The Howard County Public School System will begin a phased-in transition to a hybrid instructional model, beginning March 1. By Friday, February 5, parents/guardians must make a decision to send their child to school for 1-2 days per week and receive virtual instruction the remainder of the week, or to have their child remain fully virtual for the remainder of the school year. Certain student groups including, but not limited to, students receiving Special Education services and others requiring additional learning support, will have the opportunity to receive in-school learning on 5 days per week. All parents/guardians have the option to have their child continue virtual learning full time for the remainder of the current school year. 

To prepare for this transition, HCPSS requests that parents/guardians complete a two-question survey by 4 p.m., Friday, February 5, with your decision:

• The type of instructional model – hybrid or fully virtual – that you choose for your child
• Whether bus service will be used, for children who are eligible for this service
  • If your child is designated as a walker, transportation will not be provided. View the School Bus Locator for your child’s transportation eligibility. PLEASE NOTE: Pickup times and bus stop locations are being updated and are subject to change. At this time, the School Bus Locator should only be used to determine if your child receives transportation service.

• See directions below for accessing this form. Please complete by 4 p.m., Friday, February 5. Please contact your school if you require assistance completing the form.

  To complete the form:

  Log in to HCPSS Connect
  Select More Options from the left panel
  Select “In-Person Commitment” from the middle of the page
  Complete the questions in the form for each child and select “Save”

Please note the following:

• Answers to frequently asked questions on student in-person return can be found on the HCPSS Help site. This site will be continually updated as new information becomes available.
• The Board of Education on January 26, 2021 approved the following phased-in model for student in-person return:
  • Week of March 1: Students identified for the 5-days-per-week program
  • Week of March 15: Students in grades prekindergarten, Kindergarten, 1 and 2
  • Week of March 29: Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, and students attending programs at the HCPSS ARL
  • Week of April 12: Students in grades 7, 8, 10 and 11
• HCPSS is striving to offer students two days per week of in-person learning. However, if the number of requests exceeds capacity, due to social distancing requirements, HCPSS may offer only one in-person day per week. 
• Parents/guardians who opt for their student to remain fully virtual may request to switch to the hybrid in-person model at any time during the 2020-2021 school year. However, approval of that request is dependent on available space, social distancing guidelines, and other factors.
• For families that opt to send students back in-person, HCPSS will make every effort to group siblings together. However, the school system cannot guarantee that siblings will be in the same grouping. Please take this into consideration when making your decision.
• Additional information on HCPSS spring planning can be found online.