Harford County Public Schools prepared for the worst, and now the worst has happened. Snowfall in late December combined with back-to-back blizzards in February have used up all six of the snow days built into the school calendar, meaning that students will now be in class on March 31 and April 1, delaying the start […]
Superintendent Tomback Defends Drama Therapy During Harford Delegation Meeting
At an unusual and perhaps unprecedented meeting called by the Harford Delegation to discuss a controversial high school program known as “Drama Therapy”, Harford Schools Superintendent Robert Tomback acknowledged for the first time that mistakes had been made with the Drama Therapy program presented at a Havre de Grace High School assembly on December 4, […]
No Pass, No Play. No Problem? Do School Activity Eligibility Requirements Help Students?
The school rule known as “No Pass/No Play” is designed to motivate high school students to pass every class, or be barred from school-sponsored extracurricular activities. “No pass” means no football, no drama, no nothing, for students with failing grades. The rule sends some powerful messages: Academics come first. Failure has consequences. Don’t mess with […]
Property Tax Task Force Gets Push from Harford County
The property tax assessment process in Maryland is broken, and a task force will find ways to fix it. That’s the thinking behind proposed legislation getting a push from elected officials and tax-payer advocates in Harford County. With Senator Barry Glassman and Delegate H. Wayne Norman as lead sponsors in the State Senate and House […]
‘Disabled’ E-mail Account Leads to Grievance Against Harford Schools Superintendent
The Dagger has obtained the following memo to the members of the Harford County Education Association from President Randy Cerveny, outlining the events leading up to the filing of a grievance over the Association’s use of the Harford County Public Schools e-mail system. The grievance was filed by the HCEA with Harford Schools Superintendent Robert […]
Letter from Havre de Grace Principal Outlines Action Plan for Drama Therapy
In the following letter dated January 21, 2010, Havre de Grace High School Principal Patricia Walling invites parents to see a video of the controversial production known as Drama Therapy and outlines a four-point action plan being implemented for future productions. Drama Therapy is a changing series of short plays which have been presented by […]
Harford Schools E-mail Mystery – Grievance Filed by Harford Education Association
Is Harford County Public Schools blocking e-mails from the president of the teachers’ union to Harford teachers? Acting on a tip from a reader, The Dagger contacted the president of the Harford County Education Association, Randy Cerveny, who confirmed that e-mails he sent to teachers through the schools’ e-mail system were suddenly not being received, […]
Harford Board of Ed Votes 6-1 To Approve 2% Salary Cuts For All HCPS Employees
The Harford County Board of Education voted 6 to 1 to approve a budget for next year containing 2% salary cuts for all HCPS employees. The vote came at a board business meeting Monday in Bel Air. Board Member Don Osman cast the only no vote, citing opposition to the salary cuts. But the move […]
