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Bill would bar nonpublic schools from withholding student transcripts over unpaid parent debts
Summary
Delegate Smith's office asked the committee to prohibit nonpublic schools participating in state programs from withholding student transcripts as a debt‑collection method; proponents cited student harm and examples where withheld records impeded college enrollment.
Morgan Phillips, chief of staff to Delegate Smith, presented House Bill 184 to the committee, saying the bill would prohibit nonpublic schools that participate in state programs from withholding student transcripts as a means of debt collection.
"A student's transcript is not a commodity that can be sold, bartered," Phillips said, arguing that withholding academic records punishes the child rather than resolving the parent's debt and can impede scholarships and college enrollment. She provided two written examples: one testimonial from a former student who said she was forced to repeat tenth grade because her private school withheld transcripts, and a second case where a family's financial hardship led to a scholarship offer being rescinded because enrollment could not be completed without records.
Phillips said MSDE reports about 25 complaints per year about nonpublic schools refusing to issue transcripts for unpaid debts. Senators asked about contractual provisions parents sign with private schools and concerns raised by the Maryland Catholic Conference that contracts and collection options exist; Phillips said she expected schools could pursue other collection avenues but should not block transcript access needed to continue education.
The bill would not prevent schools from seeking debt collection through other legal means, Phillips said. The hearing record shows no committee vote in the transcript; the sponsor requested a favorable report.
