Section 9-607 - Contract with public or private entities(a)(1) On or before January 1, 2024, the Department shall contract with a public or private entity to conduct an empirical evaluation of the Board's, the Superintendent's, and the Department's policies and practices regarding the educational services provided to juveniles in residential facilities.(2) In conducting the study required under this subsection, the entity with which the Department contracts shall review the effectiveness of the Board's, the Superintendent's, and the Department's current policies and practices, including:(i) student educational outcomes;(ii) whether the educational plans required under § 9-604(c) of this subtitle are meeting juvenile needs;(iii) student disciplinary outcomes;(iv) how efficiently students transition between enrollment in public school and the custody of the Department, including:1. how well educational records are transferred between the Department and county boards;2. how efficiently juveniles are re-enrolled in public school after being released from the custody of the Department; and3. how well the education the juvenile receives while under the custody of the Department matches with the education received in the juvenile's public school;(v) the quality of the curriculum;(vi) how conducive the educational setting is to learning; and(vii) access to mental health services.(3) The entity with which the Department contracts shall, after completing its review, develop recommendations to improve the education delivered under this subtitle.(b) On or before October 1, 2026, the entity with which the Department contracts shall report its findings and recommendations to the Department, the Governor, and, in accordance with § 2-1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly.Added by 2021 Md. Laws, Ch. 147,Sec. 2, eff. 7/1/2021.