Getting Ready for 2023-2024: New and Important Information

August 16th, 2023

Throughout the month of August, we have been sharing a series of Getting Ready for 2023-2024 emails on various topics, including back-to-school basics, new and important items, and more. Please see below for details on school and districtwide communications, and HCPSS technology.

Previous back to school messages can be found online. Additional information related to the 2023-2024 school year also is online.

Reminder! Complete Your 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. More information, including answers to frequently asked questions and tips on troubleshooting, is available online.

New! Student Meals & Payments

New for the 2023-2024 school year, HCPSS no longer will use Nutrislice for school menus or MySchoolBucks for payment. Instead, we have a new parent site for all things food and nutrition. LINQ Connect is a secure, online portal that allows families to make online payments to their child’s meal account, monitor their child’s account, schedule automatic recurring payments, set up low balance alerts, submit a Free and Reduced Meals program application, and more.

Please note: MySchoolBucks meal balances were automatically transferred to LINQ Connect. If your child had a balance at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, when you add your child to your profile, that meal balance will be displayed. To request a refund of meal balances at any time, complete this brief online form.

Free and Reduced Meals – check your eligibility today!

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.

Health Services

Health Services information can be found online and will be continually updated. All families, students, staff and visitors should conduct daily health checks prior to entering any HCPSS building and/or school bus. Details, including infection control protocols for communicable diseases like COVID-19, are available online.

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.

School Start and End Times

All school start times changed for the 2023-2024 school year, and 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.

Transportation

The online HCPSS bus locator application is now available and can be found on the HCPSS Transportation webpage. With some school start times overlapping across school levels and/or transportation exemptions, it is possible that buses for different schools will arrive at bus stops around the same time. Please review your child’s bus number and be sure they know it and check before boarding the bus.

Changes to bus stop locations are made on an ongoing basis as routes are designed and/or revised. The location and times listed online include the most up to date information. Families are encouraged to recheck your child’s transportation prior to the start of school.

Walk Area Maps

The 2023-2024 student walk area maps are posted to each school’s website. Scroll to the bottom of the site and select Walk Area Map under the school address in the footer. Please note walk maps are continually updated as needed.

Change of Address

HCPSS parents/guardians are required by Board of Education Policy 9000 Student Residency, Eligibility, Enrollment and Assignment to notify HCPSS if they move to a new home address by submitting residency documentation to their student’s current school. Students who have a change of residence on or after the first day of the 2023-2024 school year must request a student reassignment in order to complete the school year at their previous school.