HCPS 411 Update

In response to several of the questions asked during last week’s Parent Academy Town Hall, revisions have been made to the draft Continuity of Learning Plan for the 2020-2021 school year, including daily student schedules for virtual learning, transportation information, and food services. A link to the updated plan can be found on www.hcps.org.

Listen here for what plans the QuaranTeam 5 has for the upcoming school year.

As shared in the latest version of the HCPS Recovery Plan, all instruction during the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year will be virtual. HCPS will be implementing a modified plan that relies exclusively on virtual learning while providing opportunities for students who need a safe, supervised place to access virtual instruction.

Chromebooks will be provided for all students in grades K-8, and Windows-based laptops will be provided for all students in grades 9-12. All teachers will receive a Windows-based laptop. HCPS is currently undertaking trials of cellular hotspots, to ensure students have Internet access in underserved areas by cable providers. In addition, we are making dramatic upgrades to our curriculum and professional development to ensure virtual instruction is more interactive and engaging than during the Spring of 2020.

To address the needs of students who require a safe place to access virtual instruction, we are offering a limited number of spaces in HCPS Learning Support Centers at each of our schools where students will be supervised by an HCPS employee and have reliable access to the Internet. Please note that the HCPS employees staffing the Learning Support Centers will not be the children's classroom teachers.

While attending the HCPS Learning Support Centers, students will receive virtual instruction from their teacher working from a remote location. These students will have access to bus transportation and food and nutrition services. Please note that meal distribution sites will be utilized throughout the county for those students who do not attend Learning Support Centers but still need access to meals. A schedule of locations and times will be shared as soon as it is available.

Social distancing guidelines and face coverings will be required in Learning Support Centers in accordance with current state and local health department guidance.

HCPS is gathering more information about the 2020-2021 school year and would like to hear from you to better understand your needs and concerns as we return to school in the fall. Please complete a short staff intentions survey, and answer the questions as best as you can. This will take approximately 1-2 minutes in total to complete. HCPS Leadership will use this information for planning purposes.

To complete the survey now, click here.

During this Parent Academy Town Hall Q&A live event held on July 16, Dr. Bulson discussed the updated 2020-2021 Recovery Plan. After Dr. Bulson reviewed the plan, parents asked questions of HCPS leaders about the plan.

Please click here to review the key findings and recommendations from the HCPS Digital Learning and COVID-19 Survey in executive summary format. These key findings and recommendations are based on the data collected from the survey. The results of the closed-ended questions as well as the analyses of comments received in the open-ended questions of the survey will be included in a final research report, which will be shared at a later date. Many thanks to those who helped contribute to the research for this report.

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"Shout out to HCPS Recruitment and Shannon Hagan. Loving the social media campaign welcoming our newest teachers to the HCPS family! It’s great to see their eager faces and to be able to welcome them to HCPS."

-Laura Knapp, Teacher Specialist - Instructional Technology

Editor: Lindsay Bilodeau, communications specialist

To submit an HCPS Shout Out or recognize a colleague in the Spotlight on Customer Service, please email the information and photo (if available) to HCPS.411@hcps.org.

Email: HCPS.411@hcps.org
Website: www.hcps.org
Location: 102 South Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, MD, USA
Phone: 410-588-5213