As a parent at Manzanita SEED I absolutely support this resolution. Reactionary testing is not sufficient. Weekly testing of all students and staff should be the minimal requirement. And why are we running out of PCR test kits at any site? !!
Please also staff the onsite testing during the posted hours. I went to an OUSD testing site for my child reporting a sore throat. There were no signs, no information and no staff. I was informed they had left at ~3:30pm even though the testing site was supposed to be open until 4pm. I met several other distressed parents who took time off work to do the right thing. To really meet the needs of parents and students there should be after hours sites as well. It is a HUGE ask for working families to meet a 4pm cutoff. It is impossible to protect the community that OUSD loves to promote when staff doesn't even show up. We've had 18 months to be ready for this. OUSD can do better. Much much better.
OUSD must take a more proactive stance in terms of curbing the spread of COVID in our schools and our community by instituting mandatory biweekly student and staff rapid testing. The current reactive stance is "too little too late" in terms of managing this public health crisis. We need our schools to stay open and be a safe place for all students and educators alike. A proactive testing and contact tracing program that is properly funded, resourced and staffed is critical to making sure that happens.
Board members should support VP Davis's amended resolution and not Director Hutchinson's resolution. VP Davis's plan is in response to the needs expressed by communities (eg longer hours at testing sites and prioritizing testing sites in communities with higher infection rates). It appears to have been done in consult with district staff and in line with priorities to already expand upon existing testing while focusing on deploying it where most in need (rapid response, high need areas). It also directs OUSD to make testing data available on the Covid dashboard which has been a missing component in the current data picture parents are getting. Lastly, it also directs that while tests should be offered to anyone, those who are unvaccinated should be prioritized which is in line with CDC and CDPH guidance. This amended resolution by VP Davis is a thoughtful response to the communities concerns regarding testing and the board should support it.
I am the parent of a 4th grader at MLA in district 6. I support Director Hutchinson's resolution to provide weekly, on-site COVID testing. I understand it's expensive, but I also understand that the district has received additional COVID resources ($300 million), which should be used for this purpose. We need more testing at every site on a weekly basis. Tests must be provided by staff who are being supported (with PPE) and in a manner in which test results are recorded and shared in a timely and accurate manner.
I am a parent of a student in 4th grade 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 PCR 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 PCR COVID testing.
I am a parent of K and 4th-grade students at Melrose Leadership Academy in District 5. Please 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 should use the state COVID relief funding to ensure that all students and staff at every school site have access to free, weekly COVID testing.
As a parent of a 1st grader at Chabot, I strongly support the resolution for routine onsite testing at all OUSD sites to keep all students, educators, staff, and their families healthy and safe.
I am a parent of a 1st grader at Chabot. I am writing today to ask you to pass this resolution. Oakland schools need proactive testing on-site every week. The virus is too widespread to be doing reactive testing at this point. Please pass this resolution to keep OUSD kids and families safe.
As an OUSD parent, I support routine onsite testing at all district schools, conducted by trained personnel. Testing needs to be coupled with clearly communicated protocols and real-time reporting of anonymized classroom case numbers, so that parents can make informed decisions about sending unvaccinated children to school. This is an investment in our kids worth making.
I strongly support regular testing. My child has had two positive cases in his class already and we are less than a month into the school year. Each positive test sets off a reaction of classwide testing and modified quarantine that is distracting for the kids and clearly a burden on the teacher and school staff. Properly staffed regular testing would provide a methodical, proactive approach that would be more predictable for kids and teachers and help reduce the frequency of the “fire drill” scenarios that the current system is likely to produce this year. Our family strongly supports this proposal.
We need covid testing at all school sites and we need it to be MANDATORY for non-vaccinated students at the very least.
We need students that have been exposed to covid 19 to VERIFY NEGATIVE test results before returning to school!
I am a parent of a student in 5th grade 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. I understand 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. Pass this resolution with no weakening amendments. Thank you, Amaya Jennifer Lin
Please provide weekly COVID testing at all school sites across OUSD. I am a parent of a 9th grader at Tech and a 3rd grader at Chabot. We need to prioritize safety while doing everything we can to keep our students and educators in the classroom this year!
It is irresponsible for a Board Member to not share all of the information with the community when proposing amendments. It is irresponsible for a Board Member to continue to say outright lies all over social media and interviews: Example " the district is not testing asymptomatic students". Many know there are logical reasons for why OUSD has taken the approach you have. Those who listen to the staff and most of the board discuss this understand. The Rapid Response team has been absolutely amazing & I appreciate that the State will be offering up more resources for that team. While testing is important- smart testing, leveraging the resources that are available in most efficient way possible is most important. Davis' amendments seem to be more in line w/reality Most of the public are being misled by Mike Hutchison who refuses to tell the full truth. Please continue to look at what you can improve but don't be bullied into implementing things just to satisfy a misinformed group
We need COVID testing at all school sites. Some families do not have steady transportation and may not feel comfortable taking public transit during the pandemic. We need to prioritize testing from all of the funding OUSD received from the state. Testing is critical for the safety of our communities.
Please support weekly testing at all OUSD schools. Students will feel safer and more valued, particularly those under twelve years of age. Teachers will be able to focus better on instructional time.
As a parent of a 3rd grader at Chabot elementary, I voice my support for Resolution No. 2122-0003 - Requiring COVID-19 Testing at All School Sites.
As a parent at Manzanita SEED I absolutely support this resolution. Reactionary testing is not sufficient. Weekly testing of all students and staff should be the minimal requirement. And why are we running out of PCR test kits at any site? !!
Please also staff the onsite testing during the posted hours. I went to an OUSD testing site for my child reporting a sore throat. There were no signs, no information and no staff. I was informed they had left at ~3:30pm even though the testing site was supposed to be open until 4pm. I met several other distressed parents who took time off work to do the right thing. To really meet the needs of parents and students there should be after hours sites as well. It is a HUGE ask for working families to meet a 4pm cutoff. It is impossible to protect the community that OUSD loves to promote when staff doesn't even show up. We've had 18 months to be ready for this. OUSD can do better. Much much better.
OUSD must take a more proactive stance in terms of curbing the spread of COVID in our schools and our community by instituting mandatory biweekly student and staff rapid testing. The current reactive stance is "too little too late" in terms of managing this public health crisis. We need our schools to stay open and be a safe place for all students and educators alike. A proactive testing and contact tracing program that is properly funded, resourced and staffed is critical to making sure that happens.
Board members should support VP Davis's amended resolution and not Director Hutchinson's resolution. VP Davis's plan is in response to the needs expressed by communities (eg longer hours at testing sites and prioritizing testing sites in communities with higher infection rates). It appears to have been done in consult with district staff and in line with priorities to already expand upon existing testing while focusing on deploying it where most in need (rapid response, high need areas). It also directs OUSD to make testing data available on the Covid dashboard which has been a missing component in the current data picture parents are getting. Lastly, it also directs that while tests should be offered to anyone, those who are unvaccinated should be prioritized which is in line with CDC and CDPH guidance. This amended resolution by VP Davis is a thoughtful response to the communities concerns regarding testing and the board should support it.
I am the parent of a 4th grader at MLA in district 6. I support Director Hutchinson's resolution to provide weekly, on-site COVID testing. I understand it's expensive, but I also understand that the district has received additional COVID resources ($300 million), which should be used for this purpose. We need more testing at every site on a weekly basis. Tests must be provided by staff who are being supported (with PPE) and in a manner in which test results are recorded and shared in a timely and accurate manner.
I am a parent of a student in 4th grade 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 PCR 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 PCR COVID testing.
I am a parent of K and 4th-grade students at Melrose Leadership Academy in District 5. Please 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 should use the state COVID relief funding to ensure that all students and staff at every school site have access to free, weekly COVID testing.
As a parent of a 1st grader at Chabot, I strongly support the resolution for routine onsite testing at all OUSD sites to keep all students, educators, staff, and their families healthy and safe.
Reactive testing is not sufficient enough and every school site in Oakland deserves regular weekly onsite testing not staffed by OUSD educators
I am a parent of a 1st grader at Chabot. I am writing today to ask you to pass this resolution. Oakland schools need proactive testing on-site every week. The virus is too widespread to be doing reactive testing at this point. Please pass this resolution to keep OUSD kids and families safe.
As an OUSD parent, I support routine onsite testing at all district schools, conducted by trained personnel. Testing needs to be coupled with clearly communicated protocols and real-time reporting of anonymized classroom case numbers, so that parents can make informed decisions about sending unvaccinated children to school. This is an investment in our kids worth making.
I strongly support regular testing. My child has had two positive cases in his class already and we are less than a month into the school year. Each positive test sets off a reaction of classwide testing and modified quarantine that is distracting for the kids and clearly a burden on the teacher and school staff. Properly staffed regular testing would provide a methodical, proactive approach that would be more predictable for kids and teachers and help reduce the frequency of the “fire drill” scenarios that the current system is likely to produce this year. Our family strongly supports this proposal.
We need covid testing at all school sites and we need it to be MANDATORY for non-vaccinated students at the very least.
We need students that have been exposed to covid 19 to VERIFY NEGATIVE test results before returning to school!
I am a parent of a student in 5th grade 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. I understand 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. Pass this resolution with no weakening amendments. Thank you, Amaya Jennifer Lin
I support making free and convenient Covid-19 testing available to all OUSD students.
Please provide weekly COVID testing at all school sites across OUSD. I am a parent of a 9th grader at Tech and a 3rd grader at Chabot. We need to prioritize safety while doing everything we can to keep our students and educators in the classroom this year!
It is irresponsible for a Board Member to not share all of the information with the community when proposing amendments. It is irresponsible for a Board Member to continue to say outright lies all over social media and interviews: Example " the district is not testing asymptomatic students". Many know there are logical reasons for why OUSD has taken the approach you have. Those who listen to the staff and most of the board discuss this understand. The Rapid Response team has been absolutely amazing & I appreciate that the State will be offering up more resources for that team. While testing is important- smart testing, leveraging the resources that are available in most efficient way possible is most important. Davis' amendments seem to be more in line w/reality Most of the public are being misled by Mike Hutchison who refuses to tell the full truth. Please continue to look at what you can improve but don't be bullied into implementing things just to satisfy a misinformed group
We need COVID testing at all school sites. Some families do not have steady transportation and may not feel comfortable taking public transit during the pandemic. We need to prioritize testing from all of the funding OUSD received from the state. Testing is critical for the safety of our communities.
Please support weekly testing at all OUSD schools. Students will feel safer and more valued, particularly those under twelve years of age. Teachers will be able to focus better on instructional time.