OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – Oakland Unified schools and classrooms will be missing more students and teachers on Tuesday due to a planned sickout, organized by both faculty and students.
Some Acorn Woodland Elementary teachers organized a strike for student safety where they’ll be demanding more KN95 masks, weekly testing, and more.
These are similar demands included in a student petition going around the district, where students at several different schools say they won’t return to classrooms until they have the necessary resources.
Classrooms across Oakland Unified School District have been missing students and staff the last few weeks due to increasing COVID cases and planned teacher sickouts.
Now, students are following teacher’s footsteps and planning their own boycott this week until school leaders meet their demands.
Nakayla Dean is a student at MetWest High School who participated in this student petition sent to district leaders last week.
Included in this petition are demands for KN95 masks for all students, twice-a-week PCR and rapid testing for everyone on campus, and more outdoor spaces to eat safely.
According to a letter sent by the district to parents on Monday, the district says it’s been able to meet most of those demands, writing:
“200,000 KN95 masks are being distributed to all schools to provide to students this week. We have been installing more covered outdoor eating spaces since the fall. They have already gone in at numerous schools, with more schools ready to have them installed once we receive the necessary materials, some of which have been on backorder for months. “
The school district says it’s also providing onsite tests as frequently as possible with some schools getting onsite testing twice a week and others once a week.
However, students say until demands are fully met, they will not return to the classrooms.
Meanwhile, teachers at several schools including Acorn Woodland Elementary are participating in a sick out on Tuesday and aligning with student demands.
Teachers say this sickout is not sanctioned by the teacher union, which recently came to an agreement with the school district for extended COVID leave.
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