Patriot Program to be part of Instructional Day at all HCPS Elementary Schools
The following communication was sent to all elementary school families on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. via email and text message:
As we begin the 2025–2026 school year, we are excited to share that the HCPS Patriot Program will be part of the instructional day in all elementary schools across Harford County Public Schools.
The Patriot Program seeks to foster civic-minded students with knowledge of the rich history of the United States, an appreciation for the democratic values that are the foundation of our society, and an understanding of the ways they can responsibly participate in and contribute to their communities. Through engaging lessons and activities, students in Pre-K through Grade 5 will explore important values such as pride, responsibility, and respect.
Program Highlights:
- Official Launch: The program begins on Constitution Day, September 17, with a day of special lessons and activities.
- Ongoing Learning: Throughout the year, students will explore nine areas of study, including civics, geography, history, art, music, physical education, media literacy, economics, and service learning.
- Home to School Connection: Families will receive a Patriot Pathways newsletter at the end of each unit, offering ways to continue the conversation and learning at home.
Additional Opportunities:
- While the Patriot Program will be taught during the school day for all students, PTAs may also offer “Beyond the Bell” Patriot activities as an optional, after-school program. They may also choose to sponsor activities or competitions alongside the Patriot Program to encourage students wanting to go above-and-beyond.
- Schools will have flexibility to create their own celebrations and activities to make the Patriot Program special for their community.
We are proud to expand this program to every elementary school. Thank you for your support as we launch this exciting new opportunity for our youngest learners!
9/16/2025 5:00 PM
Notice of Public Participation BOE Business Meeting September 22, 2025
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF HARFORD COUNTY
NOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT PARTICIPATION
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2025
This week, the time allotted for public comment has been increased on the agenda to a total of 60 minutes. Please note, all meeting attendees will be asked to go through the Open Gate weapons detection system before entering the Board room. Be prepared to follow instructions from members of the HCPS Safety and Security team as you enter the Board room.
OPEN SESSION: 5:15 PM – 5:20 PM
This meeting will be conducted virtually with no public attendance due to the brief nature of this meeting
and the logistical issues regarding allowing public attendance in advance of the 6:00 PM meeting.
*The only item the Board will consider during this open meeting is consideration of meeting in a closed session.
CLOSED SESSION: 5:20 PM – 5:50 PM
BUSINESS MEETING: 6:00 PM – ADJOURNMENT
This meeting will be conducted in a hybrid fashion and public attendance will be permitted as explained below:
DOORS WILL OPEN AT 5:55 PM AND THE MEETING WILL BEGIN AT 6:00 PM
The Board of Education of Harford County will hold a hybrid Business Meeting on Monday, September 22, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Board Room of the A.A. Roberty Building with Board Members, staff, and presenters in attendance both virtually and in-person. Seats will be available on a first-come-first served basis. The meeting will be streamed live and archived for later viewing on the HCPS Website.
Public Comment Participation Call-In and In-Person Process
Individuals or groups recognized by Harford County Public Schools (i.e. – PTAs, unions, and other school system stakeholders) wishing to speak on an agenda item or to comment on an education-related matter not on the agenda may request to do so by sending an email to publiccomment@hcps.org or calling 410-588-5347.
Call-In Registrations must be received by 12:00 PM on Monday, September 22, 2025. All fields on the registration form must be completed.
- First and Last name / if speaker is a Group Representative, then please state the name of the Group
- Local Address
- Email Address
- Phone Number
- Agenda item or subject your Public Comment pertains to
- Will you provide in-person or virtual Public Comment
- Registration forms are limited to one (1) per person
*Failure to provide complete information as required above will void the request to provide Public Comment.
- Registered virtual speakers will receive an email from HCPS with a Call-in Phone # and a Conference ID #.
- Registered speakers are required to call-in and enter the conference ID# at 6:00 PM on Monday, September 22, 2025.
- Important: If you are unable to take your phone off mute, you may need to dial *6.
- If you are admitted from the virtual lobby to the meeting, you will be greeted by an HCPS staff member when it is time to begin your public comment. Expected hold time in the virtual lobby may vary based on number of registered speakers. The maximum wait time in the lobby is 30 minutes; should you be disconnected please call back.
- "Request to Appear Before the Board" cards will be available for in-person attendees prior to the Board Meeting for sign-up and must be submitted prior to the opening of the meeting.
The Board has authorized public comment in accord with its policy Public Participation at Board Open Meetings or Public Hearings and as summarized below:
- Each speaker shall be limited to no more than three (3) minutes for individuals and five (5) minutes for individuals representing groups. Speakers must state his or her name, and, if representing a group, must identify the group he or she represents. If a speaker identifies themselves as a representative of a group, then only one (1) representative from the group may provide comment for the identified group.
- The Board presiding officer may reduce the amount of time allocated to each speaker if allocating 3 minutes to each speaker will impede the Board’s ability to complete scheduled business.
- The Board will receive in-person public comment first and virtual public comment second. 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 are not permitted.
- Disparaging comments, personal attacks, and inflammatory remarks about specific schools, personnel, any person, or group are not permitted. Speakers who engage in these comments will be reminded of the rules and the Board reserves the right to remove the speaker. In addition, public comment is an opportunity for members of the community to address the Board of Education. Please direct your comments to the Board and not to other members of the public in the audience.
- All public comments submitted will be part of the records maintained by the Board office.
Speakers are reminded that public comments are considered public information and,
as such, are subject to the Maryland Public Information Act.
9/16/2025 2:00 PM
Magnet Programs Information Night
The following message was sent to all 7th and 8th grade families at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, via email, phone call, and text message.
Dear Parents and Guardians of 7th and 8th Grade students,
Harford County Public Schools invites you to attend one of our Magnet and Technical Programs Information Nights. These events begin at 6:00 p.m. Each presentation is identical, so you do not need to attend multiple events.
Dates and locations of presentations:
- Wednesday, September 24, 2025: Magnolia Middle School and Patterson Mill Middle School
- Thursday, September 25, 2025: Havre de Grace Middle School and Southampton Middle School
- Tuesday, September 30, 2025: Aberdeen Middle School and North Harford Middle School
Programs to be discussed include:
- Global Studies Program/International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, at Edgewood High School
- Career Programs at Harford Technical High School
- Information Technology Oracle Academy, at Havre de Grace High School
- Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), at Joppatowne High School
- Natural Resources and Agricultural Science (NRAS), at North Harford High School
- Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH), at Joppatowne High School
- Science and Mathematics Academy (SMA), at Aberdeen High School
- Teacher Academy of Maryland (TAM), at Edgewood High and North Harford High schools
For more information on the Harford County Public Schools Magnet and Technical Programs,
click here.
9/10/2025 5:00 PM
Maryland Page Program
The following message was sent to all 12th-grade families at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, via email, phone call, and text message. A version of this will also be put on all High School websites in the news section.
Since 1970, the Maryland Page Program provides an opportunity for high school seniors to serve alongside Maryland legislators during the annual session of the Maryland General Assembly. Each year, only 105 pages and 36 alternates are selected from across the State to represent their schools and counties in Annapolis. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a front-row seat to see government in action and to impact legislation that impacts all of Maryland!
Click here for the Application
Click here to Watch an Overview of the Page Program
Key Details:
- Deadline to Apply: Friday, September 26, 2025.
- Students selected to advance will be invited to in-person interviews on Monday, October 13, 2025. Interviews will be held at C. Milton Wright High School. Only students available that day will be considered.
- Pages serve two nonconsecutive weeks during the January–April legislative session.
- Duties include supporting the daily schedule of the chamber.
- Each Page receives a $55 per day stipend. Housing is available upon request for students who live outside Anne Arundel County.
In late November, the Maryland General Assembly will notify HCPS of the selected Pages. A celebratory HCPS Student Page Breakfast will occur in early December for students and their families.
9/9/2025 5:00 PM
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) Information
The following (full letter attached) is being shared with families who have Kindergarten students in HCPS, on behalf of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE):
KRA Parent Notification Letter_English_updated HCPS.pdf
KRA Parent Notification Letter Spanish updated HCPS.pdf
This fall your student will take the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA). The KRA is an assessment that measures a student's knowledge, skills, and abilities in literacy, mathematics, and social and emotional development. It is given to all kindergarten students enrolled in public schools in Maryland by October 10th each year. The purpose of the KRA is to provide teachers and caregivers with information about what students know and can do, as well as to identify areas where they might need additional support. The assessment has three components:
• Star Early Literacy - 10-minute computer adaptive assessment of early literacy skills
• Star Math – 15-minute computer adaptive assessment of math skills
• SAEBRS (Social Academic Emotional Behavior Risk Screen) – 19-question survey completed based on
teacher observation
Most students will take the literacy and mathematics components of the KRA on a computer or tablet. The test will be read out loud to students who will use a mouse or touchscreen to select answers. Paper tests, ASL interpretation, and other accommodations are available for students who need them. Teachers will complete the social and emotional component of the assessment after spending the first few weeks of school getting to know students and completing observations.
Caregivers will receive information about how their student performed after the assessment has been administered. The results provide information about a student's mastery of the content and skills that will support their success in kindergarten. Performance on the KRA does not prevent a child from entering or remaining in kindergarten. The KRA results are only one piece of data, and scores should be understood in the context of other information, including feedback from a student’s teacher.
If you have questions about the KRA please speak with your student’s teacher.
Sincerely,
Erika McCrea
Executive Director of State Assessments
9/4/2025 5:00 PM
Student Planners- Policy Updates!
Parents and guardians: The Portable Communication Device Policy was updated in June 2025. If your school provides a student planner, it may have gone to print as early as April- before the policy was updated. This means your student planner may have an outdated version of the Portable Communication Device Policy. We apologize for any inconvenience and ask that you utilize the most up to date policy that is available here. This is the policy we will adhere to this school year.
9/2/2025 11:34 AM
Harford Glen Pier Closed Until Further Notice
The following is being sent via email to all HCPS contacts:
We want to make you aware that the pier at Harford Glen is closed for the foreseeable future following an incident that caused damage to portions of the structure.
As many community members enjoy visiting the Harford Glen grounds during the summer, we are sharing this message to ask for your cooperation in avoiding use of the pier until it has been assessed and deemed safe for public access once again.
Thank you for helping us maintain a safe environment for all.
8/5/2025 4:12 PM
Updated HCPS Policies: Portable Devices and Backpacks
The following message is being sent via email to all families and staff on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.:
We want to share important updates to two Board of Education of Harford County policies—Portable Communication Devices and Student Backpack Use—approved by the Board of Education on June 9, 2025. These changes go into effect for the upcoming school year and are designed to support a safe and focused learning environment.
Portable Communication Devices
Students may bring cell phones, smartwatches, headphones, and other portable communication devices to school; however, their use is limited during the school day:
For more details and exceptions, please review the policy in its entirety via the attached document or on our website.
Student Backpack and Bag Policy
The updated backpack and bag policy outlines expectations for storage to ensure clear pathways, student safety, and emergency preparedness:
For more details and exceptions, please review the policy in its entirety via the attached document or on our website.
What Families Should Do
Both policies will be actively enforced at the start of the school year.
Thank you for your partnership in helping maintain safe, organized, and distraction-free schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Aaron Poynton
President, Board of Education of Harford County
7/31/2025 5:00 PM
HCPS 2025-2026 Color-Coded Calendar Available Online
The 2025-2026 Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) Color-Coded Calendar is available online.
You can view all available calendar information here.
1/10/2025 2:19 PM
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