HCPSS Redistricting Support Message

Dear Families:

The Board is scheduled to make final decisions about boundary changes for the 2020-2021 school year today, Thursday, November 21. Though the Board’s final decision may not impact every Howard County school, the public process and conversations have impacted every community in some way. While these decisions are necessary to address crowding and inequity across many county schools, they are extremely difficult and followed many months of careful consideration, input and discussion. 

I wanted to send this and assure you that as principal of Murray Hill Middle School, I am following the Board’s deliberation process and will be working with the HCPSS leadership team to ensure we support all families and students impacted during this process. This Friday, following the Board’s decision, I will be meeting with HCPSS leadership to discuss our transition plans and engagement efforts.

Whether your child is staying at Murray Hill Middle School, moving to a new school or simply progressing to the next level, there are supports in place to help your child with the change. Following Thursday’s decision, you can view the changes approved by the Board online. If our community is impacted by the decision, I anticipate receiving confirmation of the names of any students moving to a new school by mid-December, at which time we will be in touch with all families who will be attending a new school next school year. All students will remain at their current schools through the end of the current school year.

I want to assure you regarding the continuity of care and attention that every child will receive. As part of our annual internal articulation process, your child’s teachers, support staff and administrators will be working closely with colleagues in the grade or school your child will be attending next school year. They will share academic information, including learning progress and any special services or accommodations, so that instruction and support may continue seamlessly next school year. Additionally, teachers of students who receive special education or 504 accommodations will be contacted soon to begin to collaboratively craft a transition plan for your child. 

Whether your child will be moving to a new school, or will remain at Murray Hill Middle School, he or she may be concerned about interacting with new classmates, missing old friends, adjusting to new routines or may have been impacted by the community conversations that have occurred over the past several months. Administrators or staff at your child’s new school will reach out to welcome you and your child into the new school community and host orientations, open houses, family nights, tours or other events to help you become familiar and comfortable with the new teachers and school environment. We will plan similar outreach to our new families, and we will take special care to involve students remaining here and support them in adjusting to these changes.

You can find more information about the transition plans online and I will continue to be in touch.

Sincerely,

Lisa R. Smithson

Principal

Murray Hill Middle School

Murray Hill Middle School | 9989 Winter Sun Road, Laurel, MD 20723 | 410-880-5897 | mhms.hcpss.org