Innovative Pathways Evening Program
Request for Enrollment
Enrollment requests for the Spring 2025 Evening Program are now closed.
Requests are now being reviewed and families will be notified of their child’s enrollment status (enrolled in a class or added to the course waitlist) by email no later than Wednesday, January 29, 2025.

Jump to: 2024-2025 School Year | Attendance | Transportation | Payment | Withdrawal | Contact | FAQs
Overview
The Innovative Pathways Evening Program provides educational services for current students who are:
- Seeking to recover credit for missed/failed courses
- Interested in taking additional classes to advance their studies
- On long-term suspension or who have been expelled from school and are under 18 years of age
The Evening Program schedule allows students to access up to four courses during the school year. Courses are taught using a blended instructional model; combining live instruction one to three days per week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays), with additional online coursework completed outside of class time.
In-person courses are held at Homewood Center, 10914 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City.
2024-2025 Evening Program Calendar
Evening program classes do not meet when HCPSS schools are closed, evening activities are canceled or when high schools are scheduled for early dismissal. The HCPSS academic calendar is available online.
Fall 2024 Semester
September 24, 2024–January 16, 2025
Please note:
- There is a mandatory student orientation on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
- There will be no classes Oct. 3, Oct. 31, Nov. 5, Nov. 26-28, Dec. 24-31, and Jan. 1, 2025.
Spring 2025 Semester
February 4–May 15, 2025
- There is a mandatory student orientation on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
- There will be no classes April 15-17 and May 7.
Attendance
Daily attendance and active student participation directly support student achievement. Students are expected to work on their classes Monday–Friday. Students who exceed the number of allowed absences, who are not making weekly progress, or are more than one week behind in their course may be withdrawn from their courses.
- Students who show up to 5 minutes after the start time are considered Tardy. Students who show up after 15 minutes of the start time are considered Absent.
- Students who miss more than two (2) classes in courses that meet 1 day per week (Art, CRD, Health, Lifetime Fitness, Foundations of Tech, Site-based Work Experience) will be withdrawn from their course.
- Students who miss more than five (5) classes in courses that meet 1–3 days per week (English, Exploring Comp Sci, Math, Science, Social Studies, Spanish) will be withdrawn from their course
- To report an absence:
- Students should message their teacher through Canvas Inbox or email their teacher’s HCPSS email address.
- Parents can call the Evening Program after-hours phone number (410-313-8227), Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 4:30-8:00 p.m.
- Parents can email IPEvening@hcpss.org and include “Absence” in the subject line. Include the student’s name, course name, teacher’s name, and reason for absence.
- Students may only earn credit for assignments due to an excused absence. Students may be excused from class or school only for reasons as specified in the Code of Maryland Regulations, 13A.08.01.02, 13A.08.01.03, 13A.08.01.06, and l3AA.10.01.04(A-B).
Transportation
Transportation is the responsibility of the student and parent/guardian. Students must be dropped off and picked up on time.
Limited bus transportation is available via community bus stops – a central bus stop location. Door-to-door or neighborhood bus stops are not provided.
The community bus stops for the 2024-2025 school year are:
- Ducketts Lane Elementary School, 6501 Ducketts Lane, Elkridge
- Howard High School, 8700 Old Annapolis Road, Ellicott City
- Long Reach High School, 6101 Old Dobbin Lane, Columbia
- Oakland Mills High School, 9410 Kilimanjaro Road, Columbia
- Wilde Lake High School, 5460 Trumpeter Road, Columbia
Community bus stops are subject to change. Alternate transportation may be found through the Regional Transportation Agency (RTA).
Payments and Financial Assistance
Payments
Payments will only be accepted for students who have been enrolled in a course (not on a waitlist). Once enrolled, the parent/guardian will be emailed an invoice from MySchoolBucks outlining the course fee(s). Parents/guardians who do not receive an invoice should search do-not-reply@myschoolbucks.com in their spam/junk email folder.
Download PDF: Evening Program Payment Instructions
Payments may be made online through MySchoolBucks or by mail. After 10 days past due, the enrollment may be removed. Full payment is due prior to the program start date. 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.
- Online: Payment may be made through MySchoolBucks by debit card, credit card or eCheck (there is a 4% non-refundable service fee).
- Mail: Download the Registration Payment Form and return the completed form with a check or money order payable to HCPSS (not the student’s school) to:
HCPSS
Attn: Innovative Pathways
10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
If an alternate form of payment is needed, please contact the program directly to review payment options. HCPSS cannot take in-person payment (check or money order) without an appointment.
Returned Checks
Checks returned by the bank due to insufficient funds will be assessed a charge. 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 IPEvening@hcpss.org
- Mail: Download the Financial Assistance Application and return the completed form and required documentation to:
HCPSS
Attn: Innovative Pathways
10910 Clarksville Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Withdrawal and Refund Requests
Withdrawal Requests
Prior to enrollment, a parent/guardian or school counselor may submit a registration withdrawal request online through HCPSS Connect. Instructions for requesting withdrawal are included in the Register for Evening Program document.
Any student who withdraws from a course after the withdrawal deadline (16 school days after the course start date) will receive a W (withdrawal) on the report card and official transcript.
Refund Requests
Refund requests will only be processed after a withdrawal request has been submitted online through HCPSS Connect prior to the refund deadline. See details on how to Request Withdrawal from Evening School Courses.
- Refund requests received by the close of business on Monday, February 3 will receive a full refund.
- Students withdrawing between Tuesday, February 4–Sunday, February 9 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 Monday, February 10, 2025.
Tuition paid by 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.
Contact
For questions regarding course selection, contact the student’s school counselor.
For program questions prior to February 4:
- Phone: 410-313-6627 (Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)
- Email: IPEvening@hcpss.org
Beginning February 4:
- Phone: 410-750-8227 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 4:30–8:00 p.m.)
Please note that messages sent via email generally will receive a faster response than calling. Phone messages will be returned within 24 hours during the school week.
FAQs
Evening Program FAQs for students and families as well as staff are available online.