The discussion was fruitful, but we recognize that we have not reached clarity on the issues or about what we want to do.. Although we did not craft a formal minute, Friends generally agreed to the following:

• That NEYM work with Moses Brown School (MBS) through the ad hoc Care Committee to strengthen its ability to provide a Quaker education for all students; this includes deepening Quaker oversight and the emphasis on Quaker values and testimonies.
• That NEYM seek ways to support and assist MBS in improving its enrollment of Quaker children and in being a school where Quaker parents would wish to send their children.
• That the boarding component of the school be reevaluated by the yearly meeting in creative ways, perhaps polling parents in NEYM to see if they would send their children to MBS if some type of living/boarding situation were available, and by asking Providence Meeting to discern whether or not members may be in a position to provide home boarding for Quaker students from outside the immediate area.
• That NEYM continue to hold the property in trust for the school. At this time, the legal structures are what keeps the school and yearly meeting in dialogue.
• That NEYM undertake to educate Friends in New England about the gift of Moses Brown, by making the text of the deed and other relevant materials available on the NEYM website; also that people who have been teachers, students, or parents help in this endeavor by traveling and listening throughout the yearly meeting.
• That Friends in New England explore what modern Quaker educational philosophy is, and what we would like to see reflected in a yearly meeting school. We recognize that we can’t undo some of the decisions made in previous generations. How does this particular school fit in current Quaker educational philosophy?
• That Friends in NEYM address, and seek to repair, the history of distrust that has developed between the school and the yearly meeting, including among Board of Overseer members. Perhaps, projects such as a jointly sponsored speaker’s forum could provide something for us to work on together.
• That NEYM consider hiring a Rhode Island attorney to represent the interests of the yearly meeting in examining the deed (the report from the title company was based on the school’s perspective, answering the question “Can the school be separately incorporated?”).

Friends did not think that another open meeting for discernment was needed at this time.