ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland public school students will soon have a new opportunity to show their achievements after Governor Wes Moore signed the Maryland Civic Excellence Program bill.
New MD law lets public school students earn a civic excellence seal
The program allows public school systems to recognize high school graduates who complete a capstone project outside of school, related to municipal, county, or state government.
The Maryland State Department of Education will develop guidelines, with the goal of giving students a range of options for how they fulfill the requirements.
Kinsley Potts, a member of the Maryland Civic Education Coalition and Miss Maryland's Teen, helped rally the public and elected officials to get the bill passed.
"It really prepares students and rewards them for civic readiness; that's the main part of it, you actually get a seal on your diploma or on your transcript showing that you completed the requirements," Potts said.
Fellow coalition member Chris Keane said the effort was years in the making.
"Started four years ago, we finally got it through. So it's getting that recognition for civics and service," Keane said.
"Pushing young people to be out there is monumentally important, and it's not about politics; it's about being in the community, and that's the important thing to separate civics from politics.
Examples of qualifying activities could include attending public meetings, learning about local government, or presenting a proposal to an elected leader or town council.
"Find something you're passionate about, find something you're good at, and be able to combine the two and help other people with that," Potts said.
She has more than 1,500 service hours across 12 Maryland counties and says it shows that when you put your all into something, you'll see results.
"The people who are representing us truly want to hear our voices. Just because we can't vote doesn't mean we don't have the power to create change," Potts said.
Potts said the seal gives students something meaningful to add to their resumes and helps prepare them for life beyond high school.
"And it's crucial that they're rewarded for it because it helps prepare them for college, but also to be a good, active citizen, which is the best part of it all. Civics has truly changed my life in that way; it's given me so much empathy, it's helped me see other people and put myself in their shoes," Potts said.
The civic excellence seal will join the existing Seal of Biliteracy that students can already earn on their diploma. Keane said the new program pairs naturally with Maryland's already-required 75 student service learning hours.
"They do their SSL hours, and they say, 'I want to get more involved.' And this just gives that opportunity to have that. There are so many students who would traditionally be missed, I think this gives them that way in," Keane said.
Keane said he hopes the program creates lasting civic engagement for students long after they graduate.
"Service is very sticky, and it usually will keep you in that world, so it's just getting them in through the door," Keane said.
The plan is to add the program no later than the 2027-2028 school year.
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