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.
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.
It's possible to safely offer 5 days/wk of instruction to students based on the new 3' guidance by CDC, CDPH & Alameda County. Why is OUSD dragging its feet on this? The MOU doesn't mention anything about 6' so we know this change can be made NOW. 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 1 cohort would eliminate the need for a cleaning day, creating the opportunity for 5 days/wk. The PM in-person schedule is also a disaster for working parents. Why not flip the schedule and have DL in the PM since those students are home and more likely can be more flexible? This current schedule is anything but equitable. As for fall, unless OUSD wants a mass exodus, you must commit to 5 days a week, FT in person instruction for TK-12 for all families who want it. As long as the public health guidelines deem it safe to do so, there is absolutely no excuse NOT to commit to a FULL-TIME return for all grades.
ICS had an early exit language model and the district pressured us to move away from the early exit model and to instead take on the dual immersion model. We have been building this dual immersion model for the last six years under the promise from the district that you would support us. We will be promoting our first cohort this Spring. Despite being only 2 students short of meeting our enrollment goals to keep all 12 teachers and the district is still threatening to cut one of our teachers. We are told that we can simply have combo classes. Combo classes go against our entire dual-immersion model of one English teacher and one Spanish teacher. Combo classes would undermine our school culture. All of this because we are 2 kids short on enrollment? This is absurd. You said you would support our program, allowing us to keep all 12 teachers is how you can support the program YOU asked us to take on.
I am writing, as an OUSD parent, to thank the Board for continuing to keep our students, teachers and larger community as safe as possible during the pandemic. I appreciate the reopening plan for allowing small cohorts of students to get some time in classrooms with educators and their classmates as a transition to what will, hopefully, be able to be a full return in the Fall (as long as the pandemic continues to decline). Additionally, over 100 parents at Melrose Leadership Academy recently signed an open letter supporting our teachers that I wanted to share with all of you. You can read it here: https://bit.ly/30IoLGE.
As a parent of a sophomore, I have been patient with your efforts to educate during a pandemic but in the last two months many teens in my community have had to be medicated and treated for depression, others can’t get treatment because then youth mental health professionals are overrun or they can’t afford it, and my own children are getting sick before my eyes, I have to speak out. appointment with a therapist or psychiatrist because they are overrun, seeing many high schoolers rec medical treatment for depression - medication, therapy etc. - deteriorating mental health of the children at my son’s schools of depression.
You have the power to stop suffering among so many teens by giving us hope. Announce that - barring a return to purple tier or higher you will give 5-day per week, full minutes, in person high school and middle school for the fall. Without hope we will ask to transfer for health reasons along with many. Lead, give hope, stop the suffering that is real.
Follow CDC guidance!
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.
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.
It's possible to safely offer 5 days/wk of instruction to students based on the new 3' guidance by CDC, CDPH & Alameda County. Why is OUSD dragging its feet on this? The MOU doesn't mention anything about 6' so we know this change can be made NOW. 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 1 cohort would eliminate the need for a cleaning day, creating the opportunity for 5 days/wk. The PM in-person schedule is also a disaster for working parents. Why not flip the schedule and have DL in the PM since those students are home and more likely can be more flexible? This current schedule is anything but equitable. As for fall, unless OUSD wants a mass exodus, you must commit to 5 days a week, FT in person instruction for TK-12 for all families who want it. As long as the public health guidelines deem it safe to do so, there is absolutely no excuse NOT to commit to a FULL-TIME return for all grades.
ICS had an early exit language model and the district pressured us to move away from the early exit model and to instead take on the dual immersion model. We have been building this dual immersion model for the last six years under the promise from the district that you would support us. We will be promoting our first cohort this Spring. Despite being only 2 students short of meeting our enrollment goals to keep all 12 teachers and the district is still threatening to cut one of our teachers. We are told that we can simply have combo classes. Combo classes go against our entire dual-immersion model of one English teacher and one Spanish teacher. Combo classes would undermine our school culture. All of this because we are 2 kids short on enrollment? This is absurd. You said you would support our program, allowing us to keep all 12 teachers is how you can support the program YOU asked us to take on.
I am writing, as an OUSD parent, to thank the Board for continuing to keep our students, teachers and larger community as safe as possible during the pandemic. I appreciate the reopening plan for allowing small cohorts of students to get some time in classrooms with educators and their classmates as a transition to what will, hopefully, be able to be a full return in the Fall (as long as the pandemic continues to decline). Additionally, over 100 parents at Melrose Leadership Academy recently signed an open letter supporting our teachers that I wanted to share with all of you. You can read it here: https://bit.ly/30IoLGE.
As a parent of a sophomore, I have been patient with your efforts to educate during a pandemic but in the last two months many teens in my community have had to be medicated and treated for depression, others can’t get treatment because then youth mental health professionals are overrun or they can’t afford it, and my own children are getting sick before my eyes, I have to speak out. appointment with a therapist or psychiatrist because they are overrun, seeing many high schoolers rec medical treatment for depression - medication, therapy etc. - deteriorating mental health of the children at my son’s schools of depression.
You have the power to stop suffering among so many teens by giving us hope. Announce that - barring a return to purple tier or higher you will give 5-day per week, full minutes, in person high school and middle school for the fall. Without hope we will ask to transfer for health reasons along with many. Lead, give hope, stop the suffering that is real.