Garrett County Public Schools

𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬

On Monday, December 15, 2025, a release from the Garrett County Health Department (GCHD) was shared regarding a second confirmed diagnosis of Pertussis (Whooping Cough). The two cases are associated with Northern High School and Accident Elementary School. While this situation is not considered an outbreak, public health officials are actively investigating and working to identify and notify close contacts to prevent further spread of this contagious bacterial respiratory illness.

Garrett County Public Schools is working closely with GCHD and following all public health guidance. Schools remain open and operating as normal at this time. Families are encouraged to monitor students for symptoms such as persistent coughing, coughing fits, or cold-like symptoms, and to keep students home and contact a healthcare provider if symptoms develop. Additional updates will be shared as appropriate.

UPDATE 12/16/2026:
Based on information received from the Maryland State Board and the State Superintendent, calendar modification requests will not be accepted until the January State Board Meeting of the current school year. This makes Presidents’ Day the earliest holiday on which a local school system may request the State Board for schools to be open on a holiday due to inclement weather. The State Board and the State Superintendent of Schools strongly recommended that local school systems refrain from designating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an inclement weather recovery day in their school calendars, as noted in the previously proposed 2026-27 calendar linked above. The calendar committee reconvened on December 15, 2025, to discuss this change. As a result, the committee determined that community input was necessary to finalize the proposed calendar, particularly regarding the placement of built-in snow make-up days and the graduation date. Once the survey closes, the calendar committee will reconvene to propose an updated calendar at the January 13, 2026, Board meeting.

Update 12/11/25 3:15 pm:

Based on information received from the Maryland State Board and the State Superintendent, it will not be possible to use Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a make-up day for inclement weather, as noted in the proposed 2026-27 calendar.  The Calendar Committee will reconvene, and a revised proposed calendar will be posted soon.

GCPS is Now Accepting Feedback for the Proposed 2026-27 School Calendar

Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) is collecting feedback on the proposed 2026-27 school year calendar. The feedback collected will be provided to the Garrett County Board of Education (GCBOE) members. The calendar and feedback form may be found under the "Calendars" tab on the Public Relations page of the website: www.gcps.net/calendars.

For the 2026-27 calendar, the Calendar Committee has recommended a pre-Labor Day start of August 31, 2026, with a scheduled end date of June 3, 2027. There are nine (9) Professional Development Days built into the calendar, one per month beginning in September and running through May. There are three make-up days built into the calendar, but if necessary, additional days will be added at the end of the school year. Of note, MD Statute §7–103.2 requires school systems to utilize the make-up days built into the calendar before implementing Virtual Learning. Therefore, based on the proposed calendar, GCPS must have three (3) traditional inclement weather days before a virtual learning day may be implemented.

Additionally, the Calendar Committee recommends adopting a standard practice for determining whether the annual school calendar will begin before or after Labor Day. Under this recommendation, September 5th will serve as the official marker:

• If Labor Day falls before September 5th, the committee will create a post–Labor Day calendar.
• If Labor Day falls on or after September 5th, the committee will create a pre–Labor Day calendar.

Please review the calendar in its entirety before providing feedback. All information collected will be shared with the Board and posted to BoardDocs under the January 13, 2026, meeting agenda item. Please use the Google Form to provide feedback on the calendar selections you believe are in students' best interests. Written comments may also be submitted via mail or by email to the following address:

Garrett County Public Schools
Attn: Public Relations Office
770 Dennett Road
Oakland, MD 21550
public.info@gcps.net

Feedback will be accepted through Thursday, January 1, 2026. The Board will review each comment before voting on the calendar at the January 13, 2026, Board Meeting.

𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

The Garrett County Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at the Dennett Road Educational Complex in the Community Room. The meeting is open to the public and will be live-streamed for public review via https://youtube.com/live/iIXMNsm-g5k?feature=share.

Public comment for the December Board Meeting will begin at 4:00 p.m., after which time the Board will go into executive session until 5:30 p.m. to discuss personnel topics and a legal matter. The Board of Education will reconvene for the public session from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room. Time is set aside during the public session for the hearing of constituents at approximately 6:45 p.m. Please note, this time is approximate, and public comment may be adjusted based on the timing of the presentations.

Topics excluded from Public Comment include:
• Individual personnel issues
• Comments identifying individual students or staff members
• Matters that are on appeal or may be appealed or have been appealed.
• Topics for which the Board schedules formal public hearings
• Advertising or solicitation for products and/or services
The agenda for the Public Session can be accessed at BoardDocs - https://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/garrett/Board.nsf/Public. The agenda is not considered final until the Board takes action to accept it at the start of each meeting.

Part or all of the meeting may be closed pursuant to the General Provision §3-305 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

UPDATE 12/9/25 10:30 am:
The Garrett County Board of Education will now meet at 4:00 p.m., December 9, 2025, at Dennett Road Educational Complex, due to an illness. The meeting was originally slated to begin at 3:00 p.m., but it will be delayed by an hour. The meeting will be held in the Community Room and is open to the public, and will be live-streamed for public review.

𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

The Garrett County Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at the Dennett Road Educational Complex in the Community Room. The meeting is open to the public and will be live-streamed for public review.

Public comment for the December Board Meeting will begin at 3:00 p.m., after which time the Board will go into executive session until 5:30 p.m. to discuss personnel topics and a legal matter. The Board of Education will reconvene for the public session from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room. Time is set aside during the public session for the hearing of constituents at approximately 6:45 p.m. Please note, this time is approximate, and public comment may be adjusted based on the timing of the presentations.

Topics excluded from Public Comment include:
• Individual personnel issues
• Comments identifying individual students or staff members
• Matters that are on appeal or may be appealed or have been appealed.
• Topics for which the Board schedules formal public hearings
• Advertising or solicitation for products and/or services
The agenda for the Public Session can be accessed at BoardDocs - https://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/garrett/Board.nsf/Public. The agenda is not considered final until the Board takes action to accept it at the start of each meeting.

Part or all of the meeting may be closed pursuant to the General Provision §3-305 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐂𝐏𝐒 𝐅𝐘𝟐𝟕 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲

The Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) FY27 Operating Budget development is underway. Mrs. Ashley Glotfelty, Director of Finance, presented preliminary revenues during the November Board Meeting. The slideshow and other budget development materials are available on our website.

GCPS is committed to transparency throughout the process. As we work to prioritize student success, classroom resources, and the needs of our schools, we encourage families, staff, and community members to stay engaged. Updates, timelines, and documents on the FY27 Budget have been shared on our website at www.gcps.net/page/fy2027-budget-development.

𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

The Hickory Environmental Education Center's annual holiday open house will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. The public is invited to tour the Nature Hall and view a short program in the planetarium. Light refreshments will be provided. This special event is the only occasion when the facility is open to the general public. Hickory is located at 604 Pride Parkway, Accident, MD 21520. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Hickory Environmental Education Center at 301-746-8461.