Laura Briggin, Cypress School Director, BCBA

Cypress Primary School and Cypress Secondary School: Our Cypress Administration, Teachers, Therapists, and our Educational and Behavioral Consultants, Dr. Colleen Arnold and Sarah Doherty, have been looking at a modified Extended School Year (ESY) with the possibility of in class options while we are awaiting more guidance from the state.

Some important considerations that we need to address before we return to on-campus instruction include Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provided to all staff, therapists and students (although we will ask but not require students to wear a mask). Marin County has opened a Special Day class with students that have similar needs to our students at Cypress School. Cindy Evans, former Cypress Teacher, and now teacher of the Marin County pilot classroom is in contact with us to report what is and is not working.

We are in contact with various state and local agencies, school districts, and other schools and have been discussing and brainstorming how to create a safe learning environment for our students and staff. Some of those ideas have included having a modified schedule, such as an AM group and a PM group that are on campuses at different times to limit exposure to each other. We have also discussed having two full days for instruction, on Monday and Tuesday, for half of our students, having a deep cleaning on Wednesday, and having the second half of the classroom attend Thursday and Friday. Our Community Based Instruction also needs to be considered, as we would not go to grocery stores, or any areas where students would be in close contact with others.

Cypress ABA Afterschool Services and ABA Special Summer Programs: The Cypress June ABA Program will continue with tele-health/distance learning and is currently targeting 50 participants with familiar staff on Zooms and Zoom alternatives. The program will also include recorded videos, 1:1 Zoom/Facetime meetings, group Zoom/FaceTime activities, and individualized care and material packages, delivered by Cypress Aides or by mail. These activities scheduled by Zoom, learning packets sent home, calls and videos will include social skills, virtual field trips, shared movies, dance parties, music, art, drama, PE, and Yoga.

BOOST Educational Services: The Boost Conductive Education Program is successfully finishing their second academic year and have successfully implemented individualized distance learning opportunities via Zoom classes, live and recorded videos shared with families, individual Zoom calls, and individually designed boxes of hands on and supplemental learning materials. We have two potential referrals for the BOOST classroom. We have been interviewing and will be enrolling one student for ESY and at least one student for the regular 2020-2021 school year. The BOOST team has determined that the July BOOST Summer Program will be held by distance learning following the present methods including Zoom, videos, phone calls and care/learning packets sent home.