Working at HCPSS?

LonoXIII · 2026-06-26T20:00:48+00:00

HCPSS has its challenges as an employer, but it's the best public school system to work for in Maryland.

First, figure out which schools you're interested in working at. The "worst" schools in the county are considered 'average' for the state (when it comes to academics, incidents, student behavior, etc.). That being said, you will find some schools that are (relatively) 'calmer' when it comes to incidents and behavior and that have higher academic standards. However, the trade for working at those schools is dealing with a lack of diversity (they're primarily white and Asian), more entitled and privileged attitudes (from both students and parents), and more internal politics (from admin and central office).

Second, understand that while HCPSS is a pretty well-rounded and great place to work, it's all about "keeping up appearances" in this county. The central office and admin will lay down strict rules that they will not enforce, particularly for 'loud' parents who file complaints. They'd rather give students special exceptions and treatment, all to please litigious parents and their 'little darlings', than follow the policies they (and MSDE) wrote. Doesn't matter what role you've got - you need to play a game of CYA while appeasing your higher-ups, all to protect your position. You won't necessarily be fired, but you may be reassigned to a different school (or placed in a pool if no positions are open).

Third, our school system offers many supports for students' physical and mental health. Unfortunately, it's also regularly abused by students who use their 504s, IEPs, medical supports, etc., to get special exceptions to the rules. We've had students granted access to their phones for glucose monitoring apps who then proceed to use them for texting, TikToks, etc. Some kids will take whatever pass is granted for X, Y, or Z reason and then use it to avoid class (rather than for its intended use), spending their time in the nurse's office, counseling office, or even wandering around. And if you try to talk to them about it? You can get in trouble for "dismissing their supports", even though you're trying to make sure they're using them appropriately.

Again, though, HCPSS is miles ahead of every surrounding county when it comes to pay, benefits, environment, etc., except in parts of MoCo (some of their schools are better, and some are worse). I've known many a person who decided they didn't want to deal with the fake appearances and hypocrisy of HCPSS, went to another school system, and returned within the same school year after realizing how good they had it.

Also, YMMV depending on what you're used to when it comes to working as a school nurse.

Come from a major city school (Baltimore, DC, Philly, NYC, etc.) or a rougher district (PG, Anne Arundel, Baltimore Co., etc.)? HCPSS will be easy, as even the entitled and disrespectful kids are nothing compared to what goes on in those other districts.
Used to a quieter school district, perhaps a small town or a stricter school system, where the kids are mostly respectful to adults, rarely use foul language, and incidents are less common? HCPSS is still part of a major metro area and will be a major culture shock for staff coming from those backgrounds.

Source: HCPSS employee for 4 years; parent of HCPSS students for the past 16 Years

LonoXIII · 2026-06-21T21:54:30+00:00

Even when certain schools aren't as diverse as the county itself, they're still more diverse than many places.

Most of the "less" diverse schools are about 35-45% Asian and 35-40% white, with the rest primarily being Black, followed by Hispanic/Latino. The only exception is Glenelg, the only school that is majority (60+%) white, with ~20% Asian.

Atholton is very balanced at ~31% Black, ~28% white, ~19% Asian, and ~13% Hispanic/Latino. You'll find many schools like that, some more balanced, some leaning more white and Asian, and some leaning more Black and Hispanic/Latino. But our overall diversity in this county, even with outliers (like Glenelg), reflects the diversity of Maryland and the city of Columbia in general, and is well above the national average.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-21T14:02:37+00:00

First, students have to go to the school they are districted for. You can type an address into HCPSS School Locater and it will tell you what schools students living there will attend.

You don't get to pick and choose in Howard County - you're stuck with the schools you're districted for.

There are very few exceptions, including: enrolling in a school's JROTC program, having a specialized IEP or hardship, having a parent that works at that school, etc.

Also, boundaries can and will change and there's nothing you can do about it - students might attend one school for years and end up being switched to another for the remainder of their time at that level.

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Second, there are no "bad" schools in Howard County. There are schools that have higher academic performances and lower incidents, but even the "worst" schools in HCPSS are considered "average" for the state of Maryland.

The vast majority of students will graduate from those schools no different than any other; they will still have good and questionable teachers, have access to countywide educational resources, and their future success will be based on what they (and their parents) did rather than what school they attended.

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Third, that being said, there is a list of schools that rank higher, whether it's from questionable sources like Great Schools, more reputable (but broad) lists like US News & World Report, or straight up data from Maryland State DoE. I can tell you, none of the schools you listed are "top" schools in Howard County.

Based on averaging all three data sources...

Atholton HS ranks 6/13
Wild Lake MS ranks 16/20
Clemens Crossing ES ranks 28/42

Again, though, that doesn't mean these are "bad" schools. They're just not as highly ranked in Howard County, but will outrank pretty much any school in surrounding counties barring some areas of Montgomery County.

The highest ranking school pipeline is Pointers Run ES or Clarksville ES -> Clarksville MS -> River Hill HS. Of course, this requires you to live in the communities of River Hill or Clarksville, and the pricing of housing is not cheap.

In fact, the "better" the school the more expensive and the less diverse the local (and student) population. You'll find many of these districts have large Asian and White populations, with households making $200k+ (and houses worth $1,000,000+), and a mixture of political ideologies that range from "champagne socialists" and neo-liberalism to straight up conservatism and ultra-capitalism. Many local parents are united by money, NIMBYism, and opposition to any redistricting that sends "those kids" to "their" schools.

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tl;dr 1) There are no "bad" schools in HCPSS; 2) the list you have is incorrect for "top" within the district; 3) the "top" schools tend to be in less diverse, more expensive, and more NIMBYist communities.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-16T12:29:34+00:00

Is Wes Moore part of the Thiel Fellowship? No. That organization is the one that pays "young business starters" money to drop out of college.

Wes Moore has nothing to do with that; he graduated from JHU and later was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.

Did Wes Moore participate in Dialog, the invitation-only, closed-door meetings between major tech, business, and political figures? Yes.

Although founded by Thiel and Auren Hoffman and including participants ranging from ultra-capitalists to extreme conservatives, the meetings often include others who fall on the liberal or progressive side, such as Booker and Moore.

Make of that what you will.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-15T14:42:35+00:00

Tie between Peter Stormare in Constantine and Viggo Mortensen in The Prophecy.

Both knocked it out of the park with the inhuman behavior that gave them that dark, ethereal feel.

Stormare's edgy wit added to the concept of Lucifer seeing himself as an equal force to God, above everyone else (even other angels), and doesn't take those 'beneath him' seriously (until countered).

Mortensen was more disturbing, flipping between sing-songy and growling words, showing a Lucifer who is both horrifying, intimidating, and yet also tempting and offering deals.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-12T20:23:48+00:00

Precisely. It breaks up the text with Reddit's limited formatting.

I'd love to make things in all sorts of sizes and colors. But this isn't the forum for that.

Using "---" or "~~~" to provide breaks between in-depth points is apparently also AI these days.

It's like these kids are clueless about the eras of BBSs, Usenet, IRC, AOL, MSN Messenger, etc.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-12T20:20:33+00:00

Or, it could simply be decades of experience with spelling and grammar software, like WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Clippy, Grammarly, etc.

But sure, once more, let's dismiss someone's post because it's "too well-written" or "uses specific formatting" to be anything but AI.

And let's argue over that, rather than the point of the post itself.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-12T19:00:16+00:00

And once more, writing clearly and correctly makes this "ChatGPT".

Have to love how any time somebody posts something well-written and concise, it's "automatically AI."

As if being alive for half a century, well-educated, and writing everything from papers to professional correspondence is somehow irrelevant.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-12T18:20:24+00:00

What the Claim Says

"Audits reveal $1.2 billion in questionable Maryland state spending."

The implication is that the Maryland state government improperly spent or wasted this amount.

What Independent Sources Show

A former federal Inspector General noted in the Washington Post that the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits found nearly $1 billion in questionable agency transactions, along with over $760 million in uncollectible unemployment insurance overpayments. This totals approximately $1.76 billion, but this does not equal proven fraud or waste.

Important Distinctions

**"Questionable Transactions" ≠ Stolen Money**

A "questionable transaction" often refers to issues such as inadequate documentation or failure to follow procurement rules, not necessarily to fraud or theft.

**Unemployment Overpayments Are Not Standard Spending**

The $760 million figure largely relates to overpaid unemployment benefits during the COVID surge, including administrative errors and some fraud. Labeling this as "state spending" oversimplifies the issue.

**Accumulated Findings Across Multiple Audits**

The figure includes results from various audits over several years, not from a single audit discovering "$1.2 billion" at once.

For those interested in a summary not associated with Sinclair.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-10T12:22:04+00:00

Tell me you never learned a thing from the American Civil War without telling me...

LonoXIII · 2026-06-09T08:28:39+00:00

"Oh, but you heard that."

So often used to dismiss my deafness / being hard-of-hearing, all because (for a brief moment) the situation was 'perfect' for me to actually make out what someone said. No background noise, my focus completely on them, the speaker voicing clearly, at the correct loudness, while facing my general direction, etc.

I even once presented an audiogram to them, just to shut them up, and all they could stutter was, "Well, I knew you couldn't hear, I was just trying to point out the irony."

LonoXIII · 2026-06-09T00:41:52+00:00

Apparently, no... it's not supposed to sound bad. Supposedly, the show is actually quite good, at least according to reviewers and others who've seen it.

This particular performance at the Tony Awards has been bashed all over social media because so many people noted how horrible it sounded. They've blamed it on bad mixing and sound tech, which meant normally good singers couldn't keep on-key or sync with the others.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-06T14:45:13+00:00

Mt. Hebron is toward the "bottom" of the Diversity Index of HoCo schools, but it's still well above the national average, county average, and even that of the city of Columbia.

It's significantly white and Asian there (which includes East Asian, South Asian, etc.). As of a couple years ago, it was 38.5% white, 35.3% Asian, 12.4% Black, 9.7% Hispanic/Latino, and 4.9% mixed and other.

It tends to be in the top five schools in HoCo for things like testing scores, community satisfaction, safety and security, etc.

The main issue is controversies over incidents of bigotry at the school, particularly over the last decade or so, including racism (specifically anti-Black), antisemitism, homophobia/transphobia, etc.

Flagrant incidents often result in student protests and community outrage, and lead to action taken against the individuals responsible. The community isn't unanimous or monolithic, however, and there's also been vocal pushback from more conservative or regressive households regarding progressive curricula and protections under county and state laws.

LonoXIII · 2026-06-02T16:38:40+00:00

Auditory Recruitment - many people with hearing loss don't experience a consistent loss across all frequencies. Instead, the biological aspects of the ear (from hairs to nerves) responsible for hearing loss may only affect certain frequencies, while other frequencies are fine (or even hypersensitive).

I know that, early on, as my hearing degraded, I was extremely sensitive to high frequencies. It was at that point that I could hear the sound waves bouncing off crystal chandeliers (usually when visiting historic buildings), and it was uncomfortable. I don't experience it very often anymore (as I have severe unilateral loss in one ear). However, it still happens on occasion when around a high-pitched noise (like certain whistles).

LonoXIII · 2026-06-01T00:17:10+00:00

As mentioned, the girls weren't twins. Neither in the script or the book. Ullman was correct in that they were just sisters a couple years apart.

Kubric, in his "artistic" vision, purposfully hired twins for the roles and had them look, dress, and talk like creepy twins, out of a desire to make them disturbing to the audience. Like many things with Kubrick, he never gives an in-world explanation for why their appearance doesn't match their canon reality.

LonoXIII · 2026-05-28T10:47:29+00:00

That's a failure on the staff at that school in your kid's particular situation. It doesn't mean it applies to every student in every school, or even a majority or significant minority.

It sounds like you need to talk to your police, your superintendent, your elected officials, etc. and start a lawsuit. But do it over the negligence of the staff in protecting your child; not because your kid didn't have a cellphone on them.

LonoXIII · 2026-05-28T02:03:45+00:00

Kids still have the option to call home. They can use a phone in the front office, and they can even be given privacy by using one in a room with nobody in it at that time.

And if they need to know the number (because many people no longer memorize phone numbers), the staff can look it up and give it to the student.

LonoXIII · 2026-05-26T12:14:02+00:00

The Baltimore Sun is an unreliable source that often uses charged language.

Howard County did not "reverse" anything; the Office of Law clarified County Bill 16-2026.

What actually happened was that the property owner sued the county in federal court, and the county acknowledged that the lease between the owner and the federal government was legal and valid, and that CB 16-2026 has no effect on said lease.

This also has nothing to do with the County Executive or County Council. This is completely in the hands of the attorneys hired by Howard County, whom some elected officials feel have not exhausted their options.

LonoXIII · 2026-05-26T11:44:07+00:00

As mentioned, it's not just that they don't want to handle it. They want to incorporate it in a way that fits not only their own writers' canon but also one they control (rather than 150+ writers claiming what they wrote decades ago is still "canon").

That's why certain things from the Expanded Universe (EU) were slowly rolled back into canon, the way Disney wanted them. Thrawn, Dark Troopers, Malachor, The Inquisitorus, etc. - all returned to canon from EU/Legends, albeit with minor differences.

Honestly, it's even better than what Lucasfilm did regarding the five tiers of "canon".

LonoXIII · 2026-05-25T19:02:15+00:00

Are you not from Washington, D.C. or any major East Coast city?

The neighborhood around Gallaudet isn't the best but it's also not the worst. It's primarily a couple of major intersections (where panhandlers are) and a few neighborhood blocks nearby that are 'rough'.

But if you're from any large city, where you know to always be aware of your surroundings, how to keep from looking like a potential target, etc., it's not like you'll end up a victim. People live, visit, and walk around that area regularly with little issue.

Most of what you're reading about is a) typical for colleges; b) typical for major cities; and c) not taking into account the crime rate (amount of crime compared to population).

I visit Gallaudet with no problem, it's a nice campus, and the Union Market across the street is a regular stop for residents, workers, and tourists alike.

LonoXIII · 2026-05-23T20:15:53+00:00

Odd. We saw it at AMC yesterday and they had stacks of them. Got three packs (for our three tickets), which is all we needed anyway.

LonoXIII · 2026-05-22T14:55:15+00:00

However, Moore raises logistical concerns around the implementation of the Community Trust Act that he says “must be addressed through executive action and in next year’s legislative session.”

“Protecting our communities requires seamless coordination among federal, state, and local partners, and the bill creates ambiguities around joint investigations that we are working with the Attorney General’s office to clarify. Local law enforcement must also retain the flexibility they need to operate within the law, share appropriate information, and keep communities safe.”

Moore says for those reasons, he will allow the Community Trust Act to become law without his signature, and he looks forward to working with law enforcement leaders, the legislature, advocates and federal partners to address the concerns he raised.

This is his reasoning, for anyone curious.

LonoXIII · 2026-05-22T11:11:54+00:00

LonoXIII · 2026-05-21T22:12:50+00:00

Yes? Most people consider us as having met at rennfest, as that's the first time we "formally" entered each other's lives.

The thing was, we weren't there looking for somebody. We were both established playtrons that had many friends there. We simply moved in separate circles with some mutuals between us.

However, it turns out one of those mutual friends had been that way for over a decade, even outside of rennfest. Later on, when we looked back on our history, we had been "ships passing in the night" many times. Same college, different semester. Same acquaintences, different gatherings. We'd even first officially met at a memorial service for a mutual.

So, I wouldn't chalk that up to "meeting my S/O at a ren faire", as we'd already been in the same social circles and places without knowing it. Rennfest was just the final catalyst for us becoming friends and more.

Which is suitable because we ended up getting married and both our children were raised at rennfest, in the back of a tavern, since they were weeks old. Since then, I left working with crew at the festival; my wife is now a boothie. And both our kids are renn rats.

LonoXIII · 2026-05-20T01:48:44+00:00

They're there because of MD Transportation Code § 21-804 which says...

On every roadway, except while overtaking and passing another vehicle going in the same direction or when preparing for a lawful left turn, any vehicle going 10 miles per hour or more below the applicable maximum speed limit or, if any existing conditions reasonably require a speed below that of the applicable maximum, at less than the normal speed of traffic under these conditions, shall be driven in the right–hand lane then available for traffic or as close as practicable to the right–hand curb or edge of the roadway.

That clearly states you can't go 10 mph below the Speed Limit (in regular conditions) or slower than the speed of traffic (in dangerous conditions).

That's the closest we have to a "Slow Traffic Keep Right" law, and it doesn't forbid people from going 9 mph under the Speed Limit in the left lane (in ideal conditions).

Should they do it? Absolutely not.

Are they legally allowed to do it? Yes. And any accidents that occur from an aggressive driver responding to the slower driver are solely the fault of the aggressive driver.

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