Health & Safety Updates, Sept. 17, 2025

September 17th, 2025

Health Checks

As the fall season gets underway and many activities move indoors, we often experience an increase in the spread of the flu, colds, COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.

All families, students, staff and visitors should conduct daily health checks prior to entering any HCPSS building and/or school bus, and are reminded to stay home if they are experiencing symptom(s) associated with any communicable disease.

Infection control prevents or stops the spread of infections, and may include standard precaution methods. Learn more about HCPSS protocols, how these conditions are managed at school, and how they can be handled at home. Additional information on keeping students healthy is available online.

Vaccination Clinics

Due to extenuating circumstances, HCPSS will not offer in-school seasonal flu or COVID vaccination clinics this year. Parents/guardians are encouraged to contact their child’s pediatrician for vaccination information, or consider accessing vaccinations from local pharmacies, urgent care centers, retail stores, etc. Additionally, the Howard County Health Department will offer free flu shots at various community events this fall.

Reporting Student Absences

Students who are sick and need to stay home will be given an excused absence providing a note from the parent/guardian is submitted to the school after the student’s return, indicating the date and reason for tardiness or absence from a regular school session. A doctor’s note is required in cases of long-term absence or excessive absenteeism due to illness.

If a student needs to stay home for a prolonged period due to illness, the student or a parent/guardian can reach out to their teacher(s) for resources students can use at home to continue learning once they feel well enough. Additional information on student absences can be found online.