News

• Any desired supplemental digital tools that are not currently on the approved/not approved tools list should be submitted using the new Digital Tools Request form found in the Service Request (SR) System by May 30. 

  Additional Information: A digital tool is an interactive website, application including Google services, or software that requires an account with a username and password. HCPSS categorizes digital tools as Supplementary or Essential.  

  More information, including currently approved tools, can be found on the HCPSS Digital Tools public website and the Digital Tools Canvas community. If, after reviewing the information, you have questions regarding the approval process for digital tools, please email Julie Wray.

  • When staff submit a request through the SR system, principals/supervisors will need to sign off. A supervisor might deny a request because the tool is not instructionally appropriate or requires a purchase that is not within the school’s budget. 
  • Following supervisor approval, the tool is reviewed for data privacy, accessibility, technology, and curriculum standards.
  • Throughout the workflow, the submitter will receive updated emails regarding the status of their submission.
  • Forms submitted after May 30 may not be approved for the start of the next school year and will be reviewed as time allows.  
  • Staff are reminded that P-cards cannot be used to purchase supplemental digital tools.
  • Supplementary Digital Tools: HCPSS authorizes digital tools to be used as supplementary (non-essential) enrichments to staff and students’ educational experiences. Parents have the right to opt their students out of these digital tools. Examples include Khan Academy, Kahoot, and Plickers.
  • Essential Digital Tools*: Essential Digital Tools are digital tools that HCPSS considers necessary to deliver educational programs and operational services that support the system's goals. Examples include, but are not limited to, those linked on the student landing page, hcpss.me.
    
    *School-based staff should not request essential digital tools. These are requested by curriculum staff. 

HCPSS Acting Superintendent William J. Barnes on April 22 announced the recipients of the school system’s annual principal and teachers of the year award:

• Principal of the Year: Dr. Joelle Miller, Centennial High School
• Teacher of the Year: Jeanette Swank, Ellicott Mills Middle School
• Teacher of the Year: Jessica Nichols, River Hill High School

Each recipient was named during surprise visits at their respective schools, and will be recognized at an upcoming Howard County Board of Education meeting. The three also serve as the HCPSS nominees for Washington Post Principal of the Year, Washington Post Teacher of the Year (Swank) and Maryland State Department of Education Teacher of the Year (Nichols).

Read more about these outstanding staff members online.

Staff should be aware there is the potential for meaningful emails to be directed to staff members’ junk folders.  

Because email providers and their users are inundated with unsolicited email, providers use various strategies to try to help their users focus on the email that are important to them, and to block or sort malicious and/or unwanted correspondences. One effective strategy is an automation that sorts messages that have a high likelihood of being spam into a Junk or Spam folder.  At times, this automation may lead to meaningful emails to be directed to a junk folder. 

Recommendations: 

• Check your Junk mail folder regularly.
• Teach your account which emails are junk and which are relevant. Over time the algorithm used will be more in tune with your wishes. 

Please contact HCPSS Technology Support at techsupport@hcpss.org if you require technical assistance.

Staff emailing external recipients should be on the lookout for bounce back messages and seek alternative means of communications and/or try again later if bounce back messages are received. 

Staff are seeing an increased number of bounce back messages when emailing some external addresses that say “Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups: <email address>...Your message couldn't be delivered. Despite repeated attempts to contact the recipient's email system it didn't respond.”  Reports have shown that some yahoo.com and aol.com addresses have been impacted and there may be others. Microsoft has confirmed that a third-party anti-spam service is blocking a portion of Microsoft’s servers to protect organizations that use their services. Microsoft is working with the anti-spam service to rectify the issue. 

Please email HCPSS Technology Support at techsupport@hcpss.org if you require technical assistance. 

Using unknown USB drives poses a significant security risk, as they may contain malware or other malicious software. 

To safeguard our network and protect your data, please adhere to the following guidelines: 

1. Avoid Connecting Unknown USB Drives: Refrain from plugging in any USB drive that you find or receive from an unknown or untrusted source. If a community member needs to share files with you, suggest they place the files in a secure online location, such as Google Drive, and use the sharing permissions to provide access. 
2. Report Suspicious Drives: If you come across an unattended or suspicious USB drive, please follow your school’s regular lost and found procedures so that owners can potentially find their lost USB drive, and if not dispose of the drive. 

A new resource: USB Attacks: Small Devices, Big Threats, has been added to your KnowBe4 library. The resource can be accessed by navigating to the Staff Hub > Services > KnowBe4 Cybersecurity Resources > Library. 

By following these guidelines, we can collectively enhance the security of our systems and ensure a safe working environment. 

Please contact HCPSS Technology Support at techsupport@hcpss.org if you require technical assistance.

The Get To Know series was created to help staff learn more about HCPSS leaders in schools and offices with whom they may not typically interact. HCPSS leaders answer a mix of personal and professional questions in an effort to let all employees get to know them better. 

Why did you choose to work in education?
As a student at University of Maryland, I led lobbying efforts to improve access to education and that fueled my passion to get involved in public service. That led to a career in public policy at the federal, state and local levels and in each of those roles, the most rewarding work I did was around education initiatives and I believe I have now come full circle.

While I'm not an educator, my job is to ensure that our educators, support staff, administrators, and students have the resources, services and access they need to ensure a high quality of education and supports. Whether it's enhancing existing programs or supporting a new program, opening a new building, or even navigating an emergency situation, I get to see the positive impact of our work every single day. 

What is the best professional advice you've ever received?
Senator Barbara Mikulski had some of the best guiding principles and I continue to use at least three of them on a regular basis:

• Always be clear about "What is the objective we seek?"
• We cannot always guarantee an outcome but we must guarantee an effort.
• Do not explain an abstraction with an abstraction.

What is something you like a lot that would surprise people?
Ketchup on pasta. I will probably regret putting this in writing. 

What is on your bucket list?
I love music and would love to learn to play the guitar.

What is the most interesting place you’ve ever been?
Rio de Janeiro. Beautiful city with a lot of culture, history and amazing food. I would love to go back and spend some more time there.

Why did you choose to work in education?
Originally, I wanted to go into the field of Criminal Justice to eventually become an FBI agent, while somehow being an obstetrician. Go figure! While studying at Alabama State University, I had a few field assignments. One was to go to an elementary classroom to observe children learning. I will never forget that day! When I walked into the classroom at that moment, I knew that the classroom was where I was meant to be! My passion for foundational education began right there. Because of that experience, upon returning to campus that day, I went to my advisor and changed my major to Elementary Education.

What is the best professional advice you've ever received?
"Be the educator you needed when you were in elementary school."

What is something you like a lot that would surprise people?
I really love dinosaurs! I am sure this will surprise many that know me! I thoroughly enjoy watching movies with dinosaurs in them and find time to watch a particular movie series each week.

What is on your bucket list?
1. Learn to speak Spanish fluently
2. Educate aspiring teachers at the collegiate level
3. Take a mission trip to Africa with my husband
4. Take a religious trip to Jerusalem with my husband and three sons
5. Open a few restaurants in Alaska
6. Learn Sign Language
7. Have my own clothing line
8. Attain a sizable dinosaur statue/sculpture at home

What is the most interesting place you’ve ever been?
I am originally from Anchorage, Alaska. I was blessed to be born and raised in such an amazing place. I recommend that you visit at least once in your lifetime. It is a beautiful, mountainous and majestic state. I am still amazed by its beauty when I go back to visit my parents and family members.

What is something you are proud of? 
I have been an HCPSS educator for 18 of my 21 years in public education. I am truly blessed, honored and proud to be a part of a public school system that prioritizes the humanness of its students and staff members. I appreciate the investment into the “whole person” and the value of what each individual brings to the table. Not only am I a proud employee of HCPSS, I am a proud HCPSS parent. I am so proud of the fact that by the end of this school year, I will have had the unique privilege of handing all three of my sons their high school diplomas. I am #HCPSSProud.

Why did you choose to work in education?
I wanted to assist in ensuring students received the appropriate services under the law. Working within a school system appeared to be the more effective route to support students and ensure required services were provided as opposed to suing school systems on behalf of individual students. Also, my father served on the school board throughout my education and handed me my diploma as his last act as a Board member.

What is the best professional advice you've ever received?
Always keep the interest of the students at the forefront of any discussions as the business of the school system is to educate the students.

What is something you like a lot that would surprise people?
Rooting for Tottenham Hotspur, English Premier League, and playing Premier League Fantasy Football.

What is on your bucket list?
To visit presidential birthplaces and libraries throughout the United States.

What is the most interesting place you’ve ever been?
The Cathedral of Bones in Evora, Portugal. The country is beautiful; the Cathedral is a bit creepy, but extremely interesting to see.

The attached letter serves as notification, as required by law, of the availability for public review of AsbestosManagement Plans for Howard County Public Schools.

For additional information, contact the HCPSS Office of the Environment at 410-313-8874.

Multi-Factor authentication (MFA) is a security measure that requires users to enter multiple sources of authentication before being granted access to their account. Beginning last school year, HCPSS has been actively implementing MFA across the district. Staff are receiving messages notifying them of mandatory MFA enrollment when they login.

While staff who were not already enrolled were provided additional time to due to summer break, staff currently not enrolled in MFA will begin to see the number of days left to enroll shrink to zero in the coming weeks. Once the timeline runs out, staff will not be able to log in to systems until they enroll. Staff are encouraged to use the instructions to self enroll prior to their window closing. 

Direct questions to TechSupport@hcpss.org.