Enrollment requests for registration-based programs can be made by a parent, guardian, school counselor or achievement liaison.
All enrollment requests are PENDING until HCPSS has completed program placement and full tuition is paid. Enrollment requests DO NOT guarantee placement in a program.
Payments
Payments for summer programs can ONLY BE MADE ONCE ENROLLMENT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY EMAIL. Parents/guardians will receive an email from MySchoolBucks with an invoice once the student has been enrolled in a program. Payments may be made by check, money order or credit card. Full payment of the program/course fee is due within 10 days of receiving the invoice. Failure to make payment will result in the removal of the enrollment.
Payments will be accepted in the following manner:
- Online: Payments will be available to be made through MySchoolBucks (there is a 4% service fee for online payments)
- Mail: Download the Registration Payment Form and return the completed form with a check or money order payable to Howard County Public School System to:
HCPSS
Attn: Summer Programs
10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Download PDF: Summer Programs Payment Instructions
NOTE: If an alternate form of payment is needed, please contact the program directly to review payment options. HCPSS cannot take in-person payment without an appointment.
Returned Checks
Checks returned by the bank due to insufficient funds will be assessed a charge. If payment is not received in full, the unpaid amount will become a debt and will be entered as an outstanding obligation at your child’s school. All obligations must be satisfied prior to graduation. The HCPSS Finance Office has contracted with Envision Payment Solutions, Inc. for the electronic collection of check payments. If the check is returned unpaid, Envision Payment Solutions, Inc. will assess a $35 fee allowed by Maryland state law and charged as an electronic fund transfer.
Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance is available for current HCPSS students. Please visit www.hcpss.org/farms to submit a Free and Reduced Price Meal services (FARMs) application.
Students receiving FARMs automatically receive a 50% tuition reduction upon verification.
Parents/guardians who do not qualify for FARMs but are experiencing a documented financial hardship, or who are unable to afford tuition after the automatic FARMs status-based discounts, may complete a Financial Assistance Application. Financial hardships include unemployment of a parent or guardian, pending foreclosure or eviction and medical hardship. The Financial Assistance Committee will review the completed applications and notify parents/guardians if additional tuition reduction will be applied.
Financial Assistance applications will be accepted in the following manner (please only submit ONE version):
- Online: Complete the online form and email the required documentation to the student’s summer program
- Mail: Download the application form and return the completed form and required documentation to:
HCPSS
Attn: Innovative Pathways
10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Withdrawal Requests
Prior to enrollment, a parent/guardian or school counselor may submit a registration withdrawal request online through the Synergy Parent Portal on the HCPSS Connect web page (https://www.hcpss.org/connect/). Instructions for requesting withdrawal are included in the Register for Summer Programs document.
Refund Requests
Refund requests will only be processed after a withdrawal request has been submitted online through HCPSS Connect prior to the refund deadline. Tuition paid by cash, check, or money order will be refunded in the form of a check mailed to the issuer once the Refund Form is processed. Refunds by check may take 4–6 weeks to process. Tuition paid by credit card will be refunded to the credit card in accordance with the credit card company’s refund procedure less the service charge.
- BSAP Summer Institute and G/T Summer Institutes for Talent Development – Refund requests received after April 30, 2024, will be assessed a 25 percent administrative fee and those received after May 8, 2024, will be assessed a 50 percent administrative fee. Refunds will not be issued after May 15, 2024.
- Innovative Pathways High School – Refund requests received by the close of business on June 28, 2024 will receive a full refund. Students withdrawing between June 29 – July 5, 2024 will receive a partial refund (the amount of payment less the greater of a 20% administrative fee or $50.00). Refunds will not be issued after July 5, 2024.
Transportation for Summer Programs is limited and varies by program. Transportation is provided via community bus stops; door-to-door service is not provided. A community bus stop is a location where students in a geographic location will meet and a school bus will pick up and transport them to their summer program. Community bus stop locations are based on student enrollments. Parents/guardians will receive community bus stop information during the program orientation.
- BSAP Summer Institute, G/T Summer Institutes for Talent Development and Summer Math Scholars Program – Transportation is provided by HCPSS via a community bus stop.
- Innovative Pathways High School programs – Transportation is provided by HCPSS via a community bus stop and is limited to students:
- Enrolled in the Gear Up for 9th Grade program at Hammond HS
- Enrolled in a credit recovery course
- Graduating during the High School summer program in August 2024
For all other students, transportation is NOT provided and will be the responsibility of the student and their parent(s)/guardian(s). Students must be dropped off and picked up on time. Alternate transportation may be found through Howard County Transit at transitrta.com.