Public schools in Carroll County will close two hours early again today because of the expected high temperatures, Superintendent R. Edward Shilling said yesterday.

Afternoon kindergarten for today is canceled, which means those children are finished for the year. Friday, the last day of the school year, had been previously scheduled as a half-day session.

It will be the second day in a row that schools have closed early because of the heat. However, these days will not have to be made up, Mr. Shilling said. Students will have been in school for enough hours for these two days to qualify as full days under state regulations.

About half Carroll school buildings have some air conditioning, but all schools will close early. School officials have said that closing only schools without air-conditioning would create too many complications with bus schedules.

Mr. Shilling said that the general rule is to cancel evening extracurricular events when schools close early, but that each principal will have some discretion. Principals will let students know today about contingency plans for those events, he said.