'Traditional' Inclement Weather Day Plan Temporarily In Place For HCPS

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — The Harford County community can voice their opinion now as to whether "traditional" inclement weather days will continue or asynchronous instruction will be implemented instead.

In the meantime, school leaders announced as of Jan. 2 that if there is a need to close schools and offices for inclement weather, a "traditional" inclement weather day will take place as they await approval of the asynchronous instruction plan by the school board and then the Maryland State Department of Education.

"Several weeks ago, HCPS staff asked our community to complete a survey on preferences for inclement weather days in the 2023-2024 school year. Most of our community was in support of applying to the Maryland State Department of Education to conduct asynchronous instruction on up to three inclement weather days," the school district stated.

Asynchronous instruction is when students participate at their own speed and on their own schedule, not requiring “live” attendance or instruction on the day of the inclement weather closure. Conducting asynchronous instruction on an inclement weather day means the day will count towards the 180 student instructional days that are required in the school calendar.

The school board has been presented with the plan that will be used to implement asynchronous instruction in an inclement weather scenario. The board intends to make a final decision at its Jan. 18 meeting, according to the agenda. Feedback from the community is still being accepted on the plan. If the board approves the plan, it will then be submitted to the MDSE for approval.

"If the application is submitted to MSDE and approved, a notification will be sent to our community to ensure you’re aware of the virtual instruction plan on inclement weather days and how it will be implemented if needed in the future," school leaders noted.

The board also has approved the 2024-2025 Harford County Public Schools school year calendar, which can be seen on the calendar page. The first day of school for students will be Sept. 3, 2024. The last day of school, if all six inclement weather days are utilized, will be June 23, 2025. If no inclement weather days are needed, the last day of school for the 2024-2025 HCPS school year will be June 12, 2025.