Harford County Public Schools Learning Support Centers Open

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — As the fall semester begins Tuesday, Harford County Public Schools is opening Learning Support Centers that will operate on school days.

More than 40 schools will function as Learning Support Centers, and about 5 percent of the county's public school population will attend them, according to Harford County Public Schools.

The centers will have two adults per eight students in accordance with the desire to prevent large gatherings, according to Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Sean Bulson.

"We have safety protocols in place to closely monitor the Learning Support Centers to ensure bringing students and staff into our school buildings does not contribute to increased transmission of the coronavirus," Bulson said in a statement.

Students 5 years old and up will be required to wear face coverings. Buses will run at reduced capacity, with one student per seat with face coverings required.

There were 2,665 confirmed cases of the virus in Harford County as of Monday, Sept. 7, according to the Maryland Department of Health, which reported nearly 113,000 cases statewide.

As of early August, officials said 2,519 students were scheduled to go into Learning Support Centers in Harford County Public Schools.

Here is a list of the Learning Support Centers and schedules. The phases for opening them are outlined below.

Phase One — Tuesday, Sept. 8

• Students who signed up for a middle or high school site
• Elementary students that are without Internet access
• FARMS students
• Special education students
• ELL students
• Children whose parents/guardians are essential employees, including educators
• Kindergarten students identified in Phase 1 will report on Wednesday, Sept. 9

Phase Two — Tuesday, Sept. 22

• Remaining primary students on learning support center lists, grades kindergarten through 2

Phase Three — Tuesday, Oct. 6

• Remaining intermediate students on learning support center lists in grades 3 through 5

"We are doing everything we can to ensure staffing and space to accommodate those who need to utilize the Learning Support Centers," Harford County Public Schools said in a statement.

Plans for transportation to/from the Learning Support Centers will be uploaded to the School Bus Locator on hcps.org. Officials said times will change after the first few weeks of school as routes and actual ridership are fine-tuned, and any changes will be communicated directly with families.

See Also:

• Virtual School In Harford County: Families, Lawmakers Push Back
• Superintendent Responds To Delegation On HCPS Plan For Virtual Learning
• HCPS To Set Up Learning Support Centers
• Harford County Students To Learn Virtually For First Semester
• HCPS Virtual Learning Plan Approved By Harford County Board Of Ed