HCPSS MPIA Request #2019-209

Requested Information
Please provide the dataset used by the Office of School Planning to develop and evaluate redistricting proposals presented in the 2019 Feasibility Study. Please provide this data in Excel or Database format with each allowed data point for enrollment by grade for each polygon. Fewer than 10 observations in a polygon, or less then 5% or more than 95% may be redacted. Therefore, provide aggregated data for all classes in a school level (e.g. grades K-5, 6-8, 9-12) for the polygon in addition to the redacted original data. Please provide data by polygon for all considered variables: polygon location, distance to schools, enrollment by grade, projected enrollment by grade, race, ethnicity, FARM, standardized test performance, and any other variables considered.
Date Received
Status
Complete
Response Notes

Responsive to this request, the polygon-level datasets used by the Office of School Planning in the development of the 2019 Feasibility Study is now available on the HCPSS website under Data Downloads in the Feasibility Study section of the Boundary Review Process. This includes Enrollment Projections, FARMs Representation, and Race/Ethnicity and ELL Data by polygon. In order to protect against potential disclosures of personally identifiable information about students when looking at polygon-level data where those who know the residents of a particular neighborhood may be able to deduce student-level information, HCPSS is following the Maryland State Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics’ federal guidelines for protecting student privacy in public reporting. Under both the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which restricts access to student records, and MPIA GP § 4-313, which prevents disclosure of school district records pertaining to individual students, please note the suppression rules applied to each file.

For reference, a description of data used within the 2019 Feasibility Study can be found starting on page 34. Frequently asked questions on data can also be found on the HCPSS Boundary Review Process website. HCPSS has made substantial efforts to ensure the accuracy of this information; however, school polygons and attendance areas are subject to change. Please be mindful when comparing data as many variances can occur between reports based on date pulled, categories included, etc. The user of this data accepts full liability for any use of the data.

Thank you for your interest in the 2020-2021 School Planning Boundary Review. For questions about the data or process, please see the boundary review frequently asked questions page or contact the Office of School Planning at 410-313-7184 or SchoolPlanning@hcpss.org. Feedback is also being accepted via survey and in-person at community input sessions.

*Some request language is summarized to include the requester's specific document requests and legally protected information (such as personally identifiable information of a student) or personal, defamatory and malicious content removed at the discretion of the school system.

**Responses containing legally protected information available only to the person of interest are omitted from the above report.

***Howard County Public Schools reserves the right to remove erroneous or outdated documents from this site.