In a virtual meeting Tuesday, Mars Area School Board unanimously approved a health and safety plan for students returning to school Aug. 31.

Although the plan provides guidelines for the district moving into a new school year, Superintendent Mark Gross indicated that doesn't mean navigating it will be simple.

“With adversity comes growth,” Gross said. “And we're definitely going to grow this year.”

Mars Area announced this summer that while it began the planning process months ago, district leaders wanted to wait as long as possible before approving a plan.

Circumstances and directives issued from the state have often changed unexpectedly, as PDE's release of a new transmission metric system Monday showed.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has directed schools to begin “phased reopenings” based on the color of the county.

For those that are green or yellow, schools are permitted to offer in-person instruction after developing a written health and safety plan.

Plans need to be approved by school boards and then posted on district websites.

Mars Area has identified three platforms students can use to learn this year.

The first is a traditional setting that will include masking, cleaning and social distancing standards set by PDE and the state's Department of Health.

The second option is live stream interactive (LSI) instruction. Using technology to stream lessons out of classrooms, students will be able to attend from home.

The third option is Mars Area Cyber Academy. Students enrolled in this receive an education via Waterfront Learning Services.

Students can fluctuate between the three options as needed.

The district issued a few surveys during the plan development process to discover which setting families favored for the school year.

District officials announced Tuesday the most recent survey — which asked families to specify which of the options they'd use — indicated nearly 81 percent of the 2,662 students represented opted for a brick-and-mortar setting.

About 14 percent plan to use LSI.

District mother Jennifer Bainbridge asked how the district would handle a substitute teacher shortage.

“Do you guys shut the building down?” Bainbridge asked. “Or will it be like a snow day?”

“We know we have the potential for something like that to occur,” Gross said. “I don't know if I have a specific answer.”

Gross said the district doesn't intend to close school unless absolutely necessary, and the administration has investigated options for coverage.

A paraprofessional, for instance, could monitor a classroom without teaching. Also, LSI may allow teachers to teach from home if they need to quarantine.

Gross said the district will consider the metrics released this week by PDE encouraging districts with communities that have 10 to 99 COVID-19 incidents per 100,000 people over a seven-day period to participate in a blended or remote learning model. Communities with 100 or more cases are encouraged to go remote full-time.