Harford County Board of Education Work Session Oct. 17: Citizen Advisory Committee Recommendations on Sex Education, Career and Technology Programs, Safety and Security, Gifted Education, Special Education

The members of the Harford County Board of Education will hear annual reports from the board’s five citizen advisory committees at a board work session planned for October 17. Reports and recommendations are expected from the committees on family life education, career and technology education, school safety and security, gifted education and special education. Below is a summary and excerpts from the published committee reports, along with links to the full reports:

Family Life Education:

The report from the Citizen Advisory Committee on Family Life Education identifies potential sources of classroom speakers for middle school study units. Potential speaker topics include sexting, contraception, healthy relationships and sexually transmitted disease. The committee also recommends moving the middle school unit on Family Life and Human Development from science class into the 7th grade health curriculum:

The following agencies were identified as possible sources of presenters for middle school units: SARC (healthy relationships, sexting, sexual harassment or bullying), Planned Parenthood (contraception), Marriage Waits (healthy relationships) and the Harford County Health Department (HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases or infections). Presenters from these agencies will be solicited during the 2011-12 school year to develop age appropriate presentations for review.

Committee Recommendations:

1. Short-Term Goal: Approve the placement of the revised middle school Family Life and Human Development Education Unit into the seventh grade health curriculum in all middle schools. In reviewing the revised Family Life and Human Development Unit, the Committee found more content matches with state health content standards than science content standards. Committee members also noted that moving the unit from science, a tested area, to health, a non-tested area, would allow science more time to teach tested concepts. Eight out of nine middle schools already have certified health educators, however, they may not currently teach every seventh grade student. If schools were directed to use this staffing to teach all seventh grade students, only one additional position ($47,000) would be needed to staff the remaining middle school. More may be needed, however, based on the scheduling of unified arts courses.

Career and Technology Education:

The Citizen Advisory Council on Career and Technology Education recommends expanding the quantity and quality of career and technology programs in a report that is chock-full of specifics. A pilot middle school program for Pre-Engineering is recommended with an eye toward implementing the program at selected county high schools. A student run credit union at Edgewood High School is recommended, as is a high school program in Broadcast Technology at Bel Air, Edgewood, North Harford and Patterson Mill. Also recommended is expanding the reach of existing programs in Biomedical Sciences, Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) and Homeland Security, in some cases by moving the programs into more high schools. Some existing programs are recommended to be shifted to different schools. Utilization of the John Archer School building, when vacated due to a planned move to the campus of Bel Air Middle School, is a recommended site for expanded career and technology programs.

The Council requests the Board:

1. Short-Term Goals (within 1-2 years):

Form a partnership with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to pilot the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Middle School Pre-Engineering Program, Gateway to Technology, at least three selected middle schools. SAIC is prepared to provide resources and financial support to help in this endeavor.

Move the CISCO Networking Academy from Joppatowne High School to Harford Technical High School to replace the Computer and Networking Technology program. Include IT Essentials and Cyber Security pathways in the program.

Form a partnership with APG Federal Credit Union to offer a student run credit union at Edgewood High School to provide an on-site training program for students.

Evaluate existing resources in the Office of Community Engagement, Equity and Cultural Proficiency and develop strategies to increase mentoring/internship opportunities for students in CTE programs.

Determine seat capacity and facility utilization at under-enrolled high schools as a basis for determining the location of future magnet/signature programs. Consider magnet program facility, staffing, transportation, equipment and supply needs during Operating Budget deliberations.

2. Mid-Term Goals (within 3-5 years):

Increase the number of students accessing the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Biomedical Sciences program by funding a program specialist position at Bel Air High School to oversee program promotion, implementation, and mentoring/internship opportunities; and/or expanding the program to other locations with connections to a medical community, i.e., Havre de Grace High School.

Implement the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Pre-Engineering program at selected high schools.

Include content on business purchasing/acquisitions in all applicable existing CTE programs.

Implement the state developed Broadcast Technology Program at high schools with communication studios including: Bel Air, Edgewood, North Harford and Patterson Mill

Long-Term Goals (5-10 years):

Expand the Automotive Technology program at Harford Technical High School to include diesel engines and future technologies.

Utilize the John Archer School building, when it is vacated, to expand Career and Technology Education program offerings.

Increase the number of students accessing the Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Program by moving the Homeland Security Sciences and Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement pathways from Joppatowne High School to other high schools like Aberdeen, C. Milton Wright, Fallston, Havre De Grace, or Patterson Mill, or elevating the program at Joppatowne High School to magnet status when the building is renovated.

Increase the number of students accessing the Computer Aided Design and Drafting Program by moving it from Harford Technical High School to other designated high schools. If the CADD program would be moved from HTHS, equivalent industry standard computer software would have to be purchased for the other schools. Elements of CADD would then be woven into the Construction Technologies program at HTHS. In order to keep school enrollment stable at HTHS, another CTE program of equal rigor would be added or existing programs expanded.

Expand the quantity and quality of CTE programs offered to students (ex. Oracle Database Academy, IT Network Security, Electronics).

Move the Animal Sciences program from Harford Technical High School to North Harford High School to align with the Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences magnet program.

School Safety and Security

In the following excerpts from the published report by the Citizen Advisory Committee on Safety and Security, the committee recommends the continuation and expansion of the school resource officer program; continued and expanded use of video surveillance on school buses, and retaining the SWIPE K-12 student monitoring system at Bel Air and Edgewood high schools:

1) The Committee recommends the continuation and expansion of the School Resource Officer Program. We believe this is an invaluable program and fully support its use in all schools in Harford County. The cost associated with this program includes providing an office, phone line, and data port connections. The respective law enforcement agencies incur the associated costs of assigning officers.

2) The Committee recommends that HCPS continue to use video surveillance on the 13 school buses and add additional buses in the coming years. Video surveillance systems enhance student safety and enable investigators to quickly and accurately resolve incidents when they do occur. If the county moves in this direction, all new buses and replacement buses would come equipped with surveillance at a one-time cost of $2,000 which would be built into the per vehicle allotment (PVA). It is worth noting that HCPS Transportation Department and bus contractors are heavily in favor of expanding this technology.

3) The Committee believes that the SWIPE K12 program is a beneficial student management tool and recommends that HCPS continue the program in the Bel Air and Edgewood High Schools. Automated attendance systems are quickly becoming essential to efficient and cost-effective attendance recordkeeping for HCPS. Therefore, the Committee further recommends the program be extended to include additional schools based on funding availability.

Gifted Education

The Citizen Advisory Committee on Gifted Education was charged this year with conducting a series of community forums to discuss the goals and expectations of gifted education in Harford County Public Schools. The forums were to include input from parents, students, teachers, and business partners.

The committee elected to conduct an online survey open to all parents, prior to conducting the forums. The status of the project is outlined in the following excerpt from the committee report:

Given the scope of the charge, the committee was able to complete the project plan, development of the online survey, distribute the survey, and collect data. The remaining pieces will be completed throughout the 2011-2012 school year.

Special Education

The Citizen Advisory Committee for Special Education report makes a series of recommendations to improve the connection between the parents of special needs students and the resources and information parents need. The Committee recommendations are as follows:

1) Staffing the Partners for Success Resource Center beyond a singular part-time staff person to meet the needs of providing information to the special education community,

2) Encourage a systematic means for disseminating information about Partners for Success and the services that they are already providing through the following avenues:

a) A Special Education Resource Link under the Parents Tab of the HCPS website
b) The HCPS phone system and,
c) Partners for Success literature or offer to be added to the Partners for Success email list at the local school level IEP meetings.

3) Encourage a systematic means for disseminating information about Harford SECAC [Special Education Citizen Advisory Committee] as an additional resource to parents of special needs children and young adults, utilizing:

a) A Special Education Resource Link under the Parents Tab of the HCPS website
b) The HCPS phone system and,
c) The Harford SECAC Brochure and Calendar of Events literature