School Safety, Public Hearings and More: HCPSS Newsletter

Get information from the school system on important dates, meetings and ways to stay involved in your child's education.

(Update) All After-School Events Canceled Tuesday

Due to a tornado watch, all HCPSS-sponsored activities are canceled.

Update: 2:30 p.m. All Howard County Public School System-sponsored events for Tuesday evening have been canceled due to the forecast, which includes a tornado watch, according to HCPSS. Programs sponsored by the Columbia Association and the Department of Recreation and Parks at schools in Howard County Public Schools are still scheduled as usual, according to HCPSS. -- Original article: With strong storms and possibly tornadoes on the horizon, the Howard County Public School System has cancelled outdoor athletic activities for Tuesday, Sept. 18, according to spokeswoman Anna Gable. "That’s as far as athletic activities," said Gable, who noted indoor practices were still taking place as scheduled. Other departments aside from athletics will…

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Student Access to Internet, Devices Under Debate

Should students have more access to technology at school? Tell us in the comments.

  One school board member is proposing increased access to the Internet and mobile devices for students in Howard County schools. During a discussion about technology at a recent Board of Education meeting, school board member Brian Meshkin proposed changing what is known as the school system's "Acceptable Use Policy" to one focused on "Responsible Use." According to the "Acceptable Use Policy," only high school students may use Internet independently in the Howard County Public School System. They must also have signed permission slips to do so. Students in grades kindergarten through eight may not use the Internet independently, according to the policy. Should students have more Internet access during the school day? Tell us in comments…

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Help Influence School Policy

HCPSS is looking for stakeholders to help improve certain policies.

The Howard County Public School System wants help making crucial decisions about school policies about social media, residency requirements and more. Howard County residents can have input by serving on policy development/revision committees. These volunteer groups consider and make recommendations to the superintendent when policies need to be changed. According to a statement by the Howard County School Department, committee service requires about four to five meetings during each review process. The topics to be discussed sill include: technology; security; social media; prevention and control of communicable diseases; sustainability; acceptable use of technology; enrollment, residency, student assignment and admission to Pre-K and …

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New Superintendent to Create Accountability Office for School System

Renee Foose says she's establishing environment of transparency, efficiency in Howard County.

Transparency is one of the first orders of business at her new job, according to the new superintendent of the Howard County Public School System. To gain what she called a “higher level of accountability” and a “higher level of service to schools,” according to the Howard County Times, Renee Foose, 45, is creating the office of accountability within the school system. Through Aug. 2, the school system is seeking applicants for its new position of Chief Accountability Officer. The officer will produce an annual accountability report and oversee applied research, program evaluation, student assessment, internal auditing operations and technology operations and support, according to the job description. The salary range is $105,536 to $192,…

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Howard County MSA Scores Similar to 2011

The county says a "technical error" caused two schools to fail in meeting goals for special education students, and the state will recalculate.

The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) saw slight increases in its scores in the 2012 Maryland State Assessment (MSA), but not without a hitch. The Maryland State Department of Education this week released scores for local school districts.  Two Howard County schools–Clarksville Middle School in Clarksville and Mount View Middle School in Marriottsville–failed to meet requirements in their special education groups, according to a HCPSS press release. According to county school officials, there was an error in calculating the proficiency scores, which will be recalculated by the state. "The inaccurate results are due to a highly unusual technical error, at no fault of the students, teachers, or administrators," said a July 10 …

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Patti Caplan Leaving HCPSS

The director of public relations said she doesn't have the stamina for the demanding job.

Patti Caplan is stepping down as director of Public Relations at the Howard County Public School System.  For 25 years, Caplan has answered requests from reporters for everything from public records to pictures to asking for comment on controversial incidents at HCPSS schools. In an email to the media, Caplan said she made the decision to retire at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. “I love this job,” she wrote, “But in the last several years, I’ve realized that I just don’t have the stamina anymore for the long hours and unrelenting stress.”  Caplan has had to deal with some intense situations, including communicating with the media after a video of a fight at Long Reach High School went viral. She also helped keep the media up-to-date…

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See the New Superintendent's Entry Plan: HCPSS Newsletter

The new superintendent will present her "entry plan" Monday. Read about that and dig into the school's budget in the HCPSS Newsletter.

HCPSS Assistant Principal Pleads Guilty to Stealing Credit Cards

Patricia Kelly Murray is on administrative leave after, prosecutors say, she stole and used credit cards from colleagues.

A Howard County Public High School assistant principal has pleaded guilty to charges that she stole colleagues’ credit cards to go on shopping sprees.  Patricia Kelly Murray, 40, of Severna Park, admitted in March to stealing the cards from colleagues and using one of them to buy Christmas gifts for her family. She is currently on adminstrative leave, according to  T. Wayne Kirwan, director of Community Justice and Public information at the Howard County State’s Attorney’s office. According to Kirwan, during Monday’s plea hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Devora Pontell said the victims of Murray’s actions were a vice principal at Long Reach High School and a principal at Laurel Woods Elementary School. In the first instance, according …

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Redistricting, Turf Fields and More: HCPSS Newsletter

Find out about potential school redistricting and how you can have a say.