Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year!

August 17th, 2022

Our A-Z guide for the 2022-2023 school year can be found below. Also online is additional information on the 2022-2023 school year and the HCPSS 2022-2023 Reopening Plan.

Athletics

High school fall sport practices began earlier this month. Complete athletics information, including schedules and FAQs, can be found online.

New this year! All students, and guests between the ages of 7-59, are required to purchase tickets for high school gated sporting events using the GoFan website or mobile app (Apple store only) for admission. Fans are encouraged to buy tickets prior to reaching the facility as cash will no longer be accepted at the gate and service may be spotty on site.

Back to School Nights and Student Orientation

Back to School nights and student orientation schedules are available online. All dates are subject to change. Please check with your child’s school prior to the event to verify the event date and time.

Calendar

The 2022-2023 school year is scheduled to begin for K-12 students Monday, Aug. 29. Prekindergarten/RECC students will begin Thursday, Sept. 1. View, download and/or subscribe to the HCPSS academic calendar online. Please note that the calendar is subject to change and the online calendar reflects the most recent version.

Communication

Emergency Notifications

In emergency situations (including inclement weather), information will be shared with the community through the HCPSS website, email and text, Twitter and the HCPSS weather hotline.

HCPSS Online

Parents/guardians can visit the HCPSS websites for details on school system programs and initiatives, news and information, and answers to frequently asked questions. Those sites can be found directly at:

• HCPSS website, www.hcpss.org
• 2022-2023 School Year, www.hcpss.org/2022-2023
• HCPSS News site, https://news.hcpss.org
• HCPSS Help site, https://help.hcpss.org

Communications related to the 2021-2022 school year will be emailed to families and many messages can be found online, which also includes links to remarks from the Superintendent at Board of Education meetings.

Families can find additional information specific to their children by visiting school websites. Links to all school sites can be found online.

HCPSS News

HCPSS News email and text alerts keep families up-to-date on news and events, and deliver real-time notices of emergency closings and information. In addition to emergency notifications, during the school year HCPSS sends a weekly message to families with timely information. All HCPSS News subscriptions are generated from the information provided in Family File and have been automatically updated for the 2022-2023 school year. Parents/guardians new to the system are automatically enrolled for email notification. Anyone who has not done so must opt in to text alerts.

Please note! Unsubscribing from any school or district email or text will unsubscribe a user from all messaging, including emergency notifications.

Mobile Application

The free HCPSS mobile app delivers HCPSS system and school news, upcoming events, school menus, information from Board of Education meetings, and direct connections to all system social media resources.

Social Media Accounts

HCPSS has active accounts on Twitter and Instagram. Additionally, many of our schools use social media to communicate to their communities. Check with your school for details.

Emergency Card Procedures with Family File

HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to supply emergency information. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child every year. Details on Family File are available online.

Enrollment/Registration

All students new to the school system must be registered prior to the first day of school. Enrollment requirements can be found online. Parents/guardians will begin the enrollment process online and your child’s school will contact you to complete the registration process.

Health & Safety

Currently, protective face masks are voluntary in all HCPSS buildings and on school buses. The state does not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination in public school students, nor is the school system providing mass COVID-19 testing opportunities for staff or students.

The most up-to-date health and safety information can be found online and will be continually updated. Please note that health and safety protocols are subject to change, pending guidance and recommendations from federal, state and local health officials, among other sources.

Immunizations

All children must have the required State of Maryland immunizations in order to attend school. Details on immunization and health form requirements can be found online.

Inclement Weather

Any updates to the HCPSS inclement weather protocols will be communicated as soon as possible.

All announcements of emergency/weather closings or delays will be shared with the community through our website, email and text, Twitter and the HCPSS weather hotline. The current operating status of our system is always identified on the HCPSS status website, status.hcpss.org.

Meals

The federal government did not extend waivers allowing for distribution of free meals to all students. Consequently, for the 2022-2023 school year, students whose families do not qualify for free or reduced lunch will be required to pay the daily meal price.

Many HCPSS families are eligible to participate in the Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) program, which provides children with a wide range of benefits including free or discounted college tuition, testing and application fees, academic and athletic program fees and many others in addition to free or discounted meals. Families are urged to check their eligibility and complete a FARMs application as soon as possible. Families must submit a new application every school year. Details on the Free and Reduced Meals program, including a link to apply, are available online.

School Start and End Times

School start times for the 2022-2023 school year are scheduled to remain the same, with the exception of Mount View Middle School, which has a new time of 8 a.m.-2:45 p.m. to help ease traffic congestion. Start and end times may be found online and on each school’s website.

Please note! Start times indicate when the school day begins. Students should arrive prior to the start time to avoid being tardy. Check with your child’s school for when doors open each morning.

Student and Parent Handbook

The Student & Parent Handbook can be found online and outlines districtwide practices and policies related to parents and students, including the Student Code of Conduct, school procedures, student responsibilities and more.

Student Schedules

As of Aug. 12, high school students and their parents/guardians can log in to HCPSS Connect to view a list of scheduled courses without details. Beginning Wednesday, August 24, all students and parents/guardians can log in to HCPSS Connect to view teachers and schedules.

School Supplies

Elementary and middle school supply lists are available online. High schools do not have general supply lists, as classes may have unique requirements. High school teachers will inform students of any necessary supplies at the start of the school year.

HCPSS is aware of the rising costs of school supplies caused by inflation and encourages families to recycle and reuse the previous year’s supplies when possible. In addition, school supplies will continue to be made available for families in need of support.

Technology & Devices

Don’t miss our new webpage for everything technology!

Canvas

Orientation videos for each school level, as well as guides for students and parents are available online.

Connect / Synergy

HCPSS Connect provides access to a variety of student information and classroom instructional tools offering personalized communication and timely, relevant and easily accessible information relating to your student. Parents/guardians may log in via HCPSS Connect to access and update Family File, indicate device/internet needs, view report cards and more.

Devices – HCPSS

The current HCPSS device deployment implementation plan is:

• Pre-K: All students will receive an HCPSS-issued device to keep at home. Additional devices will be available for use in school.
• K-5: Students will share devices that will be kept at school. Students who have a device identified as a supplementary aid as designated in an IEP or 504 plan will continue to have a device assigned to them.
• 6-12: All students have or will receive an HCPSS-issued device to bring back-and-forth from home to school each day.

Additional information will be provided by your child’s school.

Devices – Personal

Families are reminded that students must abide by Board of Education Policy 8080 Responsible Use of Technology, Digital Tools, and Social Media, and specifically Standard E. Student Use-Technology, which states that “HCPSS permits students to bring personal technology devices to school, according to the following rules:

• Elementary Schools – Students will keep personal technology devices in backpacks during the school day, unless otherwise authorized by school administrators or instructional staff.
• Middle Schools – Students:
• Students will not use personal technology devices during non-instructional time, to include but not limited to transition between classes, lunch, recess, or in bathrooms.
• A school administrator may, on occasion, authorize the use of personal technology devices for special events and/or for positive behavioral supports and interventions.
• High Schools – Students:
• May only use personal technology devices during classroom instruction when allowed by instructional staff; and
• May use personal technology devices during non-instructional time (transitions between classes, lunch or special events), unless prohibited by school administrators or instructional staff.”

Policy 8080 helps ensure the personal use of devices does not distract students during instruction, or used to harm students or staff in any way. The policy is to be followed consistently across all schools.

Google Services

Parent/guardian consent is required for Google Translate, which is now available in Google’s menu of additional services on HCPSS issued Chromebooks for students in grades 4-12. If you have previously provided consent for Google’s menu of additional services, no further action is needed and your child will automatically be given access to Google Translate. More information, including details on how to provide consent for your child to access Google’s additional services, is available online.

Technology Accounts for New Students

Beginning Aug. 18, families with students new to HCPSS and whose registration has been finalized will begin to receive emails from security_notifications@hcpss.org with the subject “Technology account information for new HCPSS student.” The communication will be sent to the parent/guardian email address used during the student registration process and contains personalized and important information regarding new students’ technology accounts.

If you have a child new to HCPSS and do not receive the email and/or cannot locate the email in the junk/spam folder of the email account you used during registration, you can use the Forgot Password or Username button on the hcpss.me student landing page to retrieve both your child’s username and password. Directions for Account Self Service are posted online.

Transportation

The HCPSS bus locator application is now available online. Due to a severe driver shortage, many bus routes/stops are expected to change. Please recheck your child’s transportation prior to the start of school.

Walk Zone Maps

The 2022-2023 student walk zone maps are forthcoming and soon will be posted to each school’s website. Scroll to the bottom of the site and select Walk Area Map in the footer.