Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) will maintain virtual instruction for students during inclement weather days for the 2020-21 school year.

Officials announced this will allow the school system to decide earlier when inclement weather is expected and provide families with earlier notice so they are able to make necessary adjustments. The Maryland State Department of Education has approved the inclusion of virtual instruction days and therefore these days will not need to be made up at the end of the school year.

From HCPS’s website:

On inclement weather days that virtual instruction is implemented, the same virtual schedule will be implemented that has been in place for the 2020-2021 school year. Students will be expected to log in to each of their classes and attendance will be recorded. To provide consistency and remain aligned to current virtual instruction schedules, instruction will be synchronous on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and asynchronous on Friday.

It is important to note that the primary purpose for closing schools is for safety. Canceling all instruction on inclement weather days would require make-up days to be used in the summer. By being able to use virtual instruction during inclement weather days, HCPS will be able to follow the academic calendar as scheduled. This will allow staff better flexibility to implement summer interventions without disruption for students requiring the additional academic support.

See more information on HCPS’s website.

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