Parents/Guardians:  If you have not yet completed the Parent Intentions Form, the submission deadline has been extended to August 4, 2020. Please use this link to submit your intentions as soon as possible, as your response is critical to planning accordingly for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
 



Online Registration for Students New to HCPS is LIVE! Visit https://www.hcps.org/Parents/registeringforschool.aspx for more information on Prekindergarten Applications and New Student Registration!

UPDATE: AUGUST 3, 2020
HCPS Athletics Information and Parent Intentions Form Reminder
This information will be sent to all families via our mass communication phone, email, and text, system at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 3, 2020.

As you may already be aware, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) in consultation with the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, the Maryland Department of Health, and the Public School Superintendent Association of Maryland announced today that the 2020 high school fall and winter competition season will be postponed.

MPSSAA is working with all groups to create a plan focused on alternative ways to provide engaging opportunities for students in the first semester and modified competition seasons for all sports during the second semester. We anticipate details of this plan will be available in the coming weeks prior to the start of the 2020-2021 academic year.

In alignment with this announcement, Harford County Public Schools will postpone all face to face athletic conditioning, practices and competitions for fall and winter seasons. We will continue to work to provide opportunities for our student-athletes to engage in a virtual environment.

Also, if you have not completed the Parent Intentions Form, visit hcps.org and click on the link at the top of the News Alert in the green box. Forms are available through tomorrow, Tuesday, August 4, 2020. This information is essential to planning for the 2020-2021 school year and your response is greatly appreciated.

UPDATE: AUGUST 3, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICE FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BUSINESS MEETING
FOR AUGUST 10, 2020  6:30PM

On August 10, 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, August 10, 2020.
The following information must be provided in the contact form when submitting comments:

1. Emails must be marked  “Comment for August 10, 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 August 10, 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: JULY 27, 2020

Asynchronous Learning Opportunities for Families
Harford County Public Schools is working on a plan to offer asynchronous learning (learning that occurs online without real-time interaction or instruction by an educator) opportunities for families for the 2020-2021 School Year. While some features of live, synchronous instruction from a teacher will be limited, families and students will be able to access the curriculum and critical content pacing charts in the itslearning platform on their own time, including mornings, afternoons, evenings, and/or weekends. More details will come in the upcoming weeks, including parent/guardian training on itslearning and Chromebooks and Windows-based laptops for students. If your child is attending a Learning Support Center, all students will participate in synchronous learning (real-time interaction between the teacher and students).


UPDATE: JULY 23, 2020

In response to several of the questions asked during last week’s Parent Academy Town Hall, revisions have been made to the draft Continuity of Learning Plan for the 2020-2021 school year, including daily student schedules for virtual learning; transportation information; and food services information. A link to the updated plan can be found on www.hcps.org, or by clicking here.


UPDATE: JULY 21, 2020
As shared in the latest version of the HCPS Recovery Plan, all instruction during the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year will be virtual. HCPS will be implementing a modified plan that relies exclusively on virtual learning while providing opportunities for students who need a safe, supervised place to access virtual instruction.

Chromebooks will be provided for all students in grades K-8, and Windows-based laptops will be provided for all students in grades 9-12. All teachers will receive a Windows-based laptop. HCPS is currently undertaking trials of cellular hotspots, to ensure students have Internet access in underserved areas by cable providers. In addition, we are making dramatic upgrades to our curriculum and professional development to ensure virtual instruction is more interactive and engaging than during the Spring of 2020.

To address the needs of students who require a safe place to access virtual instruction, we are offering a limited number of spaces in HCPS Learning Support Centers at each of our schools where students will be supervised by an HCPS employee and have reliable access to the Internet. Please note that the HCPS employees staffing the Learning Support Centers will not be the children's classroom teachers.

The HCPS Learning Support Centers will follow the published 2020-2021 school calendar for days open; however, the hours of operation may not follow traditional school hours. Before and after care options may be available. More information about the schedule for our Learning Support Centers and the virtual day will be shared as soon as it is available.

While attending the HCPS Learning Support Centers, students will receive virtual instruction from their teacher working from a remote location. These students will have access to bus transportation and food and nutrition services. Please note that meal distribution sites will be utilized throughout the county for those students who do not attend Learning Support Centers but still need access to meals.  A schedule of locations and times will be shared as soon as it is available.

Social distancing guidelines and face coverings will be required in Learning Support Centers in accordance with current state and local health department guidance.

HCPS is gathering more information about the 2020-2021 school year and would like to hear from you to better understand your needs and concerns as we return to school in the fall.  Please complete a short intentions form, and answer the questions as best as you can. This will take approximately 1-2 minutes in total to complete.  HCPS Leadership will use this information for planning purposes.  

To complete the form now, click here.

Please also note that you should be able to complete this form on your phone. However, completing this form on a computer, iPad, or tablet will allow for ease of completion.


UPDATE: JULY 16, 2020
Parent Academy Town Hall Q&A: HCPS Recovery Plan
The LIVE Town Hall Q&A on the HCPS Recovery Plan is TONIGHT, Thursday, July 16 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. After Dr. Bulson reviews the plan, the option to submit a question will open! Don't hear your question asked? Don't worry! Questions/answers will be shared on the Recovery webpage on hcps.org. Here's the link to join the LIVE conversation this evening!

If you have trouble connecting via your cell phone, try a desktop/laptop/other device. You should be given an option to, "watch on the web" instead of setting up a Microsoft Teams account. Still have trouble joining us? Don't worry- the event will be recorded to share at a later date!

UPDATE: JULY 16, 2020
Dr. Bulson shares the updated HCPS Recovery Plan

Dear Harford County Public Schools Community,

Last week, Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) released the Draft Recovery Plan for opening the 2020-2021 school year and presented the plan publicly at the July 13 Board of Education meeting.  Since the release of the plan, community stakeholders provided extensive feedback with the majority of messages falling into two distinct groups: (1) those who support opening schools to in-person learning, and (2) those who support a fully distance-learning environment due to safety concerns. 

There is general agreement that safe, in-person learning would be the first preference, but the current conditions make it impossible for large groups of students to be in school at one time.  Based on this feedback, we determined the hybrid model in the Draft Recovery Plan does not allow our students and staff to adequately practice social distancing, and it creates an insurmountable logistical challenge for parents in many cases.  Additionally, due to several health and safety concerns, many of our educators may not be able to be present for an in-person model which would have impacted our ability to provide adequate supervision and instruction.

Subsequently, HCPS will be implementing a modified plan that relies exclusively on virtual learning while providing opportunities for students who need a safe, supervised place during the school day.  All instruction during the first semester will be virtual.  Chromebooks will be provided for all students in grades K-8, and Windows-based laptops will be provided for all students in grades 9-12. All teachers will receive a Windows-based laptop. HCPS is currently undertaking trials of cellular hotspots throughout the county, to provide Internet access to all students.   In addition, we are making dramatic upgrades to our curriculum and professional development to ensure virtual instruction is more interactive and engaging than during the Spring of 2020. 

To address the needs of students who require a safe place to spend the school day, we are offering a limited number of spaces in HCPS Learning Support Centers at each of our schools where students will be supervised by an HCPS employee and have reliable access to the Internet.  While attending the HCPS Learning Support Centers, students will receive virtual instruction from their teacher working from a remote location.  These students will have access to bus transportation and Food and Nutrition services. 

Next week, we will send an Intentions Survey to all families asking who will be interested in having their children attend HCPS Learning Support Centers in the Fall.  Prior to finalizing this plan, HCPS will have to weigh demand for attending the HCPS Learning Support Centers against our capacity to staff them safely.  An infographic with additional details about the HCPS Virtual Learning and the HCPS Learning Support Centers are available on our website.

This evening, HCPS is hosting a Parent Academy Town Hall to provide an opportunity for parents and community members to engage in a more robust conversation about the details of this plan.  Please join us from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on-line.  You can access the event at this link.

Our ultimate goal is for every student to return to in-person learning as soon as safety allows.  We have been fortunate that Harford County has experienced the lowest infection rate among the large counties in Maryland.  Our county leadership has done an excellent job balancing safety considerations with efforts to incrementally return the community to more “normal” activities.  We believe this plan is consistent with that approach and we will continue seeking ways to incrementally provide additional in-person experiences, particularly for our students with the greatest learning needs.

Sincerely,

Sean Bulson, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

UPDATE: JULY 15, 2020
TOWN HALL Q&A POSTPONED

The Live Town Hall Q&A event scheduled for this evening to discuss the HCPS draft Recovery Plan has been POSTPONED until tomorrow, Thursday, July 16. It will remain scheduled from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Revisions have been made to the draft recovery plan. An updated recovery plan will be available by 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning for review prior to tomorrow night’s discussion.

Join us LIVE by clicking here, tomorrow night. If you have not participated in a Teams Live event before, feel free to click on the link ahead of time to ensure you're set up and ready to listen in at 5:30 p.m. If you try logging in on a phone and do not get an option to, "watch on the web instead," you may need to use a laptop/desktop/or alternate device to access the event.

*The event will be recorded and distributed at a later date for viewing if you are unable to join us live.

UPDATE: JULY 9, 2020
Current Draft: HCPS Recovery Plan Release

PUBLIC NOTICE FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BUSINESS MEETING  FOR  (JULY 13, 2020)  6:30PM

On July 13, 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.

Community members who wish to submit public comment may do so by submitting comments in writing  using the following link Contact Board of Education no later than 12:00 Noon on Monday, July 13, 2020.
The following information must be provided in the contact form when submitting comments:

1. Emails must be marked  “Comment for July 13, 2020 Board Business Meeting”
2. First and last name             
3. Email and phone number
4. Address

• Comments received by 12 Noon on July 13, 2020  will be read into the record during the public comment segment of the Business meeting.
• Comments received after the 12 Noon deadline will not be read into the record during the Business meeting but will be forwarded to 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 and specific student disciplinary matters 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.

Please contact Teresa.Schmid@hcps.org  with any questions on submitting public comments at the Board of Education Business meeting.  Thank you.

UPDATE: JUNE 24, 2020
This information will be sent to all current Kindergarten through grade 8 (entering grade 9 in the 2020-2021 school year) families on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

This summer, HCPS is introducing, Stars of Summer, a virtual, camp-like summer school experience for all kindergarten through incoming grade nine (for the 2020-21 school year) HCPS students. Stars of Summer participants will have unique opportunities to explore and engage in experiences catered to their age group from July 20 through August 14, Monday through Thursday. Teacher-led experiences for students in kindergarten through first grade will focus on literacy and numeracy-centered experiences while students in second through ninth grade will see experiences in all content areas ranging from topics like acting, cooking, science, social justice, writing, and more!

Class sizes will be capped at fifteen students so be sure to tune in July 1 for the program information release and save the dates, July 20 through August 14, Monday through Thursday to participate in Stars of Summer!

Information will be released on hcps.org as well as on HCPS social media channels on July 1. If you have an email address in our mass communication system, we will also email the program information directly to you on July 1. Once the information is released, parents and guardians can find registration information at hcps.org.

UPDATE: JUNE 18, 2020
The following information will be shared with parents/guardians of middle and high school students via Connect5, our mass communication system, on Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

As shared in April, all parents and guardians have access to an electronic report card for the fourth quarter and moving forward. The Home Access Center, or HAC, is an online portal that allows parents and guardians to log in and view information pertaining to their child’s attendance, classes, grades, and registration information.   Please note that HAC allows one account to be established per child.

If you have not established a HAC account yet, you will need to create an account. Directions to set up an account are posted on the COVID-19 webpage on hcps.org. A HAC account will need to be established in order to access your child’s report card. Grades are to be posted on HAC by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2020.  Parents who have technical difficulties establishing a HAC account should contact HomeAccessCenter@hcps.org for assistance. Parents with students in middle and high school should contact their administrator or school counselor with non-technical questions. 

UPDATE: JUNE 15, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICE FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BUSINESS MEETING
FOR JUNE 22, 2020 6:30 P.M.

On June 22, 2020 at 6:30 p.m., 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.

Community members who wish to submit public comment may do so by submitting comments in writing at Contact Board of Education no later than 12:00 p.m. on Monday, June 22, 2020.
The following information must be provided in the contact form when submitting comments:

1. Emails must be marked  “Comment for June 22, 2020 Board Business Meeting”
2. First and last name             
3. Email and phone number
4. Address

• Comments received by 12:00 p.m. on June 22, 2020 will be read into the record during the public comment segment of the Business meeting.
• Comments received after the 12:00 p.m. deadline will not be read into the record during the Business meeting but will be forwarded to 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 and specific student disciplinary matters 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.

Please contact Teresa.Schmid@hcps.org  with any questions on submitting public comments at the Board of Education Business meeting.  Thank you.