Harford County Public Schools (2024)

The following communication is being sent to all parents/guardians of rising 11^th and 12^th graders via email on Monday, June 17, 2024, at noon:
As a reminder, students who have been approved for the dual enrollment program, which includes tuition assistance for the 2024-2025 school year, must fulfill the following requirements to continue receiving the tuition benefit:

1. Students who meet the College and Career Readiness (CCR) requirements may enroll in courses at no cost; HCPS will pay tuition and textbook costs for a maximum of five (5) total courses per academic year.
2. Students who are unsuccessful in earning credit in the dual enrollment program are ineligible for tuition payment for two (2) consecutive college terms.
3. Students who earn a failing final grade in a dual enrollment course(s) are accountable for the associated tuition and fees of the respective course(s).
4. Dually enrolled students who withdraw from a course(s) beyond the penalty free withdraw period will be accountable for the associated tuition and fees of the respective course(s).

We look forward to supporting your academic journey.
*This information is being shared with families of all students in grades 10 and 11. This information applies to future summer, fall and spring enrollment.*

This information includes adjustments to locations and is up-to-date as of June 14, 2024.

For nearly 30 consecutive years, Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) has participated in the Summer Food Service Program. Starting Monday, June 17, 2024, HCPS will again offer meals for all children aged 2 to 18 at several sites throughout the county.

If you have any questions about the program, or are looking for more information or assistance, please call HCPS Food and Nutrition at 410-638-4078.

Please note that locations are selected according to USDA eligibility requirements. The 2024 Summer Food Service Program will be held at the following locations Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted:

June 17 - August 15, 2024 | Havre de Grace Public Library | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (M-TH)

June 17 - August 15, 2024 | Aberdeen Public Library | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (M-TH)

June 21 - August 8, 2024 | Havre de Grace Rec Center | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (FRI)

June 24 - August 2, 2024 | Trinise Jones @ Aberdeen Bible Church | 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 24 - August 16, 2024 | Aberdeen Boys and Girls Club | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (M-TH)

June 17 - August 16, 2024 | Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary School | 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (M-TH)

July 8 - August 16, 2024 | Village at Lakeview | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.

June 17 - August 16, 2024 | Joppa Public Library | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 24 - August 15, 2024 | Edgewood Public Library | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (M-TH)

June 24 - August 16, 2024 | Havre de Grace Boys and Girls Club | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 24 - August 16, 2024 | Edgewood Boys and Girls Club | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.

June 24 - August 16, 2024 | EPICENTER at Aberdeen and Edgewood | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.

June 17 - August 15, 2024 | Ramada Inn Edgewood | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (M-TH)

The following message will be sent from Board President Poynton via email and app push notification to all contacts at 12:30 p.m. Friday, June 14, 2024:

Please take a moment to listen to this brief update on the 2024-2025 HCPS Operating and Capital budgets. I’ve included the text below for your reference.

One of the Board’s primary responsibilities is to create and pass a budget that meets the needs of our school system and is financially responsible. I am delighted to announce that the Board of Education unanimously passed the 2024-2025 operating and capital budgets.

This year, the Board faced unique challenges such as inflationary pressures on operations and capital projects, the loss of over $10 million in federal grants, and changing demographics that require additional funding to support our English language learners and special education. Additionally, we must meet the requirements set forth in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. All of this had to occur while managing a modest increase in funding due to our economic conditions in Harford County.

Despite these challenges, the Board of Education has successfully crafted and passed a budget that meets the needs of our school system with the Board's 2025 priorities in mind. Our priorities are:

1. Academic achievement with a focus on math, reading, and language arts;
2. Improve school environment with an emphasis on attendance and safety;
3. Increasing community and parental and guardian trust through partnerships and transparency.

As a result, the total unrestricted operating budget for the upcoming school year is $653.3 million, and the total capital budget is $58.1 million.

Our operating budget was carefully crafted to streamline operations and reduce inefficiencies by $10.6 million. In doing so, we have ensured that any structural or operational reductions do not impact the number of educators or average class size. To close the gap between our funding needs and the available funding, we voted to assign $30.2 million from our fund balance and use the additional $6.5 million provided by local government to reconcile our 2024-2025 operating budget. It’s important to note that this leaves the school system with a fund balance of approximately $25 million. This balance is necessary to handle any unexpected emergencies or one-time needs in the future.

Most importantly, through negotiations with bargaining units, this budget not only retains educator positions but also provides HCPS staff with a cost-of-living increase and a step increase to reward their hard work and dedication. Moreover, we did not have to make any cuts to our beloved programs such as sports, music and art, safety and security, magnet schools, languages, or extracurricular activities. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the members of the Board of Education, the administration, and staff at HCPS, and to all of our stakeholders at local and state government for their hard work and collaboration throughout this budget cycle. With this budget in place, we are well-positioned to enter the school year with the resources needed to ensure we continue to deliver top-quality education to our beloved students, who represent our future.

I wish everyone a happy and restful summer and look forward to seeing you in September.

Please visit the HCPS Budget page on our website for details on the budget process.

The following communication is being sent to all contacts on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. via phone call, email, text message and app push alert:

For nearly 30 consecutive years, Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) has participated in the Summer Food Service Program. Starting Monday, June 17, 2024, HCPS will again offer meals for all children aged 2 to 18 at several sites throughout the county.

If you have any questions about the program, or are looking for more information or assistance, please call HCPS Food and Nutrition at 410-638-4078.

Please note that locations are selected according to USDA eligibility requirements. The 2024 Summer Food Service Program will be held at the following locations Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted:

June 17 - August 15, 2024 | Havre de Grace Public Library | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (M-TH)

June 17 - August 15, 2024 | Aberdeen Public Library | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (M-TH)

June 21 - August 8, 2024 | Havre de Grace Rec Center | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (FRI)

June 24 - August 2, 2024 | Trinise Jones @ Aberdeen Bible Church | 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 24 - August 16, 2024 | Aberdeen Boys and Girls Club | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (M-TH)

June 17 - August 16, 2024 | Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary School | 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (M-TH)

July 8 - August 16, 2024 | Village at Lakeview | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.

June 17 - August 16, 2024 | Joppa Public Library | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (M-TH)

June 24 - August 15, 2024 | Edgewood Public Library | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (M-TH)

June 24 - August 16, 2024 | Havre de Grace Boys and Girls Club | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

June 24 - August 16, 2024 | Edgewood Boys and Girls Club | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.

June 24 - August 16, 2024 | EPICENTER at Aberdeen and Edgewood | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.

June 17 - July 31, 2024 | Windsor Valley | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.

June 17 - August 15, 2024 | Ramada Inn Edgewood | 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (M-TH)

The following communication is being sent to all contacts via email, phone call, text and application push alert on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
Home Access Center, or HAC, will not be accessible from June 26, 2024, through August 23, 2024, as we prepare information systems for the new school year.

If you need to access information on HAC, such as report cards, do so before midnight on June 25, 2024. HAC will reopen at 5:00 p.m.on August 23, 2024.

The following message will be sent to families of rising 5th grade students on Monday, June 10, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. via email.

During the 2024-2025 school year, your student will have the opportunity to experience the Fifth Grade Residential Outdoor Education Program at Harford Glen Environmental Education Center.

Please save the date to visit and explore Harford Glen prior to your student’s experience. The Open Houses allow youto learn about the program and the property prior to your student participating in the program.

Open House dates:
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024, from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024, from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
- Friday, September 27, 2024, from 2:00-5:00 p.m.
- Thursday, October 17, 2024, from 2:00-5:00 p.m.
- Friday, November 1, 2024, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
- Monday, December 21, 2024, from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, January 21, 2025, from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
- Friday, March 21, 2025, from 2:00-4:00 p.m.

The following communication will be sent to ALL contacts, staff and families, on Thursday, May 2, 2024, via phone, email, text, HCPS app, and social media:

Harford County Public Schools begins accepting applications for prekindergarten beginning Friday, May 3, 2024. Copies of the application will be available at your child’s school.

Students applying for prekindergarten at Deerfield, Hall’s Cross Roads, and Magnolia Elementary schools for the 2024-2025 school year, must complete an online prekindergarten application as part of a pilot program for systemwide online prekindergarten applications in the 2025-2026 school year. These schools will only accept online applications. Parents and guardians may submit the online application here. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Judy Center at the school or the Early Childhood Office for support. A step-by-step tutorial and one page guidance has been created to support online applications and is visible here.

Prekindergarten application information is posted in “Register for School” on hcps.org.

Please contact your school or the Office of Early Childhood at 410-588-5252 for questions.

Deerfield Elementary School Judy Center: 410-612-1535
Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary School Judy Center: 410-273-5524
Magnolia Elementary School Judy Center: 410-612-1553

Due to state law, prekindergarten instruction is not permitted to be virtual. This means prekindergarten registration is not available at Swan Creek School.

Please share this information in your community as we work to ensure families who may not be connected to HCPS are aware that applications will be available May 3, 2024.

Additional registration information is available here.

The following communication will be sent to ALL contacts, staff and families, at 5:00 p.m. Friday, March 22, 2024, via phone, email, text, HCPS app, and social media:

On Monday, March 18, 2024, the Board of Education of Harford County voted to approve changes to a policy that refers to the use of portable communication devices, including cell phones and wearable electronic devices, like smart watches. You can view the entire Board Business meeting or skip to item G, to view the specific conversation around the policy, here.

The updated policy can be viewed here. You can also navigate to the policy page (with ALL Board policies) by clicking on the Board of Education drop down in the hcps.org menu.

Updates to the Portable Communication Devices Policy will take time to implement across 54 different schools and with more than 5,000 employees and close to 39,000 students. Consequently, the changes to the policy are anticipated to go into effect at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. As details, including enforcement of the policy around electronic devices, are developed, they will be shared with staff, parents and guardians, and students. Please stay tuned!

On Monday, February 26, 2024, apolicy titled, “Display of Flags,”was presented at the Board of Education of Harford County business meeting. The meeting, including the policy presentation and Board conversation, is archivedhere.

Throughout the year, the Board will seek views and comments from the public on a number of issues. The Board is currentlyseeking public input on this and other policies via their webpage.The “Display of Flags” policy is posted for 30 days of public comment, concluding on March 28, 2024.

This pageis updated frequently, and the Board of Education asks that you visit this page throughout the year to provide your input on presented policies.

At the Monday, February 26, 2024 Board of Education Business Meeting, edits to the 2024-2025 HCPS School Calendar were presented and consequently voted on by the Board of Education.

The updated 2024-2025 calendar is attached and can be viewed on thecalendar pageofhcps.org.The first and last day have not changed. What has been updated is quarter end dates, and prekindergarten start and end dates. Two early dismissal dates have also been updated; an early dismissal previously scheduled in May has been rescheduled in December and an early dismissal on December 20, 2024, has been updated to reflect an early dismissal for students and staff.

The calendar presentation and Board discussion from last night can be seen here andin theBoard of Education meeting archive.

The following communication is being sent to all contacts in our Mass Notification System via email, phone call, text message and app push alert on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.:

The Board voted to approve the 2024-2025 Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) school year calendar at the December 18, 2023, Board of Education of Harford County business meeting.

The calendar can be viewed on the calendar page of hcps.org. As approved by the Board of Education, the first day of school for students will be September 3, 2024. The last day of school, if all 6 inclement weather days are utilized, will be Monday, June 23, 2025. If no inclement weather days are needed, the last day of school for the 2024-2025 HCPS school year will be Thursday, June 12, 2025.

The calendar presentation and Board discussion from last night can be seen here, in the Board of Education meeting archive.

The following is being sent to all parents/guardians via EMAIL ONLY at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, August 21, 2023:

If your student is a Medicaid member, their Free and Reduced-Price Meals status could be affected if you don't renew your membership when you receive your notice. If your student is a Medicaid member, be sure to follow up when Maryland Health Connection reaches out.Contact them directly with questions.

Click here for the HCPS Health Center.
Click here to complete the Free and Reduced-Price Meals application.

The following message is being sent Thursday, August 10, 2023 to all contacts via email ONLY:

Please be advised that we have been made aware of unauthorized web sites and smart phone apps that accept Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) student credentials, potentially stealing your students’ credentials and or misusing them.

Parents and guardians should check their student's personal devices for apps and web site access to prevent them from unknowingly giving access to their personal information.We use security measures on HCPS devices to ensure this doesn’t happen, but we can’t protect your personal devices. Only you can ensure your student isn’t using an app or visiting a site that may be collecting information in the background!

All HCPS approved apps and platforms are listed on hcps.org; if we haven’t endorsed it, don’t use it. If you want to ask about a specific app/platform, contact User.Support@hcps.org.