Huff To Withdraw Protest Buffer Bill

A bill restricting protests near schools in Baltimore County will not get a hearing or a vote later this month.

Councilman Todd Huff said Monday that he will withdraw the bill that bars protests within 300 feet of a school and prohibits protests within one hour before or after school starts and ends.

It would have also been illegal to block or prevent the use of public streets, sidewalks or other spaces while protesting. Violators would be subject to a fine of $1,000 or up to a 90-day jail sentence or possibly both.

The bill has been criticized since it was introduced two weeks ago.

Huff was not available for an interview following a Monday evening Baltimore County Council meeting but confirmed he would withdraw the bill.

"I'm pulling the bill in hopes to work with [the Teachers Association of Baltimore County] on this issue," Huff wrote in a text message to a reporter.

Abby Beytin, president of the teachers union, raised concerns Monday about the bill.

"I don't see any need for this particular bill," Beytin said.

Beytin said the biggest issue for the union was the restriction of First Amendment rights.

"We ought to be thinking long and hard before we take any rights from anyone," Beytin said.

The law would also affect teachers who wish to protest working conditions. Most commonly, those protests take the form of so-called work-to-rule protests where teachers gather outside the school and hold signs before entering the school at the beginning of their contractual school day.

The teacher's union is the latest group to oppose the bill.

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, called the bill "flagrantly unconstitutional and frankly offensive."

Huff, in an interview two weeks ago, said the bill was necessary to protect school children.

"It's another layer of protecting our kids," Huff said on March 18. "That's it, the bottom line is it's all about protecting our kids."

The introduction of the bill came about a month after three members of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform held a protest on the sidewalk outside Dulaney High School.

An unidentified group held a similar anti-abortion protest last year outside Perry Hall High School.

There are about six protests annually outside public schools in the county. County schools and police officials said the protests are generally without incident and no one was threatened or injured and no arrests were made.