Hammond Middle School in North Laurel sent a notification to parents today that one or more black bears were sighted recently near the school at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL) on the main campus and also in the 7700 block of Montpelier Road.
According to the memo sent, APL notified the Maryland Department of Natural Resources about the sightings, and wildlife officials are monitoring the situation. They point out that these encounters are not unusual in Howard County as younger black bears occasionally wander into populated areas.
According to school officials the school will follow predetermined emergency protocols in the case of a bear sighting on or near school property.
The school will initiate the appropriate protocol from our Emergency Operations Plan (lockdown or reverse evacuation), and notify the HCPSS Office of Safety and Security via radio.
Other precautions that HMS will take, include the following:
1) Limit recess until we receive additional information.
2) Limit to the best of our ability, students moving to and from portables. Ultimately, we want to limit students moving from the building to any portables alone.
3) We will advise our students that walk to school to travel in groups and to avoid isolated wooded areas.
The school is located at 8100 Aladdin Drive, Laurel, Maryland.
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