Battle for “North Harford Zone” begins again;

Harford County Public Schools opened schools on time on February 3 after forecasters called for dangerous weather near the Pennsylvania, Maryland line. In preparation for the inclement weather, other areas including The Hereford Zone, which is at the same latitude as the North Harford area, and Cecil County closed, and the Harford County Government employees were on liberal leave.

The snow, which began as rain over night, changed to sleet and freezing rain by 7am and by 9am, there were several inches of snow on the ground and on roads.

According to a local bus contractor which services northern Harford County, HCPS has a standard code that they follow in deciding whether schools can open as normal. At 3:30am all contractors receive a call to be on standby and no buses can leave the lots until the Transportation Department has finished assessing road conditions by 5am. At this time schools are opened on normal time, delayed, or closed. If a delay is called for, the Transportation Department continues surveying roads and makes a second call, in which it and HCPS decide to allow the buses to pick up on the delayed schedule or schools are closed.

The push for the North Harford Zone is being headed by County Councilman Chad Shrodes, who resides in the Norrisville area. Shrodes said this endeavor started because of emotions, but soon it turned to a matter of safety.

“They [those outside NH area] just don’t get it, and to me it seems so obvious, like common sense; not only for the safety of the students, but also for the teachers and bus drivers, who did an amazing job in that situation,” said Shrodes.

Though all of the North Harford area was affected, Norrisville was possibly hit the hardest as it sits in the north western most corner of Harford County, between the Baltimore County and Pennsylvania lines. During the 10 hour storm, Norrisville received approximately 8 to 9 inches of snow, according to Shrodes.

Critics don’t experience the storms and hardly ever see the aftermath, but Shrodes still wants their support. People living outside of the zone shouldn’t have to miss school because of a storm only affecting the North Harford area. Lower elevation areas and the southern portion of the county don’t come close in having the same effects as Norrisville. Shrodes says there is even a difference in weather, especially temperature, between areas outside of Norrisville, such as Jarrettsville and Forest Hill.

“I’m trying to back what we already know about living in the North Harford zone with science,” said Shrodes.

Shrodes is reaching out to meteorologists to look at weather patterns and other past weather that has affected separate parts of the county. He believes the county could realistically be split into three zones. The National Weather Service actually tried to put North Harford County in a group with Baltimore County and Carroll County because these areas experience similar weather.

He made this campaign official on February 4 at the County Council meeting and received the backing of the Council President William Boniface. Shrodes also created a Facebook page, “‘North Harford School Zone’ Petition to HCPS” to hear what North Harford residences have to say.

“As a councilman, I don’t have a lot of power when it comes to the school system, which is why I need the community’s support,” said Shrodes.

The process to develop this zone will take some time and is up to HCPS and the Board of Education. Studies for a North Harford Zone has been conducted in 1994 and 2008, though these studies were found inconclusive.

“As we review the 1994 and 2008 school zone studies, an open dialog and a ‘seat at the table’ with school officials is crucial,” said Shrodes

Shrodes and his supporters convinced the Board of Education to conduct another study this year.

“We look forward to working with Harford County Public Schools and the Board of Education through the creation of a task force. This group will include parents, teachers, bus drivers, the Department of Emergency Services, the Department of Public Works, and the State Highway Administration. It will offer an opportunity for every stakeholder to offer specific feedback,” said Shrodes.

Also in attendance at the meeting were those that do not reside in the North Harford area. These people also have a stake in whether a North Harford zone is created or not. Students in other parts of the county are missing school for weather that isn’t a problem in their area.

“I was on the bus for two and a half hours and the ride normally takes 45 to 50 minutes,” said sophomore Madison Lambert.

Lambert is a magnet student who normally would attend Bel Air High School. Though the storm was just as intense as she left North Harford and entered Bel Air, Lambert says Bel Air received mostly rain and about two inches of snow.

Harford County bus drivers must attend six hours of classroom training every year. Even with this education, driving a bus can be very dangerous, especially in severe weather.

“Buses are not four-wheel drive; they become stuck in snow easily and getting them unstuck is almost impossible because of their size and weight. If they start to slide on ice it is impossible to stop them for the same reasons,” said Ms. Tammy Smithson, a bus driver with 11 years of experience.

Students who drive to school were in a particularly difficult situation, especially since many have never experienced driving in snowy conditions. Some parents picked up their children before the early dismissal was announced. Many students were without all-wheel drive and expected to leave the school grounds immediately after the school closed at 10am. Senior Rachel Baca was one of those students. She does not have all-wheel drive and she barely got out of the parking lot. Baca had to go through Rocks State Park to get home, which scared her.

“I was just hoping to make it home safely without getting in an accident,” said Baca.

She was angry there was no delay earlier that morning and is now a supporter of the North Harford Zone, claiming it is a great idea.

“North Harford is much farther north than the other county schools and weather conditions are worse up here. We have more back roads that don’t always get plowed as soon as they should,” said Baca.