The Mountain View Whisman School District Board of Trustees has decided to start meeting face-to-face again, but plans to keep public participation fully remote, at least for now.

Board members decided at a Sept. 23 meeting to gather in-person for the first time in over a year at their next meeting, which is slated for Oct. 7. At the same time, the board voted unanimously to keep having the public take part online or over the phone, thanks to a new state law that allows boards to continue holding remote meetings.

Local government bodies, including school boards and city councils, had been facing the prospect of having to bring back in-person meetings starting next month, because an executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom that facilitated remote meetings during the pandemic is set to expire Sept. 30.

The California legislature recently passed Assembly Bill 361, which effectively extends the executive order. Mountain View Whisman's board took advantage of it to keep public participation remote for the time being.

According to Superintendent Ayinde Rudolph, under the provisions of AB 361, the board will need to take a new vote every 30 days if it wants to continue with partially remote meetings.

Board President Devon Conley said that she knows everyone on the board is vaccinated, but doesn't have the same knowledge about members of the public who may come to speak at meetings. Conley added that she feels an obligation to minimize the risk of participating in board meetings, especially since many parents have children who aren't yet old enough to get vaccinated.

"Something that I've really loved about the crazy world we've been living in is the ability for the public to participate remotely," Conley said. "I feel like that has given access to so many people who might not otherwise have engaged with the board and it's been really powerful."

Although the board plans to return in person, individual trustees could still choose to participate over Zoom. Conley said there's value in that option, especially if a board member gets sick.

Trustee Chris Chiang asked the superintendent whether it would be possible to require attendees to show proof of their vaccination status. Rudolph said that the district's attorneys are looking into it, but it isn't clear whether a vaccination requirement is allowable.

Even enforcing existing mask mandates at board meetings raises questions. Although Santa Clara County requires face masks indoors, Rudolph said that if an attendee refused to wear one, the district wouldn't be in a position to forcibly remove the person, and would have to call the police.

The Palo Alto Unified School District's board has begun requiring in-person attendees to show proof of vaccination, but is also offering online participation.

The Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District's board, on the other hand, has returned to fully in-person meetings, with a livestream available online, but no option for the public to address the board remotely.