Harford County Public Schools outlines family-engagement plan and reports higher conference participation

Harford County Public Schools presented its family-engagement strategy at the board work session on May 5, telling trustees the district is adopting a customer-service model to help parents partner more effectively in students’ learning.

Deputy Superintendent Diane Mack and staff said the district is using the National PTA Standards for Family–School Partnerships to guide three priority areas next year: welcoming families, two-way communications and supporting student success. The office described expanded digital access to report cards, greater use of videos and social media by principals, a new community partnership portal and an Ask HCPS resource for operational questions.

“Partner and community and parents must be viewed as essential partners in order for our schools to provide a high quality education for every student,” the presentation said, and staff pointed to programs such as Learn With Me, the Parent Academy and targeted supports for English learners and military-connected families. Staff also described a new “Trusted Path” document designed for families to establish a trusted adult and a plan children can follow if they arrive home and no guardian is present.

On participation, presenters reported that by the end of the second quarter about 12,900 parents, guardians or students had participated in parent–teacher conferences; they said that represented roughly 71% participation in some conference measures and showed improvement in two survey questions (ease of attending and encouragement to engage) from 2023 to 2024.

Board members sought follow-up data on who responded to the engagement survey and why overall response counts fell from about 4,800 in 2023 to roughly 1,500 in 2024; administration said the 2024 survey was issued later than desired and outlined plans to send it earlier and use QR codes, flyers and boots-on-the-ground outreach to increase response rates.

Trustees also asked about electronic report cards; presenters said the district is offering multiple channels (home access center, emailed copies and paper on request) to avoid leaving families behind.

Administration said a volunteer policy update is forthcoming to clarify screening, training and supervision of volunteers, and that a single, centralized community-partner website will list approved partners and incorporate ADA compliance checks. Funding for new school websites is covered centrally under a single contract, the administration told the board.

The presentation closed with a pledge to share the full survey report and parents’ open-ended comments with the full board. The board thanked staff and asked for follow-up slides that break down survey “disagree/strongly disagree” responses by school to target supports.