On Tuesday, August 20, the Baltimore County school board voted to give final approval to Conrad O'Brien client, Watershed Charter School — the only charter school in the county — to open in September in the Woodlawn area.
According to a report in The Baltimore Sun, Watershed is only the second charter school to be approved by the school board to operated since Maryland passed a law in 2003 allowing charter schools. The vote was nearly unanimous.
Watershed is designed to get children outside into an environment of streams, woods, and fields. The Baltimore Sun reports that "the two founders — both parents with children who would attend the school — visualize students exploring a campus with an orchard, gardens and a chicken coop, as well as natural spaces. The school is part of a nature-based movement in education that places emphasis on the notion that children shouldn’t spend their days on a computer or stuck inside."
Conrad O’Brien represents and advises schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland, from the application drafting process through startup and ongoing operations. Pat Hennessy and Chris Barrett represent Watershed Public Charter School in this matter.