Carroll County school board votes to convert overnight outdoor school to day program citing safety concerns

The Carroll County Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to discontinue the overnight component of its outdoor school program, ending a residential tradition that has sent sixth graders to the Hashawa Environmental Appreciation Center since the 1970s.

The board's 5–0 vote approves Superintendent Dr. Cynthia McCabe's recommendation to pause the program for the 2026–27 school year while staff redesigns it as a day program, with full implementation targeting seventh graders beginning in 2027–28.

McCabe and the board's legal counsel, Edmund O’Meally of PK Law, presented findings from a risk assessment commissioned through the school system's insurer earlier this year. O’Meally cited a series of compounding concerns: the Hashawa property is county-owned and unsecured, meaning anyone can walk onto the site at any time.

O’Meally said people who were not supposed to be there have shown up at the property under the influence of something while children were residing overnight. The program does not have adult counselors sleeping in the bunks with students — high school students serve in that role. "We had one adult who was able to confront that individual, and it was the nurse, putting herself at risk," he said.

Emergency response times to the remote location are longer than typical in Carroll County, and the site lacks reliable cellular service or fiber-optic connectivity to summon help, according to O’Meally.

O’Meally also pointed to Maryland's Child Victims Act, which took effect in October 2023 and eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims. He said approximately 12,000 plaintiffs have already filed claims across the state against schools, churches, and camps. "A situation that might occur in 2026, you could be defending that in 2046," he said.

"My recommendation is that we discontinue the outdoor school program as we currently have it with the residential component for sixth graders," said O’Meally.

Under Superintendent McCabe's plan, the 2026–27 school year will serve as a planning year with no outdoor school program operating. Beginning in 2027–28, a redesigned day program will serve seventh graders rather than sixth graders, a shift staff said better aligns with the seventh-grade science curriculum. The board president, Steve Whistler, directed both the Community Advisory Council and the Curriculum Council to be involved in shaping the new program.

The superintendent acknowledged that logistics require careful planning. Getting students from across the county to Hashawa and back within a school day, without disrupting bus routes, would currently allow only about two activities before students would need to leave. Staff said they want to take the year to solve those transportation challenges and consider whether multiple outdoor locations around the county might serve different regions.

Several members of the public spoke against the change during Wednesday’s public comment period, questioning both the decision and the transparency of the process.

"For nearly 50 years, [outdoor school] has provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our children to learn outside, to explore our creeks and meadows and forests," said Lemond Tuttle, whose son attended the program. "If we can navigate liability concerns for sports teams and traveling bands, if other school systems can continue operating Arlington Echo and Camp Schmidt, there is no excuse for not doing the same for the outdoor school." Tuttle was referring to outdoor education programs run by Anne Arundel and Prince George's County public schools.

Lisa Maisano, a parent and school board candidate, said she was frustrated by the lack of advance notice. Lisa Maisano said the agenda item appeared on Monday, the same day the comment sign-up window opened, and described only "outdoor school program" with no explanatory documents. She said she learned a vote would be taken only after reading a newspaper account the night before the meeting.

Julie Walsh, another parent and board candidate, asked the board to consider keeping the program's funding in reserve and working through the summer to explore risk mitigation, potentially reopening to seventh graders the following year. She acknowledged she may not be aware of every risk factor the board has considered.

Board members said they did not take the decision lightly and were limited in what they could share publicly.

"Trust your five board members," Board President Steve Whistler said. "This is serious, and it's not about money." He said the decision is about student safety, staff safety, and protecting taxpayers from the risk of litigation and lawsuits that could drain resources away from students. He said the board had consulted county commissioners and the Carroll County Sheriff and had exhausted every alternative it could find. What it couldn't do, he said, was lay out every concern in a public meeting, as certain details could not be shared without exposing vulnerabilities to potential bad actors.

Board member Kristen Zihmer said even if the school system had unlimited funding to address every item in the risk assessment, some safety concerns could not be resolved. "These are major things," she said. "And if I can't send my kids, I can't in good faith send your kids either."

Student representative Gabriella Tedeschi, who was seated on the board at the start of Wednesday's meeting but does not hold voting power, noted that she had attended outdoor school without the overnight component due to COVID-19 restrictions and still found it valuable. "Student safety should be our first priority, but we should also still be able to keep this program that is so treasured and prized in Carroll County," she said.

The next board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, at 5 p.m. at 125 North Court Street, Westminster.

Photos: From the YouTube broadcast of the June 10, 2026, CCPS Board of Education meeting in Westminster, Maryland.