September 21, 2005


Dear Parents/Guardians:

Staff in the Howard County Public School System are committed to providing safe and nurturing environments
for your children.   In order to address issues around school safety, policymakers on the national and local levels,
and administrators, teachers and other staff in Howard County Public Schools, have made efforts to ensure that schools remain safe and nurturing environments conducive to learning.  The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 includes school safety as a national educational goal.  The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
has identified safe schools as one of its five strategic goals for Maryland’s plan for every student.  Howard
County, along with other local school systems in the State, has included school safety as one of the goals in
their strategic five-year Bridge to Excellence Master Plan.  

In July 2005, the Maryland Legislature passed the Safe Schools Reporting Act of 2005, which requires
school districts to report incidents of harassment or intimidation (bullying) to the Maryland State Department
of Education.  A Harassment or Intimidation (Bullying) Form can be completed by you or your child if you
feel or your child feels that he/she has been intimidated (bullied) or harassed on school property, on a school
bus or at a school-sponsored activity. Once this form is received by a school administrator, an investigation
will occur and corrective action will be taken.  The Harassment or Intimidation (Bullying) Forms will be located
in the front and guidance office in our school.  

As the administrator of Cradlerock School, I assure you that the safety and well being of your child is of the
utmost importance to me and staff here at Cradlerock.  We know that our students cannot learn if they are
concerned about safety issues at school.  We need your support to join in our efforts to create and maintain educational environments that are safe, appropriate for academic achievement, and free from all forms of
harassment.  

If you have questions or need additional information on safe school programs and supports that are in place
at our school, please contact any administrator at 410-313-7601.

Sincerely,


Jason McCoy
Principal
Cradlerock School
HOME | NEWSLETTER