Meeting Time: August 25, 2021 at 4:00pm PDT
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Agenda Item

T.-4 21-1889 Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 2122-0003 - Requiring COVID-19 Testing at All School Sites.

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    Yolanda G about 3 years ago

    Hola soy mama de un niño de 4 grado de M L A .y necesita mos que las pruebas las del covi19 las agan en todas las escuela para mejor seguridad y que sea mucho más fácil para los padres .

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    Jenny ChungMejia about 3 years ago

    My family and I write in strong support for mandatory Covid testing of students and staff at our schools.

    During these first 3 weeks of school, one of my children’s classes has had to undergo 2 consecutive modified quarantine sessions already, one or both of which might have been prevented with mandatory testing.

    And given the current inability for children under 12 to be vaccinated and the aggressiveness with which this virus, and particularly the Delta variant, is known to spread, it is in the district’s best interest to prevent Covid cases in school so students stay in school, rather than retroactively have testers scramble to conduct tests and risk even more families sitting classes out.

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    Shari Curry about 3 years ago

    Please provide twice weekly preventative testing for all OUSD students and staff to protect our community and everywhere it can extend. Personally I visit my mother at a long term hospital and I need the comfort of knowing I am keeping my entire family as safe as possible. We need preventative measures. Not reactive!!!

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    Natalie MacIntyre about 3 years ago

    Weekly on-site COVID testing keeps our students and community safe!

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    Paul Carp about 3 years ago

    All OUSD students and staff need on-site COVID testing to protect our community and manage spread, especially in our under-12 population that is not yet eligible for vaccination. We have the resources, the will and knowledge to mitigate the spread of the virus and accessible testing is the missing link.

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    Samantha Liapes about 3 years ago

    I am a parent of two kindergartners at Melrose Leadership Academy in District 5. I encourage you to pass this resolution as originally written by Director Hutchinson, without adding watered-down amendments, to provide free, on-site weekly COVID testing at every school site. LA Unified School District not only provides weekly COVID testing at all school sites, they require all students and employees, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to participate in weekly COVID testing. OUSD has already received $300 million from the state of California in COVID relief funds and we should use that funding to ensure that all students and staff at every school site have access to free, weekly COVID testing.

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    Elizabeth Hart about 3 years ago

    Regular weekly testing for all school sites is key to limiting community spread of Covid-19 and keeping our schools open. This is a fundamental issue of equity and should absolutely not be the responsibility of educators.

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    Melissa Garcia about 3 years ago

    Weekly surveillance testing, particularly for our students who are not yet eligible for vaccination, is one critical safety measure that OUSD needs to adopt.

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    Benjamin Metcalf about 3 years ago

    Reactive testing is not sufficient! Every school site in OUSD should be receive regular weekly onsite testing (not staffed by OUSD educators). Thank you!

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    Karen Westmont about 3 years ago

    Tests too little, late.
    Require Specific protocols because:
    A. Students’ masks fit loosely,
    B. Principles not followed: desks unnecessarily close, windows closed, all touch handouts, students told to mass around X, face-on seating 24” apart, 32 assigned to small room, adults eat/drink near students in classes and main offices.
    Require:
    Open Windows and doors. Prioritize fans per EPA for natural ventilation. epa.gov/coronavirus/indoor-air… covid-19
    Hallways: must follow arrows.
    Classrooms: Assign Seats to limit close exposure to smaller pool of germs. Assign equipment such as laptops from computer cart, coloring utensils, etc.
    Limit hands on all materials: Avoid being picked up one-by-one. Distribute papers via same 1-3 people.
    24/7: No eating or drinking in classrooms
    Seating in rooms: Radically reconfigure. Remove non-desks. Students face one direction, if can. Prevent sliding by 5-9 seats to desk.
    Brief Students/staff on germs and updated cough covering.

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    Juan Orozco about 3 years ago

    Soy padre de un estudiante en segundo grado en Melrose Leadership Academy en el Distrito 5.

    Exijo que se apruebe esta resolución tal como la escribió originalmente el Director Hutchinson, sin agregar enmiendas diluidas, para Proporcionar pruebas COVID semanales gratuitas en cada escuela.

    Como padres estaremos siendo testigos de lo que decidan como junta directiva de OUSD.

    El respeto a La Vida, es La Paz.

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    Diana EssexLettieri about 3 years ago

    I am a parent of a student in 2nd grade at Melrose Leadership Academy in District 5. I encourage you to pass this resolution as originally written by Director Hutchinson, without amendments that water down, to provide free, on-site weekly COVID testing at every school site. OUSD has already received $300 million from the state of California in COVID relief funds and we should use that funding to ensure that all students and staff at every school site have access to free, weekly COVID testing.

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    Martha Daniel about 3 years ago

    Regular testing is key to keeping schools open. It should not be a luxury afforded only to those in private school. All OUSD school sites deserve dedicated testing not staffed by OUSD educators. Now is not the time to skimp.

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    Erika Guerrero about 3 years ago

    Families, Students, and Educators support weekly COVID testing at all Oakland schools. We appreciate Director Hutchinson’s efforts to prioritize student health and safety by initiating this much-needed resolution. As COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in Oakland, the OUSD School Board must take urgent action to ensure the health and safety of Oakland’s children. Already within the first two weeks of school, there are at least 97 confirmed student cases, 16 confirmed staff cases, and 9 classrooms shut down to quarantine. There are undoubtedly more unconfirmed COVID cases at our schools - unconfirmed because of a lack of adequate testing. We urge you to do what is needed to keep our OUSD community safe and vote YES on Director Hutchinson's resolution to provide weekly COVID testing at all Oakland schools.

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    Karl Kaku about 3 years ago

    I write as a parent who has had more than two dozen family members get COVID. We were not comfortable coming back to school but didn't want to lose our place, so are taking the risk. One big way schools around the world have been able to keep kids and the school community safe is through encouraging regular testing and making it accessible on site. Why would we not take this measure as we are experiencing a surge that is exponentially more contagious to kids and as we are seeing more breakthrough cases for people who are vaccinated? The on-site school testing brought to our school last week after a positive case was disorganized and chaotic, and it took 5 days for a PCR test result - meanwhile, kids were still coming to school without knowing the results for those 5 days. We need quick turnaround results, organized testing, and a way for families to opt in for regular testing as often as possible to keep our communities safe!

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    Leonora Rodkin about 3 years ago

    We need a vaccine not more testing. It’s becoming a witch hunt and kids are scared. When do we focus on education again and healthy mental development

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    Jana FloresSchustack about 3 years ago

    I am a parent of a student in 2nd grade at Manzanita SEED in District 5. I encourage you to pass this resolution as originally written by Director Hutchinson, without adding watered-down amendments, to provide free, on-site weekly COVID testing at every school site. OUSD has already received $300 million from the state of California in COVID relief funds and we should use that funding to ensure that all students and staff at every school site have access to free, weekly COVID testing.

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    Candace M about 3 years ago

    Testing is one of many procedures to help keep schools open and staff, students and their families safe. This needs to organized and efficient to be effective. Having it take place after exposures is chaotic. As a parent and an OUSD staff member, I fully support testing to be mandatory at all school sites.

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    Jenny DellaSanta about 3 years ago

    Our family supports bi-weekly mandated testing! Preventing Covid from getting into the classroom should be your number one priority right now. The best way to prevent it is by testing, testing, testing. Our children are so vulnerable and not eligible for the vaccines yet. Delta is infecting kids at a higher rate than ever. Please bring testing to all school sites now!

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    Emily Hirsch about 3 years ago

    We need to do everything we can to keep students in school after a year of distance learning. This involves a proactive approach with Covid testing. Each school should have testing available on site. ALL students and staff should be tested weekly. This is the minimum that needs to be done to slow down the spread of infection and keep classrooms open.