The Public school children of Oakland continue to be months if not an entire school year behind other children across the country because of Union leaders and other advocates who are driven by outside agenda's other than the education and social well being of all Oakland public school children. Alameda County is flirting with yellow tier numbers (we are at 2.3 per 100K as of data from 3/22). Oakland has 34.7% of all residents >16 yrs with 1 vaccination shot- that will only grow. CDC has said- use 3ft of distance so you can give the kids more time in person, it's safe. Masks continue to work. Kids should be given 5 days a week who want it now, and in Fall there should be nothing less than school returning as usual. Nobody is advocating against allowing some to be served virtually--but it should not be in leu of in person learning. There is too much at risk by keeping kids home, isolated and in front of screens. 5 full days!

Please look at the new 3' guidance released by the CDC, CDPH, and Alameda County. The OUSD/OEA MOU states that it will follow CDC guidance so we are able to make this change NOW to accommodate more students safely in the classroom this SPRING. There's no longer a need to separate classes into 2 cohorts when 1 cohort can safely fit in a classroom under these new guidelines. This would allow our elementary school kids 4x a week in the classroom. (The half days are ridiculously hard for working parents, but I don't see that being able to change for the Spring, unfortunately.) As for fall, please be more clear in your messaging: You are planning for a 5x a week full-time school schedule for TK-12 students. As long as the public health guidelines say it's safe, there is absolutely no excuse not to commit to a full-time return for all grades. All adults will be vaccinated (who want it). Hybrid planning should only be a back-up if this virus takes a completely different turn for the worse.

SB 98 is very clear.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB98

43504. (a) The compulsory education requirements described in Section 48200 continue to apply for the 2020–21 school year.
(b) A local educational agency shall offer in-person instruction to the greatest extent possible.

If OUSD doesn’t start following the new 3’ CDC, CA DPH, and ACOE guidance then we definitely aren’t offering in-person instruction to the greatest extent possible.

Let us ask ourselves why Berkeley, Piedmont, and Albany students deserve more in-person learning than children in Oakland. Why don’t we demand more of ourselves and each other in service to our students?

It was prudent to keep schools largely closed in the fall. However, things have changed! Alameda county covid rates are less than 1/10 of what they were over the winter holidays, and now all educators and elderly have had the opportunity to get vaccinated.

All of us agree that schools should be reopened under safe conditions so I urge the school board to follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC, state and county, which calls for 3 ft. distancing in school. This would allow more children to be back in the classrooms NOW, for longer days and more days. Reopen the schools for more meaningful instruction time – same as those for all our neighboring districts!

OUSD, due to OEA and the school board, is failing to deliver on its core mission: educate children. Equity is being used as a shield against this accusation, when in fact, this disaster is hurting all families. I am certain that the data, later on, will reveal that the damage will have been inflicted most deeply on the underserved communities. These are the communities and families on behalf of whom equity is being sloganeered as the district/union/board fail to deliver on their core mission. And now, as it is clear that there is ZERO commitment by the district or the board to full in person school in the 2021-2022 school year, families who can leave are leaving. This is a travesty for kids, families, the district, and Oakland. I am appalled that no one at the district or the board, nor elected officials at any level, seems to see how this is unraveling … and how the result is going to be devastating for all.

The district has a duty to provide full-time, in-person school to all children in Oakland. The guidance from public health authorities makes it clear that this can be done safely. OUSD is receiving significant funding to overcome any obstacles to reopening safely. There should be no more excuses.

I am outraged at the lack of urgency and awareness demonstrated by our Board and district leaders. The Board blames union leadership for this pathetic plan to offer 5 hours/week. You claim to be concerned with equity and accommodating those who want to stay in distance. Now some K-2 teachers are returning and some aren't. How is that equitable? Are you familiar with ACES-adverse childhood experinces? Google it. On CDC site-- toxic stress from ACES can change brain development and are linked to chronic health problems (and what does COVID thrive on?!), mental illness, and threaten education and job potential. I hold the Board, responsible for exacerbating ACES for ALL our children. Schools are one of their safest places, the only place where some can get two meals a day, educational and SEL from professionals. You want to keep denying children this access, possibly through fall? You are not following science or models of care, or frankly-- your obligations.

Ousd/OEA/parents are shouting at each other until we're blue in the face. How can we make any meaningful progress when we can't agree whether to follow CDC/health dept. guidelines or even agree on the definition of 'school'? Can we please focus on reality and facts? Can we agree that science is facts and that decisions must be made based on facts, especially when it comes to children's health and well being and that we need to trust the experts in their respective scientific fields? Can we agree that zoom is not school? I personally believe education (academic and interpersonal learning) happens in physical classrooms WITH peers/teachers physically present. I believe that a school that is open for students five hours a week is NOT an open school.

The majority of parents want schools to be open 5 days a week in accordance with scientific guidelines. It is not a "privileged rich" request to want our children to get the school hours they need and deserve. If people who have the option to leave the district are choosing to do so, it is a sign of failure. We are being loud because we care and want to stay in OUSD.

Five days, not five hours! The School Board needs to take a proactive stance to get schools open, full-time, this fall! The CDC/ACDPH guidance recommends 3' of distancing, which opens up space for all kids to return to classrooms, full-time. OUSD needs to follow the science and not the demands of the teachers' union!

The majority of families in the district have asked for in person learning, 5 days a week. Yet OUSD and OEA negotiated a contract for 5 hours a week, effectively requiring the majority of families to live by the decision of just over 1/3 of district parents. This is a deplorable agreement for our children. You also negotiated an earlier start date for TK-2, then failed to require those teachers to start on March 30th. So now many of the youngest students are coming back to subs and staff, not their teachers. At every step, OUSD seems to negotiate the worst possible outcome for our children. This weakness shown by OUSD, and the inflexible, outdated, uninformed position OEA bargains from will have an impact on these children for years to come.

The first commenter, Kim Davis, from OEA says "I know you are being pressured and threatened by some privileged Reopen Now parents, but we are looking to your leadership to ensure that we are not leaving some students behind as a result." Stop it with the Bethany Meyer disparaging rhetoric calling parents 'privileged' for speaking up for ALL children. It is disgusting to use equity as a shield to deny children their education, when in fact, this abdication of duty is hurting all families. The damage from school closure has been inflicted most deeply on the vulnerable communities. Students who are stuck in distance learning are being left behind. They should have the option for in person learning!

Under the approved MOU, OUSD can safely reopen for 5 full days per CDC, CDPH and ACDPH guidelines (agreed to by OUSD and OEA). Principals do not have clarity from the district on these revised guidelines and should be given them to allow for schedule changes. OUSD students will be receiving just five hours of in-person per week, meanwhile in Berkeley students will get five hours per day, five days per week. Elem students should be offered option for 5 days in one cohort, which also eliminate the need for cleaning between cohort.

Additionally, OUSD should commit to five full days for Fall 2021-22 school year for ALL grades. We understand if public health guidance dictated otherwise plans would need to change but please prioritize a full return for fall.

The proposal put forward from the district with a paltry 5 hours of in-person instruction is unacceptable. Look around, OUSD, look at the country, look at the world, get a grip on what the CDC, epidemiologists, and your colleagues in other districts are doing. We need five days of in-person instruction. All said and done our kids will get 12 or less days of instruction in the classroom this year. If this bodes for what comes this fall I don't want to be a part of it.

At this point, there is basically no debate among scientists or public health experts: schools should be reopened. Keeping them closed is harming all students, particularly those with learning differences and other challenges that can't be accommodated over Zoom. The remote learning environment only widens the learning gap and make inequality issues worse.

Under the MOU that was approved, and consistent with CDC, CDPH, and Alameda County guidelines, it is possible to safely offer 5 days a week of instruction to students. It is clear that elementary school principals don't know they have the option to offer one cohort of returning in-person students 5 days a week of instruction under the new 3ft guidelines. There is no need for two cohorts and a day of cleaning when one cohort can fit safely in a classroom under the guidelines and eliminate the need for a cleaning day. Please make clear to principals that this option for a single cohort is not only available to them but is preferred for families and students who have chosen to return to in-person instruction.

OUSD must offer a firm commitment to 5 days a week, full-time, in person instruction for ALL grades in the 2021-2022 school year for those families that want it. Commit to a full-time return for all grades as long as the public health guidelines deem it safe to do so.

OUSD should immediately follow the CDC and ACDPH guidance on recommendation of 3 feet distancing. This will allow for OUSD to offer 5 days/week to students who have chosen to return in-person. The current model is a joke and it's also nearly impossible for working parents to manage, especially for those parents and caregivers who have hourly jobs or are essential workers. It is extremely disheartening to see so many families flee the district because of OUSD's lack of leadership. There is also no reason not to commit to a full return in the fall barring any significant changes in case numbers. If there are families who prefer to stick with distance learning in the fall, perhaps you can offer a separate virtual only school with the additional funds you'll be receiving from the government and the state.

OUSD should immediately follow the CDC and ACDPH guidance on recommendation of 3 feet distancing.

OUSD core mission is to educate children (vs. protecting teachers' interests) and to ensure that the educational, social and emotional well-being of children are the primary focus. The CDC and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) 3ft distancing guidance makes it possible for 5-day return for all families who choose. The board must stand up to OEA and take back some semblance of control and reason and allow our children the option to return to school. OEA cannot be allowed to dictate ALL the terms, however irrational and harms our children.

There is no reason we should only offer 2 days , CDC and science share 3
Feet is safe .. our kids have missed so much this last year and offering just 2 days in the afternoon is a start but not enough .. please
Follow the guidelines!