From the Harford County Board of Education:
The Board of Education of Harford County met in an open business meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, November 5, 2012, in the Board Room of the HCPS/A.A. Roberty Building and took the following actions or received the following presentations:
Approved the Consent Agenda:
1. Affirmation of Monthly Contract Awards
2. Minutes of Previous Board Meeting: October 22, 2012
3. Award of Contract: Network Infrastructure Equipment for Fallston High School
Received a presentation on the Havre de Grace High School Scope Study and discussed the four options presented to rebuild, renovate or replace the existing facility. From one of the categories presented, it was recommended that a new replacement school (Option C) would offer the best long-term solutions for the academic program and resolve the safety, security and administrative challenges for the students, staff and visitors with the ‘open campus’ conditions created by the separation between the existing school buildings by Congress Avenue and also between the buildings and fields by Juniata Street. The Board decided to forego a decision at this point to allow for more time to review the options presented and to collect public input.
Received a presentation on the work of the Office of Community Engagement, Equity and Cultural Proficiency.
Received the Superintendent’s Report:
Expressed appreciation for all of the staff that helped support the community in getting through Hurricane Sandy and allowing our students to get back to school as quickly and as safely as possible. In addition, provided information regarding the academic calendar. The academic calendar was built with 188 days this year. This calendar includes eight more days than the state minimum requirement of 180 days. To date, we have used three of those days. June 17th is the last possible day of school for students with all eight inclement weather days used. If we do not use all eight days, we will dismiss students earlier in June. The State Board of Education and the State Superintendent will not entertain waivers for days used until after the winter season when many of our inclement weather days are likely to be used. The State of Emergency issued by the Governor does not directly correlate to a waiver of days missed from MSDE. We will work with the state to discuss our options after the snow season.
Announced an event that will take place on November 12 at 2:45 p.m. at C. Milton Wright High School celebrating an honor for the Harford County Public Schools.
The next meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air. To access all future Board meeting dates, log onto the school system website at www.hcps.org.
OK, first it’s not safe for the children to cross Juniata Street to get to the Athletic Fields. Solutions move the school building across the street and replace the existing building with new sports fields. I guess it’s safer to cross the street heading east as opposed to not safe heading west.
Second, the proposed school site is in a flood plain. Lilly Run always floods the fields before it floods the streets. Solution, build a new school in the flood plain and cause more flooding on the streets and surrounding properties.
Third, the proposed building site was a swamp and the site is all fill.
Forth, Building a new school does nothing to improve the curriculum offered at the present school. It’s just the same as re-gifting a present you received and don’t want.
If there is truly a need to build a new school, Harford County needs to look for a new site and build a new campus that doesn’t have a road or street bisecting the campus and a high speed rail line running through it’s back yard.
Since when can’t a high schooler cross a street? In my day that stuff was taught in elementary school. UNREAL 71 million dollars because teenagers can’t cross a street? MAYBE WE SHOULD SAVE THE DAMN MONEY AND USE IT TO TEACH THEM TO LOOK BOTH WAYS. WHAT A JOKE!