Thursday, April 11, 2013
Students can now buy breakfast upon arrival at Howard County schools.
The Howard County Public Schools System’s Board of Education announced they will now offer breakfast for students in the mornings upon arrival to school. Options for breakfast will include staples such as bagels and yogurt, as well as other foods that will be peanut free to reduce to risk of allergic reactions. The price for each breakfast will be $1.75. For those in the reduced lunch program, each breakfast will cost 30 cents. Children enrolled in the free lunch program will also be eligible for free breakfast. Some of the schools will offer breakfast to students in each classroom while others will utilize a grab-and-go model. The grab-and-go model will allow students to pay for their breakfast in the cafeteria before walking to …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Howard County, Maryland educators not so sure.
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Thursday, April 4
By Yagana Shah and Jeremy Barr, Capital News Service WASHINGTON -- Arming teachers and other personnel is the best approach to combat gun violence in schools, the National Rifle Association reiterated Tuesday. “We want the debate focused on school safety,” said former Arkansas Congressman Asa Hutchinson at the National Press Club. “Teachers should teach, but if there is a personnel that has good experience, has interest in it and is willing to go through the training...then that is an appropriate resource a school should be able to utilize.” Howard County schools won't be utilizing any such training anytime soon. "The HCPSS does not have plans in place to arm teachers or other education professionals," was the reply from school …
Sunday, March 17, 2013
HCPSS was honored with an award for transparency.
The Howard County Public Schools System (HCPSS) recently received an award for its website’s transparency. The Sunshine Review, a non-profit entity that gathers and distributes informations on local governments, gave a yearly Sunny Award to the HCPSS. Howard County’s school system was one of two Maryland school systems to receive a Sunny Award for its website, the other being the Anne Arundel County Public Schools System. “The Sunny Awards recognize governments that make transparency a priority,” said Sunshine Review President Michael Barnhart in a release. “The winners of the Sunny Awards are cities, counties and school districts that proactively share the public information that empowers citizens and keeps government accountable to the …
Friday, March 15, 2013
A Long Reach High senior has spearheaded efforts to remove the trays from schools.
Every year the Howard County School System purchases 5,000 cases of polystyrene trays. Each case contains 500 trays -- that’s about 2.5 million trays used by students every year, according to data provided by the school system. Each year, all these trays, used daily in the schools’ cafeterias, eventually make their way to the Howard County landfill, according to the school system. The trays don’t leak, they’re reasonably strong, and they’re cheap, but because of their oil-based composition, they are also resistant to decomposition. The school system is actively looking for ways to replace the trays with something more environmentally friendly, but is running up against a federal 'Buy American' provision as well as the high cost of …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The issue of school start times is getting national attention. What do you think?
A movement to push back high school start times so that teens can get more sleep has been brewing across the country and right here in Maryland. In board of education hearings and council meetings from Florida to Minnesota to Washington, parents and students are pleading their cases and governments are taking note. Here in Howard County, the school system has begun a feasibility study and imact anaylsis to tackle the issue of school start times. In December, the Superintendent of Montgomery County Schools established a work group to study the issue and residents of Anne Arundel County have also asked their local officials to consider starting high school later. Take a look at some of those links, sort through the pros, cons, research and …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Is bullying really worse than it used to be? If it is, should we blame the Internet?
The Columbia story of Noah Brocklebank has gained national attention as the latest high-profile story about bullying. That often prompts the question from Patch readers: Is bullying really worse than it used to be? If it is, should we blame the Internet? There’s no consensus among experts on those questions, but there is consensus that 1) bullying is a huge problem that’s only beginning to be addressed, and 2) new forms of bullying require new forms of support. Once people understand the scale of the problem, they usually have a new question: How can I help? The scale of the bullying problem About 18 percent of U.S. students said they are afraid that someone will hurt or bother them at school, according to a survey on youth risk behavior …
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Howard County school district issued the following announcement Friday morning.
All Howard County schools are opening two hours late Friday, Howard County school officials said in an email sent shortly after 5:30 a.m. Friday. There will also be no half day programs. All morning programs sponsored by the Columbia Association and the Dept. of Recreation & Parks in Howard County public schools will be delayed two hours. The late start comes after the National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook Thursday for Howard County and much of central and western Maryland warning residents to expect a wintry mix with possible freezing rain Thursday night into Friday morning. See related: Wintry Mix Thursday Night Could Create Icy Conditions in Howard County
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Is it time for kindergarten next year? Here’s how to get registered.
If your child is old enough, the time has come to register him or her for kindergarten. Every child who is 5 years old by Sept. 1 must enroll in kindergarten, or have a waiver, according to the Howard County school district. District officials are recommending that children are registered soon, as school staffing is based on enrollment numbers. Kindergarten registration is occurring between Feb. 25 and March 1st at several Elkridge area schools, according to school newsletters. You register your child by contacting your child’s school to schedule an appointment, district officials said. The following items are needed to register your child for kindergarten, according to Elkridge area schools: • Parent photo I.D. (driver's license, military…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Police said a 17-year-old was charged with second-degree rape after an incident on Monday.
This post was updated at 3:00 p.m. to include a statement from Howard County Public Schools. A 17-year-old Wilde Lake High School student was charged with rape after police said he assaulted a 14-year-old female student inside an unoccupied classroom inside the high school. DeShawn Rasheed Jones, of Columbia, will be charged as an adult with second-degree rape, according to police. The girl told police that Jones met the girl in the hallway on Monday and asked her to cut class with him, police said. According to police, she walked around inside the school with Jones and then he pulled her into an unoccupied room. Inside the room, Jones blocked the door and wouldn't let her leave, according to police. The girl told police Jones held her …
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
What is the relationship between start times and student well-being?
Teenagers need about nine hours of sleep per night, according to the Mayo Clinic. With Howard County high schools starting at 7:25 a.m., how likely is it that students are arriving to school well rested, healthy and prepared for the day ahead? In a statement released this week, the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) announced it will be taking a “comprehensive look at the opening time of schools and the impact that an early opening has on the health and well-being of high school students." What do you think? Should high schools start later in the day to accommodate teenagers’ natural sleep cycles? Tell us in the comments. It’s a topic that has been on the agendas of school boards from California to Wisconsin and throughout …
Carl-hermann Freese
9:50 pm on Thursday, April 4, 2013
Yes and is that a problem, some often question the wisdom that simple forces a pprofessional predator to go elsewhere. The predators first set of forays in to a new area are the most dangerous. Refusing to do something that will make the pick a less familiar target, makes little tactical sense. more ›