PALM BEACH COUNTY — During a virtual 10-hour meeting that included several hours of listening to parents’ and staff members’ recorded messages about reopening the public schools, after midnight on June 16, the School Board approved Dr. Donald Fennoy’s plan for beginning on Aug. 10 with virtual learning only.

Then when a discussion was sparked of putting off the start date of school also, however, the board deferred that decision until another meeting, so they will reconvene at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 22. At that time board members may prevail in trying to give everyone — students, their parents, teachers and staff more time to prepare and set the start of the 2020-21 school year to Aug. 31 rather than Aug. 10.

Under Dr. Fennoy’s plan, there would be a return to the physical classroom instruction model in stages depending on improving metrics regarding the COVID-19 pandemic’s trends and its effects on hospital capacity, etc., as assessed by the

First to return to the classrooms will be kindergarten and pre-K students, first, sixth and ninth grade students when the district’s health advisory panel concludes they can safely do so. Then second, third, seventh and 10th grades would return two weeks later, and the remainder of students after a month had passed. Any new bend in COVID-19 trends could result in alterations to the planned schedule, though.

Anyone can view the School District of Palm Beach County’s reopening plans, a 52-page document, by using this link:

www.palmbeachschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_270532/File/Students%20&%20Parents/Reopening%20Schools/Reopening%20Plan%20for%20Board%20Presentation.pdf

It is among multiple sources of further information that are available by navigating the district’s website at palmbeachschools.org.