HCPS 411 Update

Please join us in giving a very warm welcome Lisa Y. Settles, Esq., our new Deputy General Counsel. A graduate of University of Baltimore, School of Law, she comes to Harford County Public Schools with broad experience in both the public and private sectors. Lisa joins General Counsel Kimberly Neal, Esq. in the Superintendent’s Office of Legal Services.

Featuring a new district data dashboard, Grade 6 & 9 Snapshots, and links to local and state data

We are excited to announce the launch of the HCPS State of the District website at https://www.hcps.org/superintendent/stateofthedistrict.aspx. This innovative site represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and excellence in education. Key features of this resource include:

• Live District Data Dashboard (updated weekly on Monday 12:00 p.m.): This user-friendly, interactive platform is designed to provide our community with easy access to essential data related to Harford County Public Schools’ Board of Education Strategic Plan long-term goals. This comprehensive tool offers a wealth of information, enabling stakeholders to explore and understand the scope of the daily work at HCPS.

• Grade 6 & 9 Snapshots: Arising out of the work from the Blueprint North Star Committee and the Early Warning Indicator Workgroup, these interactive dashboards provide a snapshot of student achievement, attendance, and more for grades 6 and 9 for 2022-2023. Charts and graphs help you grasp essential trends and performance indicators at a glance.

• Links to local and state data: The website provides a one-stop source for all stakeholders interested in data that impacts our county, schools, and operations. Examples include the Maryland Report Cards through the Maryland State Department of Education, public reports through the Department of Legislative Services, HCPS Research & Program Evaluation Reports, Maryland Center for School Safety Reports, and many more resources.

The “State of the District” website and dashboard tools empower our community by providing transparency and insight into the educational landscape of HCPS. It allows parents, students, teachers, and all stakeholders to engage in information important to the scope of our efforts toward student achievement. The website is not only a reflection of our dedication to accountability but also a testament to our commitment to data-driven decision-making, which is at the core of delivering an exceptional educational experience for all students. Please click through all the resources available and watch the data resources grow at https://www.hcps.org/superintendent/stateofthedistrict.aspx.

Although HCPS offices are closed Friday, September 15, 2023, banks will be open. Therefore, the actual pay date remains September 15, 2023. Checks (for employees who are not on direct deposit) will be mailed to the employee’s home address (per LAWSON Employee Self Service, ESS) on Thursday, September 14, 2023. Please verify the address shown on your September 1, 2023 pay stub is your current address. If the address is incorrect, log into ESS and update your address (click on Life Events and then Move). Please note, to access Employee Self Service, you must be logged onto an HCPS computer/HCPS network. Also, the format for username is your network username followed by “@hcps.org”, for example, johsmith@hcps.org. See the DSS and ESS Instructions for all you can do in DSS/ESS.

For questions regarding this information, please contact your Payroll Coordinator. Click Here to find the Payroll Coordinator for your location.

Not sure who to contact? Send your question to the general email at Payroll@hcps.org or call Payroll’s general number 410-588-5241.

We would like to highlight our newest HCPS principals in our video series, Five in Five. Supervisor of Leadership Development Audrey Vohs talks with each of our new principals to ask five questions in five minutes so we can get to know them better. Take a moment to hear from Parfait Awono, Principal of Ring Factory Elementary School, and Stacey McCord, Principal of Hickory Elementary School, in the videos linked below. Welcome, Mr. Awano and Mrs. McCord, to your new leadership positions!

The HCPS Human Resources Talent Management Team enjoyed a busy summer. Since July 1, 2023, they have hired and onboarded 278 certificated staff and 134 support staff! Congratulations to this hard-working group on a great job!

The work of our Talent Management Team is never done, as they continue to fill support staff vacancies; hire short and long-term substitute employees; and provide assistance to employees, schools, and departments. They are also busy preparing for many recruitment events as they look forward to the 2024-2025 school year!

The HCPS Talent Management Team supports HCPS employees through their entire employment cycle with HCPS, from application for employment through separation of employment. Employment related questions can be directed to TalentManagement@hcps.org or by calling 410-588-5238.

The chart below provides a listing of just some of the services provided by Talent Management.

HCPS Human Resources consists of five teams prepared to assist you with various employment-related needs, as described in the Human Resources Contact List. Please don’t hesitate to contact them with you questions. They will be happy to assist you or connect you with someone best able to provide assistance. A complete list of HR Team members can be found at HR Staff Directory.

Positive experiences can ease toxic stress, helping children and youth to grow into more resilient, healthier adults. HOPE identifies ways that parents/caregivers can better ensure that all children have more positive experiences and that all families have support to nurture and celebrate their strengths. In this Parent Academy Real Talk, learn more about the HOPE initiative and how HCPS staff are being trained in this framework to support parents. For more information about scheduling a HOPE training, contact ParentAcademy@hcps.org.

The Harford County Education Foundation's Tools for Schools Resource Center will open for Harford County Public Schools teachers to shop the shelves for free school supplies on Monday, September 18, 2023. Registration is required, and space is limited. Reserve your spot at bit.ly/HCEFShoppingDay.

We're already on week three of the new school year, but have you ever wondered what goes on in the summer to get the schools ready for students?

Nominations for the Support Services Superstar Award are being accepted from now until October 13, 2023. APG Federal Credit Union (APGFCU) is the proud sponsor of HCPS Support Services Superstar Awards. All Harford County Public Schools regular support staff employees are eligible for the award. Program information and nomination forms may be downloaded at 2023 Support Services Superstar Award.

Questions regarding this information should be directed to Ben Richardson, in Human Resources, at Benjamin.Richardson2@hcps.org or 410-588-5226.

The Office of Student Services is accepting nominations for the STUDENT SERVICES STANDOUT AWARD (S.T.A.R. AWARD). This award is presented once per semester (biannually) to a nominated member of the Student Services staff. The nominee must currently be an employee budgeted under Student Services who is based in a school or Central Office. This would include staff under the offices of School Counseling Services, School Health Services, Psychological Services, Social Workers, or Pupil Personnel Services. Any person, regardless of position or relationship to the nominee, including students, may make the nomination. The nomination form and supporting narrative must be submitted by December 1, 2023. Please see the links below to access the nomination form and the rubric used by the judges and consider nominating someone today!

Link to Student Services S.T.A.R. Award

Questions regarding this information should be directed to Lawanda Brown, in School Counseling, at Lawanda.Brown@hcps.org or 410-588-5251.

Join us again this school year as we continue to shine the light on how HCPS celebrates diversity all year long. Each month, we will highlight a cultural/organizational holiday. We invite you to share how your school or office celebrates the contributions we all make to HCPS.

This month, we are celebrating:

Hispanic Heritage

International Week of the Deaf

To share your celebrations with the HCPS community, please email your pictures, videos, and a brief write-up to Sherron Foster-Moore, Diversity Retention & Recruitment Specialist, at Sherron.FosterMoore@hcps.org by Thursday, October 5, 2023. This month’s submissions will be shared in the October 12th edition of the HCPS 411 Update.

To access a printer-friendly version of the Monthly Celebrations calendar, please click here.

This week is National Arts in Education Week! We are celebrating the incredible power of the arts to inspire, educate, and transform lives. Whether through painting, music, dance, theater, or any other medium, the arts ignite our imaginations, foster creativity, and bring people together.

The voting window to name the September Family Friendly School Award winner is NOW OPEN!

Click here to vote once before 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 18, to let us know which nominated school should win the coveted title of “Family Friendly School” and a staff Chick-fil-A luncheon!

If “your” school isn’t in the running this month and you feel it should be, nominate it next month! One winning school will be named each month through May, and schools may win multiple times. Reminders about nominating and voting windows are shared in the HCPS 411 Update and on the Parent Academy Facebook page throughout the school year.

We look forward to announcing the September winner later this month!

From September 1, 2023, through August 31, 2024, all Maryland public school K-12 educators have free unlimited access to nine (9) Self-Paced Workshops that offer relevant, practical content that will build capacity in supporting multilingual learners. Workshop titles include:

• Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
• Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science: Making Sense of Phenomena
• Exploring the WIDA PreK-3 Essential Actions
• Home Languages in the Classroom
• Making Language Visible in the Classroom
• Newcomers: Promoting Success through Strengthening Practice
• Reframing Education for Long-term English Learners
• Social Studies: Engaging Multilingual Learners through Inquiry
• The WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach

All Self-Paced Workshops are accessible via the WIDA Secure Portal. To obtain a WIDA Secure Portal account, please contact Chandra Krantz, Supervisor of World Language and English Learner Programs, at Chandra.Krantz@hcps.org.

When using GPS, the original address for Abingdon Elementary School (Singer Road) took visitors to the back of the school. To ensure visitors and emergency personnel are able to find the school's front entrance as quickly as possible, the school's address has been officially changed with the United States Postal Service as of September 11, 2023. The school's new address is 3001 S. Tollgate Road, which is the correct address to arrive at the front entrance.

Staff working with students in STEM are encouraged to share this opportunity with their students.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Credit Opportunities

Please see this flyer for information on two science CPD opportunities offered through University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies. Courses start September 18, 2023. Registration is open, and enrollment will continue throughout the Fall since the courses are online. Sessions end on December 8, 2023.

Did you know that over 600 HCPS employees have participated in career counseling? You could be next! Email Maranda Scott for more information.

Harford County Public Schools students, staff, and families looking for help with mental health or substance use can call Care Solace at 888-515-0595 for 24/7/365 personalized and confidential help finding a therapist, or you can search on your own at www.caresolace.com/harford.

Parent & Student Information Night Meetings, which offer an introductory look at all Magnet Programs in one presentation, and Parent & Student Open Houses, which are a one-time opportunity for prospective students and their parents to gain in-depth, comprehensive, and first-hand information for a specific Magnet Program, will be offered beginning this month. Please click here to access the schedule.

Harford County Public Schools announces a pre-retirement webinar for HCPS employees and their spouses through the Maryland State Retirement Agency and the Community College of Baltimore College. This webinar provides vital retirement information to all members and is recommended for those within eight (8) years of retirement, whether normal service or early retirement. Discussion topics include:

• HCPS Retiree Benefits
• State Retirement Pension Benefits
• Legal Consideration
• Social Security Benefits
• Financial Planning

This year's pre-retirement session will be held virtually on Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Watch future HCPS 411 Update for more information on registering and obtaining a day of event link.

KEPRO is the Employee Assistance Program Provider

With over six decades of combined experience, CNSI, a leading provider of innovative healthcare technology solutions, and Kepro, a leading provider of technology-enabled care management, quality oversight, and clinical assessment services, announced the combined organization has rebranded as Acentra Health. Acentra Health's mission is to continually innovate solutions that deliver maximum value and impact to the healthcare delivery system. Its power lies in the marriage of developing advanced claims and encounters and providing solutions that drive efficiency and cost savings with high-quality care management, quality oversight, and clinical assessment capabilities. By leveraging rich data sets – provider, health plan beneficiary and member, claims and encounters, and social determinants of health – Acentra Health transforms insights into action by bridging the gaps between technology suppliers, policy advisors, and clinicians.

For information on Acentra Health, including a new company video and an organization timeline, visit acentra.com. A comprehensive new website will launch later this summer. Until then, employees can continue to access the EAP program and resources by phone at (866) 795-5701 or by visiting their website online at www.EAPhelplink.com, company code: HCPS. For more information on CNSI and Kepro, visit cns-inc.com and kepro.com.

REMINDER: HCPS has transitioned dental insurance carriers from Delta Dental to CareFirst. Unless you elected to change your plan, those enrolled in the Delta Dental PPO Comprehensive plan transitioned to the CareFirst Dental PPO Comprehensive plan on July 1, 2023. Likewise, members who were enrolled in the Delta Dental Premier Standard plan transitioned to the CareFirst PPO Standard plan as of the same date if an active change election was not submitted during the open enrollment period. Please contact your dentist's office to verify if your provider participates with the new dental plan.

NEW ID CARDS: Every employee enrolled in a dental plan had new dental and vision, if elected, ID cards mailed to them in late June. If you did not receive an ID card, you can request new ID cards be mailed to your home through your online member portal at www.carefirst.com. Members can call CareFirst at (866) 891-2802 to request ID cards.

To find an in-network dental provider, members can visit BlueCross BlueShield BlueDental Lookup. On this page, please be sure to adjust the location of the search area on the page before entering your provider's name. Please Note: You must search by your dentist's name and not the dental practice's name; the search tool will not return results for group dental practices.

If you have any questions, contact the Benefits Office at benefits@hcps.org.

September is Self-Improvement Month at CareFirst

Financial well-being is one of the key players in whole health. It includes understanding the financial processes related to savings, income, and debt and learning to live within your means while setting short- and long-term goals to improve. This month's wellness newsletter features factors that impact your financial health and tips to improve your financial health. To learn more, click here.

September CareFirst WellBeing Challenge – The 7 Days of Savings Challenge

Many people think of exercise or nutrition when it comes to improving their well-being, but worrying about finances is Americans' leading cause of stress. September is Self-Improvement Month and the perfect time to start changing your spending habits to help ease your mind. Click here to learn more about the CareFirst WellBeing challenge and how to join.

Access the Dave Ramsey SmartDollar Financial Wellness Solution by clicking here: SmartDollar Financial Wellness Solutions.

New this year, the HCPS Wellness Committee, in partnership with CareFirst, will host monthly hybrid Lunch and Learn sessions for employees to attend in person at the A.A. Roberty Building or virtually via Microsoft TEAMs. These webinars will be recorded and available for employees to view later if they cannot attend the live event.

In September, the HCPS Wellness Committee will be discussing Financial Wellness. These Lunch and Learn Sessions will help to provide a general understanding of financial planning and budgeting during any stage in life.

• Household and Individual Budgeting - Tuesday, September 26, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.:
  - The in-person event will be held in conference room 234 of the A.A. Roberty Building, 102 S Hickory Ave, Bel Air, MD 21014. Feel free to bring your lunch to enjoy while you participate.
  - To attend virtually, click here on the day and time of the event. You can also copy and save this link to your calendar as a reminder.

If you're looking for more health and wellness resources or to view recordings of previous Lunch & Learn sessions, we encourage you to check out our Staff Wellness Program webpage on hcps.org! This webpage is updated monthly with in-person and online events, CareFirst resources, BurnAlong challenges, and more!

Keep track of your financial and digital life with MetLife.

Placing your financial and digital life together for a resource for your loved ones in the event of your passing or unexpected illness or injury seems like such a big job, and it is difficult to know where to start. The best way to start is to break it into smaller parts and take it one step at a time.

MetLife has provided access to an excellent resource for all employees, regardless of whether you carry life insurance benefits through Harford County Public Schools. This resource can help you gather all your information to provide to your beneficiary(ies) so they know how and where to start managing your financials if you can no longer. To access this tool, follow this link: Personal-Financial-Profile-2021-Digital-Home-print-exp0823.docx (live.com)

Focus on family health: health at every stage of life.

This month, the spotlight is on family. Join BurnAlong as they explore ways to promote overall health at any stage of life, embrace the benefits of including pets as valued family members, and incorporate family into fitness sessions. The BurnAlong team will discuss tips and insights from renowned health professionals on optimizing your well-being at any stage of life. Add the link below to your calendar to avoid missing this valuable opportunity to enhance your health and live your best life!

• September 20 at 12:00 p.m.: Be Healthy at Any Stage of Life Event

Coming to You Live in September!

This month, it’s all about family. During the sessions below, BurnAlong will provide tips on being healthy at any age, the benefits of having pets (because they’re part of the family, too), and how to include family in your workouts.

• September 14 at 12:00 p.m.: Make Fitness a Family Fun Affair
• September 20 at 12:00 p.m.: Be Healthy at Any Stage of Life
• September 28 at 12:00 p.m.: The Benefits of Having Pets

Need Help Kick-Starting Your Family Health Journey?

Participate in BurnAlong’s Family Health challenge, which kicks off on September 1. Everyone can participate simply by picking an age-relevant program to complete with someone you love. To participate, ask a family member or loved one to commit to completing a BurnAlong program with you. Find an age-appropriate program and complete it together throughout September. Courses for this challenge can be accessed through your online BurnAlong account.

Have You Taken Your BurnAlong Break Today?

Take time to stretch, breathe, and move your body. All you need is a few minutes. BurnAlong has created a playlist of 15 classes, all under five minutes. Scan the QR code to view the classes on the playlist. Recommended classes on the playlist include:

• 4-minute Desk Stretch: Wrists & Shoulders
• 5-minute Meditation: Loving-Kindness
• 5-minute Movements: Spine Mobility

Looking for More Class Recommendations?

Click on the calendar below to access suggested classes for September:

Did you know BurnAlong is FREE for you and your friends? You have access to four (4) free family subaccounts, so you can start sharing today! It takes just a minute to send one, and they'll get free, unlimited access to BurnAlong all year. Click here to invite a subaccount.

Take BurnAlong with You! Join thousands of others on their health and wellness journey by downloading the Mobile App. Available in iOS and Android, take BurnAlong with you by downloading the app today!

What is BurnAlong? As a reminder, BurnAlong is our health and wellness partner who provides you and your family with more than 23,000 live and on-demand online classes from 5,000+ credentialed instructors at no cost to you.

To activate your complimentary account, get started by visiting https://fit.burnalong.com/hcps. If you have any trouble accessing your account, contact customercare@burnalong.com. Find out more about BurnAlong in this brief video.

BurnAlong, HCPS' virtual health and wellness partner, is hosting a challenge beginning on September 15. Those who enroll or share at least one sub-account will be entered into a raffle through BurnAlong to win one of three BuenAlogn Swag Gift Boxes. To participate:

• Create an account at https://join.burnalong.com/hcps or scan the QR Code between September 15 and September 30.
• If you already have enrolled, share at least one sub-account with a family member or friend between September 15 and September 30.
• If you have already created an account and shared all four sub-accounts, you will automatically be entered into BurnAlong's raffle.

Adding family and friends is easy! Go to your profile and select Sub Accounts. Select "Add Sub Account." Complete the required fields and select "Add."

For assistance with registering or sharing a sub-account, contact BurnAlong at customercare@burnalong.com.

Employees who wish to provide feedback on their experience(s) obtaining medications through CVS retail pharmacies are advised to complete the CVS/Caremark Service Reporting Tool, available on SharePoint. This report is monitored bi-weekly by a member of the Benefits Office for further assistance and tracking of member service feedback. To access this form, visit the Harford County Public Schools – SharePoint Home Page.

As always, if there is an immediate need or concern when obtaining medication, please email benefits@hcps.org so that a member of the Benefits Office can assist you more quickly.

The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System and the Community College of Baltimore County are providing State Pension members the opportunity to participate in pre-retirement webinars. These sessions provide vital retirement information to pension system members, including the Maryland State Pension, Legal Issues, Social Security Benefits, and Financial Planning. The seminar/webinars will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Webinars:

• September 26 & 27 (CRN 73356) *Two evenings
  
• October 16 & 17 (CRN 73283) *Two evenings
• November 2 (CRN 73299)
• November 29 (CRN 73303)
• December 19 (CRN 73288)

Seminar:

• December 7 – Harford Community College (CRN 73279)

To register, please visit https://www.ccbcmd.edu/ceed-preretirement-county. You will receive an email with site-specific information for those participating in person. Those participating in the online events will receive a separate link to join the date-specific event.

Please Note: These sessions are not affiliated with HCPS and will not include HCPS-specific information, such as retiree healthcare.

Designed for Early Career and Mid-Career Members

The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS) now offers members a Retirement Readiness First Steps webinar, which will provide a general overview of the survivor, disability, and retirement benefits administered by the MSRPS. The session includes descriptions of service retirement eligibility rules, vesting criteria, and ways to obtain additional qualifying service credit. The MSRPS will host a live session on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. and a second session on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Interested parties can click this link to register: First Steps Webinar Registration (gotowebinar.com).

Presented by Acentra Health (Formally KEPRO) Employee Assistance Program

Starting a new habit can be transformative. Choosing gratitude can help improve your optimism and appreciation. This session will cover how to build a gratitude habit in your life. Click here to learn more.

Date: Available on demand beginning September 19, 2023

Broadcast Length: 50 minutes
How to Access: Go to your EAP website: www.EAPHelpLink.com. Enter your code: HCPS and look for Online Seminars in the lower left-hand corner of this homepage, or you can search for them by title.

The Employee Assistance Program is available to employees and their families any time, any day, and is a free, confidential program to help you balance your work, family, and personal life.

Employees and their family members can call Acentra Health 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, toll-free at (866) 795-5701 to visit their website online at www.EAPhelplink.com.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law enacted in 1993 that allows eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons. Eligible employees include:

• Have worked for the employer for at least 12 months, which do not have to be consecutive, and
• Have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the start of the FMLA leave.

The FMLA was designed to balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of employees to attend to their own health and well-being, as well as the needs of their families. The FMLA provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave* in a 12-month period. This leave can be used for various reasons, such as:

• The birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child,
• Caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition or
• A serious health condition that prevents the employee from performing their job.
• Qualifying exigencies arising out of the fact that the employee's spouse, child, or parent is on covered active duty or called to covered active-duty status as a member of the National Guard or Reserves.

Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a serious health condition is defined as an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves one or more of the following:

• Inpatient Care: Any period spent in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility, including any subsequent treatment in connection with the inpatient care.
• Incapacity and Treatment: A condition that causes the employee to be unable to perform their job functions or attend school or other regular daily activities, along with the requirement of ongoing treatment by a healthcare provider. The treatment may include but is not limited to visits to a doctor, physical therapy, or prescription medication.
• Chronic Conditions Requiring Periodic Treatment: A condition that requires periodic visits to a healthcare provider for treatment, such as asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy. These conditions may cause episodic rather than continuous periods of incapacity.
• Pregnancy or Prenatal Care: Any period of incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care, or related conditions. This includes incapacity due to severe morning sickness or the need for prenatal rest. Please note that using this leave before a child's birth impacts the FMLA entitlement for recovery and child bonding.
• Chronic Conditions Requiring Supervision: A chronic condition that requires supervision by a healthcare provider but may not necessarily involve active treatment. Examples include Alzheimer's, severe arthritis, or a severe stroke with residual effects.
• Permanent or Long-Term Conditions: Any period of incapacity due to a condition that is not expected to improve significantly or has an indefinite duration, such as terminal illnesses.

The determination of a serious health condition is based on the professional judgment of a healthcare provider and will require medical certification to support the need for FMLA leave.

There are two types of leave under FMLA: continuous and intermittent.

• Continuous FMLA leave refers to taking an uninterrupted block of time off for a qualifying FMLA reason. HCPS requires that employees who are absent for more than five consecutive duty days apply for continuous FMLA.
• Intermittent FMLA leave refers to taking FMLA leave in separate blocks of time rather than in one continuous period. It allows employees to take leave in smaller increments or on an as-needed basis due to their own or a family member's serious health condition. Intermittent FMLA leave can be taken in hourly, daily, or even shorter increments, depending on the employer's policies and the employee's needs. Care, recovery, or treatment should be scheduled outside regular business hours when possible so as to not unduly impact HCPS operations.
  
  SPECIAL NOTE FOR INSTRUCTIONALLY RELATED STAFF AND INTERMITTENT LEAVE: Under FMLA, instructional personnel can take no more than 20% of their scheduled work time off, which equates to about one day per week or about four (4) days per month. If more leave time is needed, you must arrange to take continuous FMLA leave.

During FMLA leave, eligible employees are entitled to maintain their group health benefits and have the right to return to their same or equivalent job upon their return to work. The FMLA also prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for exercising their rights under the law. Under the FMLA, eligible employees have several rights and protections, including:

• The right to take FMLA leave for qualifying reasons without fear of losing their job.
• The right to maintain their group health benefits during FMLA leave.
• The right to be reinstated to their same or equivalent position after FMLA leave.
• Protection against retaliation for exercising their rights under the FMLA.

Should you feel that your circumstances and work/life balance require the use of FMLA, please follow the steps outlined here: https://hcps365.sharepoint.com/sites/HumanResources/Benefits/INFO%20%20FORMS/FMLA%20and%20Leave%20of%20Absence%20Information/FMLA%20Instructions%20to%20Apply/Steps%20to%20apply%20for%20FMLA.pdf.

If you have additional questions, contact the HCPS Benefits Office at (410) 588-5275 or benefits@hcps.org.

Department of Labor FMLA Eligibility Poster: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/fmlaen.pdf

*HCPS requires employees to utilize their available paid leave to cover their absence.

"The 5th grade team at Abingdon Elementary School would like to give a well-earned shout out to Kelly Ziegler, Paraeducator. Kelly ALWAYS goes above and beyond, but she has worked especially hard these first few weeks to be sure our team was ready for our special education students. Our students are learning and growing as a result of her efforts!"

-Colleen Patzer, 5th Grade Teacher, Abingdon Elementary School

"I would like to give a huge shout out to Dave O’Neill, Custodial Service Assistant. Dave has been nothing short of amazing. One of Dave’s many jobs is responding to pest control issues, and this summer we had a high number of bee nests that required immediate attention. Dave has received 200 work orders for pest control just this summer. Not only does Dave respond to these calls, but he handles all the paperwork required for this work, which can be a lot. Dave does not stop all day. He starts his day at 6:00 a.m. to be sure he can get the bees taken care of before the students arrive. His day might end by 4:00 p.m., but there have been several times he receives calls during the day and must run to a building to handle a bee issue after the students have left for the day. We are extremely lucky we have Dave on our facilities team."

-Patty Billings, Custodial Service Coordinator, Facilities Department

"We would like to give a big shout out to Cindy Bond, Administrative Support Technician in Facilities. Cindy is part of the Facilities Safety Committee. She keeps us organized and on task. She takes the minutes from the meetings, which can be difficult because there can be several conversations at one time, but she captures them all. She puts the meetings and classes on the schedule and sends reminders often. Cindy has put together safety binders and kept them updated so everyone can stay on track. We appreciate all her hard work and dedication."

-Tiffany Sawyer, Work Order Coordinator, Facilities

-Julie Uehlein. Risk Manager

Please join us in welcoming the following new employees to the HCPS family:

• Amber Lowe, English Teacher, Edgewood Middle School
• Taylor Ireton, Inclusion Helper, Riverside Elementary School
• Aaron Dukes, Custodian I - Shift 2, Patterson Mill Middle School
• Kimberly Jacobs, Check & Connect Grant Mentor, Special Education Department
• Amber McArthur, Paraeducator, Edgewood Elementary School
• Jaime Navarrate, Paraeducator, Fountain Green Elementary School
• Iyana Presbury, Inclusion Helper, Magnolia Elementary School
• Kaleigh Sasdelli, Paraeducator, Darlington Elementary School
• Jazmine Scott, Inclusion Helper, Homestead Wakefield Elementary School
• Mariam Seedat, Paraeducator, Emmorton Elementary School
• Lisa Sporney, Paraeducator, Youth's Benefit Elementary School
• Kailey Stramara, Paraeducator, Hickory Elementary School
• Elizabeth Tomcho, Paraeducator, North Bend Elementary School
• Vanessa Rodriguez Idrovo, Custodian I - Shift 1, Edgewood Middle School
• Tonia Schisler, Inclusion Helper, Church Creek Elementary School
• Jessica Zerhusen, Paraeducator, North Bend Elementary School

Editor: Lindsay Bilodeau, Innovation Specialist

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