Carroll Schools

Carroll County school officials have discontinued use of a cafeteria checkout system with palm-scan technology after protests from parents who said the system violated their children's privacy. School Superintendent Stephen Guthrie announced his decision Wednesday to halt use of the system, called PalmSecure, and to ask officials to look at other options. His announcement came after a meeting with County Commissioner Doug Howard, who cited concerns among parents who worried about possible security breaches.

Sixth-graders from West Middle School in Carroll County scoured the Bear Branch stream one recent morning in search of aquatic life in the dead of winter. Nathan Grella said the contents of his bucket did not appear promising. "We just got leaves and rocks," said the 12-year-old, one of 57 youngsters spending the week at Outdoor School at Hashawha Environmental Center in Westminster. Closer inspection, however, showed the leaves and rocks were indeed harboring life, information the students will use to size up the stream's health.

Carroll County public schools should strengthen financial controls and network security, seek all valid Medicaid-related reimbursements, review some of their contractor arrangements and re-evaluate their food service operations, according to a report released by the state Office of Legislative Audits. Those measures could save the county as much as $4 million a year, said the report released last week. "These are recommendations," said Bruce A. Myers, legislative auditor. "We have no enforcement power, but we can advise.

Devin Michael Spence, a teacher at Manchester Valley High School who died Monday, Feb. 11, in a car accident, will be remembered for his big heart and kind soul, according to those who knew him. Spence, 23, was killed after his car crashed into a private school bus and burst into flames Monday morning. The Carroll County Sheriff's Department reported to the scene and believe icy roads played a part in the accident. A math teacher, Spence joined the staff at Manchester Valley High School last August, according to Randy Clark, Manchester Valley's principal.

Instead of paying for their lunches with crumpled dollar bills and loose change, students in Carroll County schools are having their palms scanned in a new check-out system - raising concerns from some parents that their children's privacy is being violated. The county is one of the first localities in Maryland to use the PalmSecure system, in which children from kindergarten to 12th grade place their hands above an infrared scanner. It identifies unique palm and vein patterns, and converts the image into an encrypted numeric algorithm that records a sale.

Carroll County schools again scored well above the state average in most categories measured by the Maryland School Assessment, though the school system saw slightly decline in seven of the 12 grade-level measures of math and reading. Figures for latest round of MSAs were released by the state on June 29. The MSA was administered to 365,000 students throughout the state in grades three through eight. The test fulfills the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act, used to determine if students of all sub-groups are making adequate yearly progress.

Several Carroll schools have announced projects to raise money and collect necessities for tsunami relief. Projects include: Eldersburg Elementary School pupils are holding a drive, "America Sends Love," to raise money that will be turned over to the Church of the Brethren for tsunami victims. Pupils have been encouraged to think of others, sacrifice a personal luxury such as a toy or an ice cream, and donate their change. Containers have been set up in each suite for donations, and fifth-graders are collecting and counting the money on a daily basis.

After running the Head Start program in Carroll County for more than 30 years, county school officials are dropping out.But schools will continue to offer classroom space if another agency will take over the duties of running the federally funded program, said Gregory Eckles, director of secondary education and acting director of curriculum and staff development."

Scrambling to find ways to make up five snow days and concerned that more wintry weather might be on the way, Carroll County officials have asked the state schools superintendent to allow them to shorten the school year and open schools on remaining state holidays. School board members will not decide until the middle of the month or next month how to make up snow days beyond the four that were built into the school calendar. But they have agreed to ask Maryland Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick for every available option and weigh them later.

East Middle School students of Loretta Hill, who are not particularly fond of reading, go on a class project each year to read aloud to children at a nearby day-care center.That's just one example of things students are doing now that will count toward the new state-mandated community service requirement, said Peter B. McDowell, director of secondary education for Carroll schools. The Maryland Board of Education approved the program -- the first statewide program of its kind in the country -- in August.

After a couple months of paying for lunch with their palms, students at 10 Carroll County schools are going back to buying pizza and tots using less Bond-like methods. While parent concerns about privacy led their superintendent to hit the breaks on the PalmSecure technology , they can expect to be asked for their biometrics again - and again and again - as they grow older, and even to willingly pay (whatever the method) to give them up. Thanks in no small part to Hollywood , security is the first application many of us consider when we think about biometrics, or measuring or analyzing biological data.

Carroll County school officials have discontinued use of a cafeteria checkout system with palm-scan technology after protests from parents who said the system violated their children's privacy. School Superintendent Stephen Guthrie announced his decision Wednesday to halt use of the system, called PalmSecure, and to ask officials to look at other options. His announcement came after a meeting with County Commissioner Doug Howard, who cited concerns among parents who worried about possible security breaches.

Century High School in Sykesville was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after threatening graffiti was written on a bathroom wall, Carroll County school officials said. An Alert Now electronic message sent out by the school system about 2 p.m. said that law enforcement officials conducted a "comprehensive" search of the school and found "no threat or danger. " Students and staff re-entered the building, the message said. The incident came a day after graffiti was found on a bathroom wall at Sykesville Middle School that indicated a threat to the building, according to another Alert Now electronic message from the school system.

Voters in Howard and Carroll counties elected a mix of incumbents and challengers in school board elections Tuesday. In Howard County, two incumbents and one first-time challenger won the Board of Education race. With all 111 precincts reporting, incumbent Janet Siddiqui took the top spot with 64,006 votes, far ahead of first-time candidate Ann De Lacy, who had 48,342 in second place. The other incumbent, Ellen Giles, had 47,743 votes. Six candidates were running for three seats.

Instead of paying for their lunches with crumpled dollar bills and loose change, students in Carroll County schools are having their palms scanned in a new check-out system - raising concerns from some parents that their children's privacy is being violated. The county is one of the first localities in Maryland to use the PalmSecure system, in which children from kindergarten to 12th grade place their hands above an infrared scanner. It identifies unique palm and vein patterns, and converts the image into an encrypted numeric algorithm that records a sale.

Carroll County public schools should strengthen financial controls and network security, seek all valid Medicaid-related reimbursements, review some of their contractor arrangements and re-evaluate their food service operations, according to a report released by the state Office of Legislative Audits. Those measures could save the county as much as $4 million a year, said the report released last week. "These are recommendations," said Bruce A. Myers, legislative auditor. "We have no enforcement power, but we can advise.

When Carroll schools Superintendent William H. Hyde left quickly and unexpectedly this month for a new job in Montana, he took with him several pieces of equipment funded by taxpayers, including a handheld computer, a cellular telephone and a laptop computer. School spokeswoman Carey Gaddis said late yesterday afternoon that school officials expect the school board-issued items to be returned Friday when Hyde is officially no longer superintendent. The equipment flap is the latest in a series of disputes to arise since Hyde suddenly announced that he would retire Sept.

William H. Hyde, former superintendent of Carroll County public schools, returned from Montana and spent 2 1/2 hours yesterday testifying before a special grand jury about possible illegalities stemming from school construction projects during his tenure. Appearing harried, Hyde dashed from the grand jury room about 3:30 p.m., saying he had no time to comment about his testimony. "I have a medical appointment in five minutes," he said without slowing to answer questions. He looked over his shoulder and said he would be returning to Montana today.

A North Carroll Middle School eighth-grader is being charged as a juvenile after he voluntarily surrendered a handgun he brought to the Hampstead school Wednesday, Oct. 26, to a school staff member he went to for help. Maryland State Police identified the student is a 15-year-old male. He is not being identified because he is being charged as a juvenile. According to police accounts, shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, the student was in the school lunchroom for his lunch period when he approached an assistant principal in the room and said he was troubled with thoughts of harming himself.

Carroll County schools are delayed 2 hours Thursday. *** Charles County schools are closed. *** Howard County's Worthington Elementary School is closed due to lack of power.