Monday, September 24, 2012
Howard County Police say the boy was restrained "for his own safety."
Police handcuffed an 11-year-old autistic boy on a Howard County school bus last week after the boy allegedly bit adults and students while being transported from the Kennedy Krieger Institute, reports The Baltimore Sun. The bus driver and an aide contacted the police after the boy–who does not talk–broke free from his seat harness and bit at least four people, according to The Sun. Howard County Police spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn told the paper that the officer restrained the boy, "for his own safety and the safety of the others on the bus." The boy's mother, who lives in Columbia, said she was contacted after the police were called and she wants both the school system and police department to evaluate their protocol for instances …
Friday, September 21, 2012
Man collected $4,600 to deliver pro players to school assemblies, now gets eight years in prison.
An Annapolis man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for charging Howard County schools and PTAs to bring Ravens football players to their assemblies and then not delivering, ABC 2 News reports. Prosecutors said Joseph Gill, 53, of Anne Arundel County, took $4,600 from five schools and PTA groups in Howard County last year. According to reports, Gill promised Ravens players would attend the school anti-bullying assemblies. After he cashed the checks, however, Gill said that the players couldn’t make it after all. According to court records, Gill admitted to running similar scams at four schools in Baltimore County, collecting $1,200 there, and 17 schools in Anne Arundel County, where he collected nearly $14,000. For more local …
Monday, September 10, 2012
Should students have more access to technology at school? Tell us in the comments.
One school board member is proposing increased access to the Internet and mobile devices for students in Howard County schools. During a discussion about technology at a recent Board of Education meeting, school board member Brian Meshkin proposed changing what is known as the school system's "Acceptable Use Policy" to one focused on "Responsible Use." According to the "Acceptable Use Policy," only high school students may use Internet independently in the Howard County Public School System. They must also have signed permission slips to do so. Students in grades kindergarten through eight may not use the Internet independently, according to the policy. Should students have more Internet access during the school day? Tell us in comments. …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Renee Foose says she's establishing environment of transparency, efficiency in Howard County.
Transparency is one of the first orders of business at her new job, according to the new superintendent of the Howard County Public School System. To gain what she called a “higher level of accountability” and a “higher level of service to schools,” according to the Howard County Times, Renee Foose, 45, is creating the office of accountability within the school system. Through Aug. 2, the school system is seeking applicants for its new position of Chief Accountability Officer. The officer will produce an annual accountability report and oversee applied research, program evaluation, student assessment, internal auditing operations and technology operations and support, according to the job description. The salary range is $105,536 to $192,…
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Check out some of the best student artwork on display at Columbia Mall
In case you haven't seen it, there's some great work by local artists on display at the Columbia Mall this month. This is the 40th year the Columbia Mall is hosting art displays from schools throughout the county. There are currently over 3,000 pieces of student artwork on display throughout the mall from 73 elementary, middle and high schools in Howard County, according to a spokesperson for the mall. The project is organized by the Office of Fine Arts at the Howard County Public School System. On Monday, Patch navigated the mall and picked 36 pieces that stood out. Editor's Note: You may find some distortions in the images caused by the camera's lens. Which piece is your favorite? Tell us in the comments.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Have you seen these masterpieces of modern food?
Spring Break ended this week for students in Howard County, but not before a handful of students from several Columbia high schools volunteered their time, energy and smarts toward helping end hunger in their neighborhoods. Seven students from Long Reach, Wilde Lake, Oakland Mills and River Hill high schools worked for several hours Monday stacking canned foods for a display at the Mall in Columbia in hopes to raise hunger awareness and funds for the Howard County Food Bank. "We have all our lives to go on these little vacations, but it's our senior year and you want to end with something really positive," said Swathi Narayan, 18, who will soon graduate from Oakland Mills. The student group, called Food for Tomorrow, is a student-led …
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The Mall in Columbia
10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD
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Friday, March 30, 2012
Two incumbents revealed information about process of selecting the school system's new leader.
Some candidates running for the three open seats on Howard County's school board said the Board of Education lacked openness in its decision this week to select Renee Foose, deputy superintendent in Baltimore County, as the new superintendent of Howard County schools. That contention was supported by at least one member of the current school board. “I am very pleased with the candidate we ended up with,” said incumbent Allen Dyer. “However, the process was fatally flawed." School board candidate Ann De Lacy agreed during a forum hosted by the Greater Elkridge Community Association on Wednesday. "I do have a problem with the transparency," she said. De Lacy and some of the 12 other school board candidates at the forum expressed concern …
Monday, March 26, 2012
The Board of Education will be hosting two meet-and-greets Monday with finalists for the new HCPSS Superintendent.
The Howard County Board of Education (BOE) has selected two finalists for superintendent of schools. Dr. S. Dallas Dance, chief school officer for the Houston Independent School District in Texas, and Dr. Renee A. Foose, deputy superintendent of the Baltimore County Public Schools, will be introduced to school system employees and the community at two "meet and greet" events Monday, March 26 at the Department of Education building. From 2 - 4 p.m., each candidate will have one hour to meet with attendees informally. Then from 6 - 8 p.m. the BOE will host a question and answer forum for the community. Each candidate will have one hour to respond to questions from the audience. The forum will be broadcast live online on HCPSS TV, cable …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The endorsements show the educators association's frustration with the current make up of the board.
The Howard County Education Association, which represents more than 5,000 teachers and school staff in the county, has endorsed three non-incumbents—Ann DeLacy, David Gertler and Jackie Scott for the county board of education. “We need change on the Board of Education,” said HCEA President Paul Lemle in an interview. “These are by far the most educated, best prepared, ready-to-serve candidates.” In a statement released by the HCEA, Lemle said, “The current members hold each other in contempt. This dichotomy is an inherent contradiction; the two states cannot coexist.” The association, which is the exclusive representative of teachers in Howard County for collective bargaining, endorsed incumbents Janet Siddiqui, Ellen Flynn Giles and Allen…
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Check the HCPSS newsletter for information about senior week, school board candidates and more.
Remmy
1:32 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I have been in this situation years ago, was bitten - I did not know how to deal with it and few teachers knew or were trained. The parents knew of the violence; but did not alert the staff. I agree with Matt M, what could the police have done? They are trained to bring a situation to a peaceful end. The parents need to insure qualified people surround the child to prevent injury to others. This … more ›