Md. schools can't pass on environmental education

A loophole that would have allowed students to get around a new state environmental education law is now closed, thanks to the Maryland No Child Left Inside Coalition. (There are many places you should not leave your child, but lawmakers are mostly concerned with “behind” and “inside.” Try to avoid hot cars and carnivals, too.)

The state board of education voted in September to make in-depth environmental education a mandatory part of local districts’ PreK-12 curricula — think “Flow of Matter and Energy” and “Humans and Natural Resources,” not just “Plant the Seed in the Plastic Cup.” Students also were required to complete a “local action” project to improve the natural environment.