HCPSS MPIA Request #2024-078

Requestor
Candice Svogda
Requested Information
Requesting a response regarding whether Howard County Public Schools currently has a "Bias Reporting System" or form/communication giving administration/staff a method for reporting "hate" or "bias" incidents.

If this does exist, please provide a copy of the form/system overview, who has access to it, information regarding when it was created, by whom and under what authority.

Also requesting, if it does exist, statistics on number of cases, case status, when and where the case was created.
Date Received
Status
Complete
Response Notes

Responsive to this request, HCPSS principals, assistant principals, principal secretaries and athletics and activities managers utilize an incident briefing system to alert Central Office administration to multiple types of school-based events that may include hate bias/discrimination incidents. A copy of the current form is attached below. We have also attached communications staff located from 2019 regarding the development of the current system.

Data regarding date and location of entries tagged hate bias/discrimination were able to be pulled since 2019. The status (or outcome) of each incident is not maintained within the reporting system as it is utilized for informational purposes only. Dispositions of any resulting disciplinary cases would require access to and review of private student or employee files, which are restricted under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and MPIA GP § 4-313 which both prevents disclosure of school district records pertaining to individual students, as well as MPIA GP § 4-311, which prevents disclosure of personnel records of an individual. 
 

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***Howard County Public Schools reserves the right to remove erroneous or outdated documents from this site.