# Education (GED)

## Title 11. Maryland Higher Education Commission

### Subtitle 4. Other Powers and Duties

#### Section 11-409

(a) In this section, "public institution of higher education" does not include the University of Maryland Global Campus.

(b)

  (1) The Commission shall collect student-level data from each public institution of higher education in the State on the parental status of students enrolled in each institution.

  (2) The Commission, in consultation with the public institutions of higher education, shall develop questions that allow each student to identify:

    (i) Whether the student is a parent or a legal guardian, acting as a parent or a legal guardian, or exercising care, custody, or control over a child of any age;

    (ii) The age of the children for which the student has responsibility; and

    (iii) The type of caregiving responsibilities the student provides, including whether the student:

      (1) Is a single parent; or

      (2) Shares parental responsibilities with someone in the same household or a different household.

(c)

  (1) Each public institution of higher education shall place the questions developed under subsection (b) of this section on one or more forms that are used by the institution to collect demographic data from students.

  (2) Each public institution of higher education shall make the data collected under this section available to the Commission in accordance with the format determined by the Commission under subsection (d) of this section.

(d) The Commission shall adopt regulations to carry out this section, including:

  (1) Establishing a common format and time frame for the collection and reporting of the data required under this section; and

  (2) Requiring the collection of parental status data to be included with the collection of other demographic data.

(e) Information collected in accordance with this section is not considered to be a medical or health record for purposes of Sec. 24-701(l) of this article.

(f) On or before September 1, 2027, and each September 1 thereafter, the Commission shall submit a report to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment, and the House Appropriations Committee, in accordance with Sec. 2-1257 of the State Government Article, that summarizes the data collected by the Commission under this section.

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Md. Code Ann., Educ. (as displayed at mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 16, 2026)