HARFORD COUNTY, Md. — Just like that, summer is over for thousands of Maryland students. Joining the other counties, students in Cecil, Carroll and Harford Counties are officially back in the classroom.
“I’m really excited to meet all my new teachers and just create new connections with everybody,” said 8th grader Emory Spence.
Watch as students in the Maryland area go back to school
Harford County welcomes back around 38,000 students, including those at North Harford Middle School, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
“My brother was the first class of the school, and I can remember the excitement of coming to open house,” said Dr. Susan Summerfield.
Now in her 32nd year of teaching, Summerfield says she’s beginning to teach a new generation of families. This year, three of her students are the children of former students.
“That’s exciting to see the next generation,” she said. “It’s just all about the community.”
Students say they’re eager to dive back into learning and reconnecting.
“I’m looking forward to my friends for the school year and hopefully to be better in math,” added classmate Payton Fisher.
While students are focused on their classes, Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sean Bulson says parents have homework too, particularly when it comes to safety on the roads.
“When you see the red stop arms out or the red or yellow lights on, please just stop,” Bulson said. “We had over 2,000 violations that law enforcement handed out last year, and that doesn’t even touch the total of people we know who broke that law.”
Bulson is also reminding families about the district’s cell phone rules:
- In elementary schools, devices must stay off and be stored in bookbags.
- Middle school students must keep devices off and in their lockers.
- In high schools, devices must be stored in lockers and kept off during class.
“We saw our discipline drop between 30 and 50% in almost every category,” Bulson said. “We’ve even seen academic gains we think have to have something to do with what changed in the way our students were able to pay more attention to what’s going on in class.”
Students say the rules take some getting used to, but they understand the need.
“It sucks a little bit, but to make sure that all of our students are paying attention in schools and not being distracted on their phones, I think it is necessary,” Spence said.
From phones to backpacks:
- Bookbags don't need to be clear, but they must be stored appropriately.
- Elementary School, bookbags must be placed in designated classrooms or cubby.
- Middle and High School, bookbags must be stored in lockers during the school day.
- Students may carry a nontransparent bag no larger than 4.5x8.5-inch for personal hygiene purposes.
- Athletic bags and musical instrument cases at all grade levels must be taken directly to the appropriate storage areas and not carried throughout the school day.
Students like Fisher say the start of the new year still feels exciting.
“I love the scenery of our school. I think it’s just such a vibe,” Fisher said.
“So many fun experiences as 8th graders in our last year of middle school, and our teachers help us prepare for high school. It's really cool to also see all the younger students, because we were those once." Spence said.
