z","article","Maryland State Department of Education staff presented draft revisions to the state's comprehensive health and physical education standards to the State Board of Education's Education Policy Committee, saying the changes emphasize skills-based instruction, equity, and clearer assessment expectations.

\"Modern health education programs are comprehensive, skills based, and responsive to data about Maryland youth,\" Jason Semenoff, director of comprehensive health and PE for MSDE, told the committee at the meeting. He said the revisions reflect decades of change in practice and a move away from \"scaring students\" toward providing safe spaces where students learn health skills to make informed lifelong decisions.

MSDE described two parallel standards-and-framework validation committees (one for health and one for physical education) that included parents, teachers, Maryland Department of Health staff, university partners and national award-winning educators. The committees reviewed national guidance and Maryland laws that MSDE said are \"interwoven\" into the draft frameworks, including requirements ranging from hands-only CPR and diabetes education to oral-health and sexual-violence-prevention instruction. Semenoff also cited the Gwen Britt Physical Fitness Act and Maryland's fitness-and-athletic-equity law as regulatory context informing the recommendations.

For health education, MSDE proposes clarifying what it calls \"direct teaching\" for sensitive topics (noting puberty units typically begin in fourth grade) and adding language to ensure curricula are age-appropriate, scientifically based, medically accurate and data driven. For physical education, the draft would reduce the number of standards used in Maryland from the historical six (and the current five) to four national-aligned standards that integrate fitness and movement across cognitive, affective, social and psychomotor domains. Semenoff said the change is intended to make physical education more \"meaningful for all students\" and to align assessments to what students should know and do.

Semenoff told committee members that the frameworks are intended primarily for LEA curriculum writers (to guide local curriculum development) and not as direct classroom materials. He said MSDE will provide technical assistance, supplemental guidance documents, sample lesson plans and sample assessments aligned to high-quality instructional materials.

During questions, Dr. Irma Johnson asked how adaptive physical education would be addressed. \"Adaptive physical education is a direct service for our LEAs,\" Semenoff replied, and he said MSDE did not propose changes to adaptive-PE regulation; LEAs would continue to use current assessments and IEP/504 processes to determine modifications and accommodations. Semenoff also outlined next steps: MSDE will return to the committee, seek permission to publish the draft for public comment, revise the materials based on feedback, and later request permission to adopt the final regulations and frameworks.

MSDE officials said they would provide further detail and return to the Education Policy Committee next month to collect additional questions and seek permission to move the drafts into the public-comment phase.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Education Policy Committee Meeting | Thursday, August 14, 2025 | 4:00pm - 5:30pm EST","oneSentenceSummary","Maryland State Department of Education staff presented draft revisions to the state's comprehensive health and physical education standards to the State Board of Education's Education Policy Committee, saying the changes emphasize skills-based instruction, equity, and clearer assessment expectations.","taxTitle","Maryland Department of Education, School Boards, Maryland","taxId",79256,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6743453,"Policy committee recommends adoption of three multilingual regulations after positive public comment",201,1898000,2099000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5586922-8c79e2aae585a43495121dffda97cafc&start=1898&end=2099","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5586922-8c79e2aae585a43495121dffda97cafc/thumbnail_1898000.jpg","/articles/6743453/Maryland/Policy-committee-recommends-adoption-of-three-multilingual-regulations-after-positive-public-comment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6743453-40aa32d6d459277d1834ac84445ace76/orig.mp4?Expires=1771089147&Signature=EA4N3zyj8lnxmC7RP9lYMilKjh74RHRiGckKNBtD97KZf1p~CnwfHa8uC8EmEy3qiYHiPQkokXzPuVubga2TvKP52XSQoeNnaCmiEEoCDD-HawB37kXCQ0zN1m9l~FhHJ2ukA5hNNAmdLAhzRXlWSMQITHHXN0qxT9MYTO6cXHfNAMufStbrH6rPZDuzaEMS0n2dhLxy0UjzVLDy7wkgi5fcmxi0rIUXmaWT0VomJ~M~~Owo43cSSxKtmkgF9~HOvm3t7ZFeQ-0N~-J99isr6sKNtyLDLClfxwdp6jCI~0IfcfRCllbj8oM3bZq3QW70-MJii6MIUif6QtbKMbgWIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Education Policy Committee unanimously recommended the Maryland State Board of Education adopt three COMAR regulations dealing with multilingual learners and language access after MSDE staff reported positive public comments and clarified regulatory language.

\"Our language suite of COMAR regulations received all positive comments during the public comment period,\" Theresa Timmons Pererog, director of multilingual education and world languages at MSDE, told the committee. She said stakeholders supported recognition of multilingual achievement through the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy, welcomed clearer regulatory language for programs for multilingual learners, and valued transparency in language-access timelines.

MSDE noted that the multilingual-learner definition used in 13A.03.07 aligns with federal terminology and that public feedback reinforced clarity and implementation guidance. The regulations cited were COMAR 13A.03.07 (Maryland Seal of Biliteracy), COMAR 13A.01.10 (language access), and COMAR 13A.05.07 (programs for multilingual learners). MSDE recommended the committee take the three regulations as a group for adoption, and the committee moved, seconded and voted to recommend adoption to the full board; the chair declared the vote unanimous.

Committee members noted that the positive public-comment record reflected strong stakeholder engagement and that prework and coordination across MSDE divisions helped produce clearer drafts. MSDE staff said the regulations are ready to proceed to the full board for adoption.","The Education Policy Committee recommended that the full State Board adopt three COMAR regulations—Maryland Seal of Biliteracy (13A.03.07), language access (13A.01.10) and programs for multilingual learners (13A.05.07)—after MSDE reported uniformly positive public comments and clarified regulatory language and federal alignment.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6743458,"State board committee backs resolution urging comprehensive LEA cell phone policies; will ask full board to adopt",949,969000,1918000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5586922-8c79e2aae585a43495121dffda97cafc&start=969&end=1918","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5586922-8c79e2aae585a43495121dffda97cafc/thumbnail_969000.jpg","/articles/6743458/Maryland/State-board-committee-backs-resolution-urging-comprehensive-LEA-cell-phone-policies-will-ask-full-board-to-adopt","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6743458-73758f5fbe562dd75b347095c011d8e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771089147&Signature=RIjK0KAr8pSLUmQTK6QIMA145X3XlWbpMyqJwF7zob9CEooN8dgdKvxydtj1OAWxaBWXqWk1rC30LeMY9pgw-wBkX9KKpcZevmc8Xzxvf9Nbpx1Dp2swLLPhFpJIL6oL864nTfnjBwOmo6wcQkIuyOkE9Kjd4IMQcyrZHxOiKbl92h6yLOOQ7R47aTgdpJ5nHVizryD8ef-~HH8yIv-D0iGs0Edxr2hqw4CKXd94XTAZo3qxtkXwJ41qFU4iNIz7geHGi-X4aE81z4zQv0gbacylPViFpkmJ72yCUtl8eXzOGWnPySqNuGL1kieGXg6M~3FFWdy4gaPFqRehX-J9-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Maryland State Board of Education's Education Policy Committee voted unanimously to recommend a draft state board resolution that urges local school systems to adopt comprehensive cell phone policies that set clear expectations for students and families, provide for legal exemptions and accommodations, consider emergency preparedness, and incorporate stakeholder feedback.

\"A resolution... cannot pose a requirement for our LEAs,\" Laurel Kressley, MSDE's blueprint implementation and strategic initiatives coordinator, told the committee while previewing the draft. Kressley said the resolution is intended to signal the state board's approach and summarize MSDE's view on best-practice components of LEA policies while preserving local flexibility.

Kressley summarized the task force process that informed the draft: the task force met four times between January and March, included representatives from 11 counties (parents, students, teachers, principals and superintendents) and reviewed promising local practices, other states' policies and national research. MSDE emphasized that the task force framed its recommendations as considerations rather than prescriptive requirements for LEAs.

MSDE also collected informal data from LEAs and participated in a national research effort. Kressley said MSDE's quick survey showed that 23 of 24 LEAs responding have adopted a policy with their boards, and that nine of 23 respondents indicated they were pioneering a new policy for 2025-26 or had made significant revisions. Maryland also joined Phones in Focus, a national study of school-level phone policies led by Dr. Angela Duckworth; Kressley said Maryland ranked second among states in participation, with roughly 53% of Maryland schools represented and nearly 8,000 educators and school leaders responding.

Committee members praised the task force work and the emphasis on flexibility. \"It's such an expansive thing with so many considerations,\" said Samir Paul, a committee member, praising the effort to surface diverse views. Omari Barnes, the student member, asked for more detail about LEA responses; MSDE said it will present fuller survey results at the full board meeting at the end of the month.

The committee chair moved to recommend the resolution and members voted in favor; the chair declared the vote unanimous. The recommended resolution does not itself mandate LEA action. MSDE staff said the draft will be presented to the full State Board for possible adoption at the board's Aug. 26 meeting; Dr. Angela Duckworth will be invited to present the Phones in Focus findings and MSDE will present a more detailed summary of its LEA survey at that meeting.","The State Board Education Policy Committee unanimously recommended a draft resolution that urges local education agencies to adopt comprehensive cell phone policies addressing clear expectations, legal exemptions, emergency preparedness and stakeholder engagement. The resolution is nonbinding; the full board will consider adoption at its Aug. 26","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

MSDE previews draft revisions to Maryland health and physical education standards

Policy committee recommends adoption of three multilingual regulations after positive public comment

State board committee backs resolution urging comprehensive LEA cell phone policies; will ask full board to adopt