Carroll County Public Schools

Digital sign-up to speak at the September 11 Board meeting will be available on the CCPS website beginning on Monday, September 9, at 4 p.m. and ending on Tuesday, September 10, at 9 p.m. https://bit.ly/3AXoxRu

The Board of Education of Carroll County will briefly convene in open session on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at 3:00 p.m., in the Charles I. Ecker Board Room at 125 North Court Street in Westminster, then proceed directly into closed session as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act, Section 3-305 (b) of the General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland and Section 3-103 of the General Provision Articles of the Annotated Code of Maryland, to receive legal advice on the recent Title IX changes, and to discuss State Board level appeals.

On Sunday, September 1, three Carroll County students were recognized at the Maryland State Fair by America 250, Maryland 250, and former Governor Paris Glendening, Chair of Maryland 250. Peony Kang (Liberty High School), Silas Ramos (South Carroll High School), and Robin Sommerfelt (Mt. Airy Middle School) were recognized for placing first or second in the 2024 America 250 America’s Field Trip Nationwide Scholastic Contest. Maryland had nine students who placed in the nationwide competition, three of whom were from Carroll County.

Save the date for this fun family event!

Congratulations to Natasha Costley, a special education teacher and corollary track and field coach at Westminster High School, has been recognized as a Chick-fil-A Everyday Hero for her work with the school’s food pantry, The Owl’s Nest. Watch the WMAR-2 News story at https://bit.ly/4cSE6Y1.

Natasha Costley is a teacher, sports coach and runs the community food pantry at Westminster High School Natasha Costley, a teacher and sports coach at Westminster High School, is the August 2024 winner of the Chick-fil-A Everyday Heroes award.

More first day arrivals!

Welcome back to school! Students arriving at Cranberry Station Elementary School.

Carroll County Teacher of the Year Brian Thompson, vocal/instrumental music teacher at Westminster Elementary School, spoke at the inservice for visual and performing arts teachers.

CCPS Visual & Performing Arts In-service: Brian Thompson Brian Thompson, the 2024 CCPS Teacher of the Year , spoke at the in-service for Visual & Performing Arts teachers on August 27, 2024 at Winter's Mill High S...

Some great information from the Carroll County Sheriff's Office - Maryland as we look toward the beginning of the new school year. Let's keep our students safe!

The first day of school for Carroll County Public Schools is just one week away! Now is the time to remind yourself of Maryland School Bus laws so you can be the driver that makes a difference. Slow on yellow, stop on red!

Save the date for our annual College and Career Fair on October 14th!

Welcome back to our teachers and instructional assistants! Pictured: teachers at South Carroll High School.

We were excited to have members of the Century and Winters Mill High School marching bands, as well as cheerleaders from Century, Francis Scott Key, and Westminster High Schools, participate in yesterday’s Stuff the Bus event. Thanks for making the day special!

SCHOOL SYSTEM AND SHERIFF’S OFFICE RELEASE NEW DATA ON ILLEGAL PASSING OF STOPPED SCHOOL BUSES

Carroll County Public Schools and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office have unveiled alarming new data showing motorists failing to stop for school buses as they pick up or drop off students on their way to the classroom.

During the 2023-2024 school year, the Sheriff’s Office issued 5,084 citations for passing a school bus. The highest number of incidents occurred in November 2023 with 631violations. Children were most at risk during the afternoon hours, with most violations occurring between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.

According to Dr. Cynthia McCabe, Superintendent of Carroll County Public Schools, “While the beginning of the school year is an exciting time for those of us in the school system, we do want to remind the community that our number one priority is keeping our students safe.”

“Safety is all of our responsibility,” said Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees. “Knowing that there will be additional parents, students, and buses on the roadways, make sure to allow yourself extra time for your commute, and be especially alert around bus stops.”

Carroll County Public Schools and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office partnered with BusPatrol, the nation’s most deployed school bus safety camera solution, in 2020 to modernize the entire fleet of over 300 buses with cutting-edge automated photo enforcement technology. The program creates evidence packages to aid law enforcement in addressing illegal school bus passings.

Justin Meyers, President and Chief Innovation Officer at BusPatrol, said the solution is proven to make roads safer. “These results are shocking, but not surprising, given the national epidemic that exists with illegal school bus passings,” Meyers said. “BusPatrol is committed to strong partnerships with our community partners to provide them with the most advanced technology to better enforce state laws, hold violators accountable, and enhance road safety.”

Each year, thousands of children are needlessly put at risk due to reckless and illegal driver behavior around school buses, which can have fatal and tragic consequences. According to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, school buses are passed over 43 million times per year in the United States.

According to state law, vehicles approaching in either direction must stop at least 20 feet away from a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing. Motorists may not proceed until the school vehicle resumes motion or the flashing red lights are deactivated. This does not apply to vehicles approaching on a different roadway or a divided highway.

For more information on the Carroll County Public Schools bus safety program, visit https://bit.ly/3AzwIDt.

We had a tremendous group of volunteers who helped make yesterday’s Stuff the Bus school supplies drive such a great success. They worked hard all day sorting donations, loading the bus, and greeting shoppers. We couldn’t have done it without them, and we can’t thank them enough!

Thanks to everyone who came out to yesterday’s WBAL Stuff the Bus event at the Sykesville Walmart. The bus was truly “stuffed” with school supplies that will go to CCPS students. Thank you so much for your amazing generosity!

Cheerleaders from Francis Scott Key HS, with special guest Superintendent Cynthia McCabe, brought some school spirit to our Stuff the Bus event!

Our Stuff the Bus school supplies drive is well underway. Thanks to everyone who has dropped off school supplies so far. There's still plenty of time to come by the Sykesville Walmart and pick up some apples for CCPS students.

The bus is ready, and with your help, we are going to fill it with school supplies for CCPS students! Come enjoy a beautiful afternoon here with us at the Sykesville Walmart and help us stuff the bus! We're here until 7.

Thursday's the Day to Stuff the Bus!
Join CCPS and WBAL for Dr. Tim Tooten’s Stuff the Bus school supplies drive to benefit Carroll County students tomorrow, Thursday, August 22, from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart Supercenter located at 6400 Ridge Road, Sykesville. While you’re there, enjoy performances by some of our great high school marching bands and cheer teams! Please see the school supply list at https://bit.ly/4dsBmB4.

The Board of Education of Carroll County will briefly convene in open session on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. in the Charles I. Ecker Board Room at 125 North Court Street in Westminster, then proceed directly into a closed administrative function meeting, as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act, Section 3-101(b)(1) to discuss the administration and implementation of existing Board policy and rules. https://bit.ly/3Mcqz2z

Just 5 days to go until the Stuff the Bus school supplies drive. Please stop by the Walmart Supercenter in Sykesville on Thursday and add a few school supply items to your cart for CCPS students. Please see the school supply list at https://bit.ly/4dsBmB4.

Today we were excited to welcome our new teachers to Carroll County Public Schools. The day began with motivating words from keynote speaker Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick and CCPS superintendent Dr. Cynthia McCabe. The new teachers also received important information on our school system, visited a variety of exhibits, and collected lots of swag.

Pam Mesta and the incredible CCPS ESOL team provided school supplies to ESOL students at West Middle School. Students were able to choose their own backpack and school supplies. A representative from the Human Services Program was there as a resource, and The Cow provided a sweet treat to families. This was one of four backpack events being held regionally in our schools.

The Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting this evening at 5 p.m. Watch the livestream at https://bit.ly/3UhG0YE.

The beginning of the new school year is fast approaching. Have you checked your student’s bus route yet? Preliminary routes are posted on the CCPS website at https://bit.ly/3LZU6wm.