W. Gardner provided an overview for the Board of the reopening plan development and sharing process:
All schools were asked by DESE to plan for three possible models for reopening: fully in-person, hybrid, and fully remote. Alma has been working on developing all of these plans for the last several weeks. 
DESE has asked all schools to have their school committees review and approve Reopening Plans, including a vote approving the model that the school will use to open the 20-21 school year. 
All schools received generic feedback from DESE yesterday, and we may or may not receive specific feedback from DESE on Monday. The deadline to make plans public was changed yesterday from Monday, August 10 to Friday, August 14. With the approval of the Board today, Alma is planning to release our plan publicly on Monday, August 10 and has scheduled time with staff and families to discuss the plan virtually on Tuesday, August 11. 

B. Cunningham read the school's mission.
W. Gardner commented on the importance of this moment for all of our scholars. 
W. Gardner reviewed the school's reopening priorities.
W. Gardner reviewed the pillars of infection control that the school is considering in the development of health and safety protocols.
W. Gardner reviewed the opening model. Alma's proposed opening model is to begin with in-person instruction for grades K-1 and a small number of scholars with significant and complex needs while opening fully remote for grades 2-8. Alma has proposed shifting the first day of school to September 14, 2020. 
W. Gardner stated that Alma is looking to bring back as many grades as possible, but will do so in a slow and intentional manner. The next grade we would look to bring back in person is 2nd grade. 
W. Gardner reviewed the design process used to create this reopening model, including guiding principles and how the school engaged with stakeholders for input on the plans. 
W. Gardner explained that the school has thought deeply about the difficult decision to open with a significant number of grades remotely. We recognize the ways this will be extremely challenging for many families
W. Gardner stated that Alma is ready to adapt and move between various models as needed throughout the school year.  
W. Gardner reviewed the timeline for staff training leading up to our opening. This includes a large Family Orientation that we are in the process of planning. We are also planning for ongoing communication with our families in the coming weeks. 
W. Gardner reviewed a sample remote learning schedule with the Board. 

G. Fortes commented that the Alma del Mar team has approached this planning process with a lot of intentionality and thoughtful strategy. G. Fortes commented on the ongoing challenge of enacting the current health and safety measures outlined in this plan for scholars, staff, and families. G. Fortes had to depart the meeting early, but voiced her support for approval of this plan. 
B. Cunningham asked if the school had received any input from teachers or staff who felt they could not return to work in person. W. Gardner responded that yes, the school has heard from teachers over several zoom calls and this is an ongoing conversation. 
B. Cunningham asked how the school was determining which scholars with significant and complex needs would be returning in-person on the first day of school. W. Gardner stated that it would be approximately 10 scholars to begin the year. 
C. Hicks asked how the school would be supporting a small number of scholars who were unengaged during the spring closure. W. Gardner responded that Alma has good data from the spring closure regarding which scholars struggled the most with remote learning and that we are already planning for ways to support these scholars. 
C. Hicks asked if there was any way the Board should support teachers and staff at this difficult time. W. Gardner responded that Alma had been considering this in the creation of the model. All teachers are either remote or in person, so we have reduced the need for teachers to juggle between both modes. Additionally, we have provided lots of extra time in the schedule for our teachers to prepare. 
J. Baptist walked the Board through to document to give all Board members time to ask questions. 
C. Bator asked how many scholars will be new to Alma this year as they may need additional support. W. Gardner stated that Alma is planning for these scholars and is considering ways to help them feel welcomed as a part of the Alma community.
C. Arnold asked about the specifics of online learning for remote scholars. W. Gardner explained the unique ways that remote learning can help put some of our strongest teachers work with an even bigger number of scholars daily.