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UPDATE: October 26, 2020: Today the Maryland State Board of Education approved a start date of December 7, 2020, for high school athletics. HCPSS advocated for this plan, which was crafted by district athletics supervisors and issued by Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland. This plan has several benefits that were outlined in our October 9 update. HCPSS will communicate details and updates on athletics as soon as they become available.
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The announcement in September by Maryland State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon and Governor Larry Hogan to allow the start of high school athletics to begin October 7 generated much discussion about whether Howard County would begin athletics sooner than second semester, as was originally determined by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA).
HCPSS will not participate in the State’s new plan. Instead, HCPSS leadership will advocate for the State’s adoption of a proposed December 7 start (see below) and target all preparation efforts for that date. If the State declines to adopt the December 7 start, HCPSS will participate in the State’s original two-semester plan that begins February 1. In the interim, HCPSS coaches are still permitted to engage virtually with prospective team members for 60-90 minutes one day each week through January 22, 2021.
More information is available online.