HCPS Adds Three Hour Delay Option for 2025–2026 School Year

Harford County Public Schools is expanding its inclement weather scheduling options with the introduction of a new three-hour delay for the 2025–2026 school year.

District leaders say the additional late start option is designed to give administrators more flexibility and time to evaluate conditions when weather impacts occur in the early morning hours. Until now, HCPS relied on one-hour and two-hour delays, along with school closures and early dismissals, to address hazardous conditions.

“This is an additional option for when forecast and weather conditions occur in the morning,” HCPS spokesperson Jillian Lader told Patch. “It will allow staff more time to assess the impact of forecasts and potentially prepare schools to still open and operate. It is like a three-hour early dismissal, just implemented at the beginning of the day.”

On a typical school day, about 40,000 students and 5,000 staff members travel across Harford County by bus, on foot, or in personal vehicles. Officials say the new delay option helps balance safety concerns while limiting disruptions to instructional time.

School closures may be announced the night before or by 5:15 a.m. on the morning of a school day. If a delay is initially put in place, closures can still be called by 5:45 a.m. following a one-hour delay, 6:45 a.m. following a two-hour delay, or 7:45 a.m. following a three-hour delay.

HCPS emphasized that full-day closures must be made up using inclement weather days built into the end of the school calendar. Late starts do not require makeup days and still count toward Maryland’s state-mandated 180-day school year.

Families should adjust arrival times by adding the length of the delay to their normal schedule. For example, a 6:30 a.m. bus stop would shift to 7:30 a.m. with a one-hour delay, 8:30 a.m. with a two-hour delay, and 9:30 a.m. with a three-hour delay.

Early Learner and Learning Together programs will follow modified schedules based on the delay length, with no programs operating during a three-hour delay. Weather-related updates will be communicated through email, phone calls, the HCPS app, and school websites.

Harford County Public Schools Expand Weather Delay Options With Three Hour Start was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com