Education - Primary and Secondary Schools - Alternative School Options (Right to Learn Act)

HB 1180 (Right to Learn Act) requires Maryland county school boards to notify parents of students in failing schools (defined as schools with a 1-star rating for three consecutive years) by January 1 each year, providing a list of alternative school options including nonpublic and military boarding schools. Students in failing schools must be offered the opportunity to transfer to an alternative school, with parents required to choose by April 1. The bill creates a "Right to Learn" scholarship program funding nonpublic school attendance for students eligible for free/reduced lunch or attending a failing school, with county boards reimbursing the state for scholarship costs. It also mandates county boards to provide military boarding school options to parents of students deemed violent or facing continuous disciplinary action, with the school system covering associated costs.