Our commitment is to do everything we can to ensure that our children and staff are provided a safe, healthy, and supportive environment. We constantly encourage community members, students and staff to report suspicious activity or any concerns to school administrators and/or staff as soon as possible.

When there is an incident during school, HCPSS will continue to follow standard procedures, which include informing students, staff and families as soon as possible.

The safe arrival and dismissal of students to and from school is paramount and this requires the collaborative effort of families, county agencies, and the school system. The HCPSS Office of Student Transportation regularly coordinates with the Chief Operating Officer to evaluate weather conditions to determine if there is a likelihood that weather will have an impact on student safety as students travel to and from school. Students traveling to and from school—whether by bus, car, riding a bike, or walking—are always considered when making weather-related decisions.

The Howard County Police Department will have an increased presence around schools when the new school year begins. Their H.A.S.T.E. (Helping Arriving Students Through Enforcement) program has officers focused on enforcing traffic laws in school areas.

Additionally, while School Resource Officers (SROs) are assigned to high schools, they are often in close proximity to middle and elementary schools to assist as needed.

The Howard County Police Department will have an increased presence around schools when the new school year begins. Their H.A.S.T.E. (Helping Arriving Students Through Enforcement) program has officers focused on enforcing traffic laws in school areas.

Additionally, while School Resource Officers (SROs) are assigned to high schools, they are often in close proximity to middle and elementary schools to assist as needed.

The Implementation Procedures outlined in Policy 5200 detail the appeals process under section

V. Walking Route and School Bus Stop Appeals, where it states:

If the appellant is not satisfied with the decision, a final written appeal may be made to the Board of Education. This process is detailed in the Policy 5200 Implementation Procedures:

V. Walking Route and School Bus Stop Appeals

The HCPSS Division of School Management and Instructional Leadership is working with every school principal to evaluate their bus and car loop procedures to ensure all arrival and dismissal processes are safe and efficient. School administrators sent surveys to the community in the spring and are using the collective feedback to inform and refine the arrival and dismissal process. Additionally, staff from central office and the County are assisting schools as needed through this process.

Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan that includes transportation automatically receive transportation regardless of whether they reside in a non-transportation area. When students have IEP/504 plans that require accommodations on the bus, the school team will continue to work with bus teams to implement those accommodations.

Students who do not receive transportation as part of their individual plan will continue to travel by the best method as determined by their parent/guardian.

Historically, HCPSS has not provided transportation for students who stay after school for extracurricular activities. Students who participate in these activities do so voluntarily with the understanding that transportation is not provided from school to home. This is not a shift from prior years.

On Friday, Aug. 11, high school students and their parents/guardians can log in to HCPSS Connect to view a list of scheduled courses without details.

Beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 23, all students and parents/guardians can log in to HCPSS Connect to view teachers and schedules.