Education

No schools located on Aberdeen Proving Ground. Children residing on APG North will either attend Roye-Williams Elementary, Aberdeen Middle School or Aberdeen High School. Military children living on APG South or Edgewood Area will attend Edgewood Elementary, Edgewood Middle or Edgewood High School. Located just North of Harford County, Cecil County Public Schools is also in close proximity to Aberdeen Proving Ground.

For more information, please contact the CYS School Liaison at 410-278-2857

More than 40,500 students are enrolled in Harford County's Public Schools. The school system has the seventh largest student enrollment of the 24 public school systems in Maryland. Presently there are 32 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 8 high schools, and the John Archer School.

Aberdeen Proving Ground is located in the Harford County School District, and children residing on post will either attend Roye-Williams Elementary, Aberdeen Middle School or Aberdeen High School.

The Harford County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations represents more than 16,000 parents and others working in partnership with the professionals in the school system for the benefit of the students. Members of Harford's public school teaching staff have received numerous statewide honors in the past year or current school year, among them Conservation Teacher of the Year, Agri-Science Teacher of the Year; Physical Education Teacher of the Year, Maryland Home Economics Teacher of the Year; and, three times in the past 12 years, Maryland Teacher of the Year, as well as six consecutive Maryland Teacher of the Year Finalist Awards.

Meals

All Harford County public schools conduct a lunch and breakfast program. Lunch menus are distributed throughout the schools, published in local newspapers, and announced over local radio and television stations. The school also provides some students with free or reduced price meals and mile. Parents who feel that their children may be eligible, under federally established guidelines, for free or reduced price meals should contact the school of attendance for more information.

Calendar

Maryland Law requires students to complete 180 days of classes each year. The school calendar for Harford County incorporates four additional days for inclement weather or other emergencies. If the days are not needed, they are dropped from the calendar. Any additional days required are added to the end of the school year calendar. The calendar contains the potential for 188 student days. The eight days may be used as make-up days for any days lost to inclement weather or other emergencies. Any of the six days listed at the end of the school year not needed as inclement weather/emergency make-up days will be dropped and the last day of the school year will be adjusted accordingly. In addition, if seventh and eighth inclement weather/emergency make-up days are required scheduled in service days will be used.

Registration

Children moving into the community during the school year or during the summer should register as soon as possible. An open enrollment exists for students who may be moving into the community; however, parents should make an appointment in advance with school officials.

At the time of registration, parents are asked to present the child's birth certificate and immunization record. Also, parents should present proof of residency (electric or phone bill, or a valid builder's contract with date of anticipated completion or for APG military personnel, a statement from the housing office).

Attendance

The attendance area for each school in the county is designated by the Board of Education. Students must attend the school in the area in which they reside. The residence of the student is considered the same as the residence of his parent or legally appointed guardian. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Board of Education.

Transportation

If you have any questions concerning the boundaries of a school's attendance area, call the school system's Transportation Office at 410-638-4092 for assistance. School bus transportation is provided for Harford County public elementary school students who live more than one mile from their school and for public secondary school students who live more than one and one-half miles from their school. Exceptions to this distance requirement may be made for children with physical or mental disabilities or where exceptional or hazardous walking conditions exist. Inquiries concerning these exceptions should be directed to the Transportation Office at 410-638-4092.

Any change from the normal school schedule as a result of inclement weather (snow, ice, floods, heat, etc.) will be communicated to radio and television stations and broadcast to the public. Parents are urged to listen to their local radio or television station for weather updates and school closures (call the HCPS switchboard at 410-838-7300). Consider registering with schools-out.com for immediate e-mail notification of school emergencies and important announcements.

Help for Students With Special Needs

There are a variety of means to provide help for children with special needs. They include special education classes, health services, guidance, speech therapy, school psychology, psychometry, English as a second language, pupil personnel work, and programs for the gifted and talented.

At the school level the teacher, counselor, school nurse or health technician, speech therapist, and school administrators assist students with everyday problems. Specialized personnel such as pupil personnel workers and psychologists are into the school to assist with more complex student problems.

Specialized education programs are provided for those students with mental, physical, or emotional needs that cannot be met in the regular classroom. Such classes are conducted in elementary and secondary schools for students who are mildly mentally limited. The John Archer School provides a variety of instructional programs that are designed for children who have significant learning problems. Instruction at home is made available to students who, because of medical or emotional reasons, are unable to attend school. Home teachers are employed for homebound youngsters. Parents who feel that their child may have need of special services should contact the child's school or the Student Services office at 410-588-5334.

Aberdeen Proving Ground Army Education Services, located in building 4305, provides adult continuing education programs and services for Active and Reserve Component personnel assigned to or living within commute distance to APG. Priority is given to Active component personnel. Adult family members, retirees and government civilians are eligible on a space available basis. Serviced include educational counseling, academic advising, Army Tuition Assistance for eligible personnel, the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Services testing program, Army Personnel Tests program and the Multi-Use Learning Facility. Contact the Education Center at 410-306-2042 for further information and assistance.

Aberdeen is home to the new 1.4 billion dollar APG Shared Resource Center for High Performance Computing. Plus, Aberdeen boasts an extensive fiber optics network. Most important, the unique HEAT (Higher Education and Applied Technology) Center. HEAT offers curricula for upper-level baccalaureate and graduate programs and can train employees in specialized technologies. Working professional attending classes part-time at the Higher Education & Conference Center can now earn a Bachelor's degree in Business, Nursing, or Elementary Education in as little as two and a half years from the College of Notre Dame. Other high learning institutions are John Hopkins, Morgan State, Towson, University of Maryland and University of Phoenix.

POC for the Education Center is Sabria Epps. She can be reached at 410-278-2533 - sabria.m.epps.civ@army.mil.