UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
Meal Benefit Application Reminder
This is an important reminder about the free and reduced meal benefit program. Currently, the USDA extended waiver provides free meals to all students, regardless of eligibility. However, when the waiver runs out, HCPS will need to ensure free meals can be provided to students who qualify. All meal benefit applications from the previous school year will be expiring, and a new application must be completed. Don’t delay – you can even fill out the application online by clicking here!  


UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
LSC Entry Date Update
This message was sent via our mass communications system on Thursday, September 24, 2020 to families with students scheduled to join the LSC on October 6; they will now join the LSC on October 12, 2020
This an important message for students scheduled to join our Learning Support Center on October 6. As you may be aware, at the Board meeting on September 21, Dr. Bulson released a Plan to Return to In-Person Learning in HCPS. Part of this plan includes bringing teachers back to our classrooms on October 12. The addition of teachers into our classrooms is exciting! We have faced staffing difficulties in the Learning Support Centers and know that moving your child’s start date to October 12 will allow us to best support them as they return to the school building, with their own teacher, in their own classroom. Again, students previously scheduled to join the Learning Support Center on October 6, will begin on Monday, October 12, 2020.


UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
Return to In-Person Learning Plan: How to Continue Virtual Learning
This information is being sent via our mass communication system to all parents/guardians with an email address on record at 4:30 p.m. 

Harford County Public Schools announced a hybrid model to return to in-person learning at the Board meeting on Monday, September 21, 2020. This plan will begin introducing additional elementary students into schools on October 19 and students in middle/high school into schools on November 16, 2020. If you have reviewed this plan and would prefer to have your child continue virtual learning from home, please note the following:

For students in elementary school:

1. Your elementary school will reach out to you between September 29 and October 2, 2020 to determine your preference.
2. You will be asked to provide your decision to your school between September 29 and October 2.
3. We believe this plan will remain fluid; parents and guardians may need or want to make adjustments and we will accommodate parent/guardian requests to the extent possible based on current staffing and resources.
4. If and when the Governor changes the stage of the state of Maryland, please note that the Board of Education and Superintendent will continue to determine potential changes to the instruction plan for HCPS based on identified metrics and operational procedures.

1. Your middle or high school will reach out to you around October 19, 2020 to determine your preference.
2. While schools are collecting requests to remain in virtual learning at home from parents/guardians, we understand that there is still time before middle and high school students will begin returning to schools. To properly prepare, your school will request your response to their pending outreach by October 23, 2020.
3. We believe this plan will remain fluid; parents and guardians may need or want to make adjustments and we will accommodate parent/guardian requests to the extent possible based on current staffing and resources.
4. If and when the Governor changes the stage of the state of Maryland, please note that the Board of Education and Superintendent will continue to determine potential changes to the instruction plan for HCPS based on identified metrics and operational procedures.

Additional information about the plan to return to in-person learning is linked below in the September 22, 2020 Update.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
Return to In-Person Learning Plan Released at BOE Meeting
At the Board of Education of Harford County business meeting last night, Monday, September 21, 2020, Superintendent Bulson presented a plan to return students and staff to our schools. The Superintendent’s presentation will be available to watch in its entirety on the Board stream/archive page later today. At this time, we encourage you to watch an introductory video here.

Return to In-Person Learning Plan Timeline:
*Please note that all key dates are contingent on metrics staying within the target range for Moderate Transmission (defined in the attached presentation).  Dates will be revised if data moves beyond the target range.

October 12         Staff return to work sites
October 19         Limited small-group activities begin
                                STRIVE programs
                                Life Skills programs
                                John Archer School
                                Some CTE hands-on groups
                                Some English Language Learners
                                *1-day/week hybrid begins in Grades K-2 (includes Classroom Support Program, or CSP, students up to 5 days/week in those grades)

November 4           1-day/week hybrid begins in Grades 3-5 (includes CSP students up to 5 days/week in those grades)
                              1-day/week hybrid begins in Pre-K

November 16     1-day/week hybrid begins in secondary schools (Grades 6-12)
                            CSP program begins in middle school up to 4 days/week
                            2-day/week hybrid begins in Grades K-2
 
December 7       2-day/week hybrid possible in all grades

If you have questions about operations, like transportation, meals, cleaning protocols, playground use, etc. in the buildings when students return, please review the Continuity of Learning Plan. The plan will continue to be updated as needed.

In addition, at the Board meeting last night, discussions included that parents/guardians may notify their teacher/school if they would like their child to continue virtual learning at home. As more details around any timeline or parameters to notify the school that you would like your child to remain at home for virtual learning are made available, we will share them here and through our regular communication channels.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
Superintendent Bulson to present return to in-person learning plan to Board of Education of Harford County tonight
This evening, at the Board of Education business meeting, Dr. Bulson, Superintendent of Harford County Public Schools, will provide additional information to the Board of Education and the community about the return to in-person learning in Harford County Public Schools. You can watch tonight’s presentation Live by visiting the Board of Education live stream page. You can also access Dr. Bulson’s introduction to the return to in-person learning plan from the September 14, 2020 Board of Education meeting, on the Board of Education Streaming Media Archive page.

The Board of Education business meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. the agenda is available here.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
Attendance Calls Reinstated September 21, 2020

As we look towards the third week of virtual learning, we want to remind parents and guardians that attendance, or “absence” phone calls will be reinstated on Monday, September 21, 2020. These calls will continue in the traditional format, letting you know your child is absent from their school, whether their learning is taking place virtually from home or in a Learning Support Center. The calls are scheduled to be sent at 12:15 p.m. If you have a question about your child’s attendance, please contact your school office.

As a reminder, there’s an attendance policy on hcps.org/hcpstogether along with directions on how students in grades 4-12 are expected to check in through the attendance tile on the start page- the landing page where students begin when they login. Please encourage your student to continue checking in through the attendance tile, Monday through Friday.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICE FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BUSINESS MEETING FOR SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

On September 21, 2020, at 6:30PM, the Board of Education of Harford County Business Meeting will be hosted virtually.   The Audio Live Stream will be available on HCPS.ORG/BOE/LIVESTREAM.

Public Comment:
Community members who wish to submit public comment must do so by submitting comments in writing
using the following link:  Contact Board of Education . 
Deadline to submit comments is 12:00 Noon on Monday, September 21, 2020.
The following information must be included in the contact form when submitting comments:

1. Emails must be marked  “Comment for September 21, 2020 Board Business Meeting”
2. First and last name             
3. Email and phone number
4. Address

• Only comments that are submitted through the  Contact Board of Education  link will be read into the record at the Board Business meeting.   All other comments received will be emailed to the Board of Education Members and the Superintendent.
• Comments received by 12 Noon on September 21, 2020, will be read into the record at the Board Business meeting.
• Comments received after the 12 Noon deadline will not be read into the record at the Board Business meeting but will be forwarded to the Board Members and the Superintendent.
• The Board expects that all comments will be submitted with the decorum and respect appropriate to the conduct of public  business.
• Topics such as personnel matters, pending appeals, specific student disciplinary matters or which constitute commercial solicitations will not be read into the record.
• Disparaging comments, personal attacks, and inflammatory remarks about specific schools or personnel will not be read into the record.
• The Presiding Officer will not read a comment that does not conform to the rules of the Board regarding public comment.
• Comments must be of such length that they can be read in 3 minutes or less.
• Comments are limited to 1 per person. If more than 1 comment is received from an individual, only the 1st comment received will be read into the record. Additional comments received from the same individual will not be read into the record but will be emailed to the Board members and Superintendent.
• Anonymous comments received will not be read into the record but will be emailed to the Board members and Superintendent.
• All public comments submitted will be part of the records maintained by the Board office.
• Please be reminded that written comments submitted are considered public information and, as such, is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
HCPS Learning Support Centers
Click here to watch a brief video that takes you into two of the multiple Learning Support Centers that opened September 8, 2020 throughout Harford County Public Schools. This is the first step to reaching our ultimate goal of having all students return to the classroom.
https://youtu.be/SOkUgSryAl8 

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 9, 2020
The following message will be sent to all email addresses in our mass communications system at 5:00 p.m. 

As students and staff finish Day 2 of Virtual Learning in Harford County Public Schools, we would like to announce that we have added an applications “Status” on the students landing page (where your student accesses the tiles/apps).  Students will see if itsLearning and Office 365/Microsoft Teams are functioning as expected (green), if there are any issues with the service (yellow), or if there is a system-wide outage (red). Our goal is to provide students and families with this information as soon as we are aware of any technical issues in itslearning or Office 365/Microsoft Teams.

We are working on establishing a way to share this same information on www.hcps.org so parents/guardians have access to the information, too.


UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICE FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BUSINESS MEETING
FOR SEPTEMBER 14, 2020  6:30PM

On September 14, 2020, at 6:30PM, the Board of Education of Harford County Business Meeting will be hosted virtually.   The Audio Live Stream will be available on HCPS.ORG/BOE/LIVESTREAM.

Public Comment:
Community members who wish to submit public comment must do so by submitting comments in writing
using the following link:  Contact Board of Education . 
Deadline to submit comments is 12:00 Noon on Monday, September 14, 2020.
The following information must be included in the contact form when submitting comments:

1. Emails must be marked  “Comment for September 14, 2020 Board Business Meeting”
2. First and last name             
3. Email and phone number
4. Address

• Only comments that are submitted through the  Contact Board of Education  link will be read into the record at the Board Business meeting.   All other comments received will be emailed to the Board of Education Members and the Superintendent.
• Comments received by 12 Noon on September 14, 2020, will be read into the record at the Board Business meeting.
• Comments received after the 12 Noon deadline will not be read into the record at the Board Business meeting but will be forwarded to the Board Members and the Superintendent.
• The Board expects that all comments will be submitted with the decorum and respect appropriate to the conduct of public  business.
• Topics such as personnel matters, pending appeals, specific student disciplinary matters or which constitute commercial solicitations will not be read into the record.
• Disparaging comments, personal attacks, and inflammatory remarks about specific schools or personnel will not be read into the record.
• The Presiding Officer will not read a comment that does not conform to the rules of the Board regarding public comment.
• Comments must be of such length that they can be read in 3 minutes or less.
• All public comments submitted will be part of the records maintained by the Board office.
• Please be reminded that written comments submitted are considered public information and, as such, is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
USDA EXTENDS WAIVER FOR FREE MEALS FOR ALL STUDENTS

The following message will be sent to the HCPS community via our mass communication system tonight, at 4:30 p.m.

On Monday, August 31, 2020 the USDA provided an extended waiver so that all students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch.  When the USDA waiver timeline is finalized, we will notify you when the end date is confirmed.

Meal sites will operate:

• Tuesday, September 8 and Wednesday, September 9, 2020. 
• Beginning the week of September 14, 2020 Meal Sites will operate on Monday and Wednesday each week.   Meal sites will follow the HCPS calendar for operational days. See HCPS.org for dates. Any schedule adjustments will be communicated via hcps.org and HCPS social media channels.
• From 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.
• Free of charge – All children, ages 2-18, are eligible for meals ages.  Children do not need to be present.  Names of children are to be provided for meal pick up.
• Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
• Sites – All elementary school Learning Support Centers will be available for meal pick up (subject to change; please check the website to verify):

• All sites will operate as a drive-up location; no entry will be granted into the buildings.

Additional information can be found on our website, www.hcpsmenus.com.  For additional questions, contact HCPS Food and Nutrition at 410-638-4078.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2020
Parent Academy Real Talk: Asynchronous Learning
During this Parent Academy Real Talk on Asynchronous Learning, Mr. Rob Deleva, principal of the Alternative Education Program at the Center for Educational Opportunity, and Mrs. Becky Pensero, coordinator of eLearning, provide parents an overview of how some HCPS students will participate in blended asynchronous learning during the fall semester.


Click here to watch a brief video message from Dr. Bulson, Superintendent of Schools, as he addresses the impact of device shortages on Harford County Public Schools.

Text of the video message:
As we look to start the 2020-2021 school year, I want to thank you for your engagement, support, and continuing advocacy for our all of our students.

As a community, we have faced many challenges through COVID-19, but through it all, we have planned for the eventual return of students. One of the greatest challenges is the continuously changing environment- both locally and nationally. In May, ahead of many other districts across the country, we ordered enough devices to ensure each student would have one to start the school year. Through the spring and summer, we were reassured by our vendor we’d have enough for all students to start the school year. But, we’ve seen during this pandemic that supply lines on everything have had unexpected delays. It wasn’t long ago that a shortage of paper towels and other essentials were affecting all of our lives!

At our August 10 Board meeting, I announced we would not receive all of the ordered devices in time; we would be 15,000 short. To the understandable frustration of many, we’ve now made 3 central appeals to our community, not to mention those made by individual schools, to fill out surveys in an effort to help us secure enough devices for every student. While we have sent these appeals asking the community to opt-out of accepting school system devices, it hasn’t yielded enough. We’ve scoured the schools to come up with devices, but they’re too old and we cannot get enough of them in working condition.

So, we are at a point now where we have to finalize virtual learning plans- you need to know how we are moving forward. You need to know how your child will receive virtual instruction beginning the first day of school, on September 8. As a result of our device shortage, we will be distributing HCPS devices to all students in Grades 4 through 12 who have not opted out. 

We will not be able to provide students in kindergarten through grade 3 with an HCPS device prior to the start of the school year. While this is not what we had planned for, I feel encouraged our schools are determined to find a solution. 

Despite the lack of devices, it is essential that every teacher will still be delivering live, online instruction from kindergarten through grade 12 for any student who can access it. For families with children who can’t participate in the live online learning schedule for any reason, we have developed asynchronous instruction options, too. We will provide additional information in the form of a Parent Academy video on Monday on the HCPS Together webpage. For those families who requested asynchronous learning in their intentions form, we’ll be reaching out directly with more information and instructions early next week.

Elementary schools are still distributing textbooks and other materials of instruction from September 1 through September 4 for students at all grade levels. If your student does not have access to a device to start the school year, please communicate that information when you go to the school to pick up your other instructional materials.
Our Chromebook supplier has indicated the delayed devices will arrive by mid-October; we’re cautiously optimistic. Between now and then, we will give any functioning device we can get our hands on, to the schools to provide to the students who need them most.

We know the pandemic is still impacting our lives in many different ways, but we will get through this, HCPS Together.

UPDATE: August 27, 2020
At a press conference on August 27, 2020 at 4:00 p.m., the Governor of Maryland, the Honorable Larry Hogan, and the State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Karen Salmon, shared their desire for all Maryland schools to open for in-person instruction this coming school year.  We have started to hear from concerned parents, guardians, and staff who want to know how this will impact our plans for the beginning of the school year.

On September 8, Learning Support Centers in our school buildings will open, welcoming more than 5% of our student population across the county.  We have safety protocols in place to closely monitor the Learning Support Centers to ensure bringing students and staff into our school buildings does not contribute to increased transmission of the Coronavirus.

We are working with the Harford County Health Department and the Board of Education to develop plans for safely and gradually returning additional groups of students to in-person instruction, if conditions permit, this Fall. We agree that there is no substitute for in-person learning. While we want to do this expeditiously, every phase of students returning requires intensive and thoughtful planning that ensures the safety of all of our student populations. Until then, we will begin the school year with virtual instruction as planned.

Sincerely,
Sean Bulson, Ed.D
Superintendent
Harford County Public Schools