Please let us take our masks off like my friends in other schools nearby can do next week. It’s hard to hear my teacher and my friends in class. When my teacher told us we might get to take our masks off soon last week, my class cheered. I can go anywhere without a mask but just not my school, that’s not right.
I'm an OUSD parent, and I support removing mask mandates for staff, students, and others outdoors as soon as possible and making a plan to remove mandatory masking indoors, specifically for elementary students within their classrooms in the next few weeks. Thank you so much for inviting public comment on this topic, and listening!
Please REMOVE outdoor masks! There is no other district in Alameda county that is still requiring kids to be wearing masks outdoors. This is unfair and there is no scientific basis for this continued approach. Enough already.
I am writing to ask that OUSD please align with CDPH and ACDPH guidance and allow students and staff the option to unmask on 3/14. Every neighboring district and most in Alameda county have already informed parents they will align.
Adults and school age children have had the opportunity to access vaccines and can continue to mask based on their own risk tolerance. Please follow the state and county experts.
Please align with CDPH and ACDPH guidance and allow students and staff the option to unmask on 3/14. Every neighboring district and most in Alameda county have already informed parents they will align.
The experts have weighed in, you are not a public health authority, follow the guidance from the state and the county.
We are a family of both parents and teachers. We are begging you to not create your own guidelines and to give us confidence in your decisions and align with public health policy allowing masks to be optional *especially* out of doors. We are the laughing stock not only of the nation but of the bay area "really? your kids are masked outdoors at recess?!" and it is time to stop punishing kids. "One-way masking" is effective for those who wish to have protection for themselves.
Don't let this be yet another situation where OUSD is 9 months behind the science and what is possible (the delay reopening schools was tragic). Do this now. Hey, maybe it will even convince some people to get vaccinated!
Please allow students the option to take their masks off. Those who still want to can wear them. Our family is fully vaccinated, and do not want to, nor believe it is necessary for ourselves or society, to continue masking. On the contrary, we believe masking in schools is hurting children significantly more than it is helping anyone at this point. Please don't make Oakland the major school district in the area that continues to punish their students with mandatory masking while districts all around us are allowed to unmask. OUSD is not a public health authority. The experts at the state and county have spoken, and the time is now to lift mandatory masking.
Please convert to a mask-optional policy in ALL schools/grades starting Mar 12, and immediately lift outdoor masking which has ZERO benefit. Lifting mask mandates is a high priority, and I'm surprised that we haven't heard from OUSD yet when most surrounding school districts have already announced their plan to follow the CDC, CDPH, and county guidelines. It seems that OUSD should already have had a plan in place for when mask mandates would no longer be recommended. I'm finding it very difficult to explain to my children why some schools follow scientific reasoning and recommended guidelines while others do not, despite case/hospitalization rates and risks being incredibly low here in Alameda County. Masks impeded learning, social development, speech/language skills, and communication. Kids/teachers can mask by choice but should not be mandated to do so.
I’m begging you to allow students the OPTION to unmask without any interference/coercion. Any student, teacher who is immunocompromised can fully protect themselves by getting vaccinated and utilizing an N95 mask, while still giving the freedom to other students to not utilize a mask should they desire to do so. It is a real shame that OUSD is the lone district still masking young faces.
The CDC says masks are not required for kids in schools.
* The CA DPH says masks are not required for kids in schools.
* The AC DPH says masks are not required for kids in schools.
* More than 99% of schools in the country do not require masks in schools.
* Neighboring districts, including San Francisco, Piedmont and Alameda are ending mandatory masking in schools
* Please allow students who want to wear masks continue to do so
As Dr. Nick Moss said in a briefing to schools, and I paraphrase: you cannot nor should not use emergency mandates when there is not an emergency any more. They are only meant to be mask mandates when the risk is high and he went on to say the risk is very low now of severe sickness and hospitalization.
The kids need to be allowed to have the choice to learn without masks. A chance to be treated fairly like the rest of the population is.
Follow the Public Health Agencies guidance. Their guidance is backed by science, long debate/thought and it’s time for the District to stop pretending we are still in covid crisis and start focusing on the crisis at hand- the education outcomes of all the OUSD students.
Hi there. I respectfully ask that OUSD rescind the mask mandate for inside and outside school, as so many other school districts are now doing. Now that the CDC says its okay, OUSD needs to follow their lead, as OUSD are experts in schooling, not in infectious diseases. Follow the science and the recommendations of the experts. Its time to allow our kids to unmask- and those who are worried can still wear them! Teachers included!
Please listen to the other comments about lifting the mask mandate in order to follow the science and be kind and compassionate to our children who have lost so much through this. Please create more opportunities for connection and joy. Their childhoods will forever be marked by this time. They need to heal, connect and play, to see each other’s faces and experience the fun side of school.
There is no legitimate scientific reasoning behind masking outside— either for adults or children. It is non-sensical and is continuing to cause damage to the social fabric of our society and most especially, to kids. Almost all OUSD students are now fully vaccinated. In addition, new cases fell to a rolling average of 173/day in Alameda County yesterday, in a county of 1.68 million total inhabitants. Further, there is still no evidence that any strain of COVID has significant transmission outdoors. Finally, our children deserve better. They only get to be children once. Please let them return to normal, at least during recess and lunchtime. Rescinding all masking requirements would be even better for them, but small steps toward that goal are acceptable.
Please consider this issue with a sense of urgency. It is time to make the right decisions for the kids’ social and academic well-being.
Why does OUSD even need to drag out the decision on lifting mask mandates at school for one more day?
Los Angeles has lifted its mandate.
New York has lifted its mandate
San Francisco has lifted its mandate.
My wife and I have two children in OUSD, one at Montera, one at Thornhill. Two weeks ago, we took them to Disneyland. And there, we went about unmasked outdoors and indoors along with thousands of other park goers.
It is time to get real and get back to nomalcy. If thousands of people--and thousands of children--can go about their business at Disneyland completely unmasked, then our kids can go to school in Oakland unmasked.
I feel like this is obvious - why is this even up for discussion? We need to drop the mask mandate in OUSD schools, AT THE VERY LEAST outdoors. Masking outdoors is beyond ridiculous.
The CDC, CA DPH, and now AC DPH all say masks are not required for kids in schools. Why would OUSD think they have better health expertise than these organizations? Why are we over thinking this? **Follow the guidance and drop the masks.** Note that students can still wear them if they want!!
The masks are hurting our kids and it's not protecting them from anything. They need to speak freely outside, see each other's faces, and breathe while playing outside. There is no reason why the kids need to continue to hide their faces outside, causing mental anguish for many of our students. We have 3 long months of school left - lift the mask mandate NOW to salvage some normalcy for our precious kids.
Please align with the current student mask guidelines adopted by CDPH/ACDPH. As others here have already mentioned, neighboring districts, including San Francisco, Piedmont and Alameda are ending mandatory masking in schools. LAUSD and CPS have also announced they are ending mask mandates. There is absolutely no reason why OUSD should be any different.
Please let us take our masks off like my friends in other schools nearby can do next week. It’s hard to hear my teacher and my friends in class. When my teacher told us we might get to take our masks off soon last week, my class cheered. I can go anywhere without a mask but just not my school, that’s not right.
I'm an OUSD parent, and I support removing mask mandates for staff, students, and others outdoors as soon as possible and making a plan to remove mandatory masking indoors, specifically for elementary students within their classrooms in the next few weeks. Thank you so much for inviting public comment on this topic, and listening!
Please REMOVE outdoor masks! There is no other district in Alameda county that is still requiring kids to be wearing masks outdoors. This is unfair and there is no scientific basis for this continued approach. Enough already.
I support removing masks at schools. At the very least, no masks outside.
No more masks!
Please end the mask mandate in schools. Those who wish to mask can continue to do so.
I am writing to ask that OUSD please align with CDPH and ACDPH guidance and allow students and staff the option to unmask on 3/14. Every neighboring district and most in Alameda county have already informed parents they will align.
Adults and school age children have had the opportunity to access vaccines and can continue to mask based on their own risk tolerance. Please follow the state and county experts.
Please align with CDPH and ACDPH guidance and allow students and staff the option to unmask on 3/14. Every neighboring district and most in Alameda county have already informed parents they will align.
The experts have weighed in, you are not a public health authority, follow the guidance from the state and the county.
We are a family of both parents and teachers. We are begging you to not create your own guidelines and to give us confidence in your decisions and align with public health policy allowing masks to be optional *especially* out of doors. We are the laughing stock not only of the nation but of the bay area "really? your kids are masked outdoors at recess?!" and it is time to stop punishing kids. "One-way masking" is effective for those who wish to have protection for themselves.
Don't let this be yet another situation where OUSD is 9 months behind the science and what is possible (the delay reopening schools was tragic). Do this now. Hey, maybe it will even convince some people to get vaccinated!
Please allow students the option to take their masks off. Those who still want to can wear them. Our family is fully vaccinated, and do not want to, nor believe it is necessary for ourselves or society, to continue masking. On the contrary, we believe masking in schools is hurting children significantly more than it is helping anyone at this point. Please don't make Oakland the major school district in the area that continues to punish their students with mandatory masking while districts all around us are allowed to unmask. OUSD is not a public health authority. The experts at the state and county have spoken, and the time is now to lift mandatory masking.
Please convert to a mask-optional policy in ALL schools/grades starting Mar 12, and immediately lift outdoor masking which has ZERO benefit. Lifting mask mandates is a high priority, and I'm surprised that we haven't heard from OUSD yet when most surrounding school districts have already announced their plan to follow the CDC, CDPH, and county guidelines. It seems that OUSD should already have had a plan in place for when mask mandates would no longer be recommended. I'm finding it very difficult to explain to my children why some schools follow scientific reasoning and recommended guidelines while others do not, despite case/hospitalization rates and risks being incredibly low here in Alameda County. Masks impeded learning, social development, speech/language skills, and communication. Kids/teachers can mask by choice but should not be mandated to do so.
I’m begging you to allow students the OPTION to unmask without any interference/coercion. Any student, teacher who is immunocompromised can fully protect themselves by getting vaccinated and utilizing an N95 mask, while still giving the freedom to other students to not utilize a mask should they desire to do so. It is a real shame that OUSD is the lone district still masking young faces.
The CDC says masks are not required for kids in schools.
* The CA DPH says masks are not required for kids in schools.
* The AC DPH says masks are not required for kids in schools.
* More than 99% of schools in the country do not require masks in schools.
* Neighboring districts, including San Francisco, Piedmont and Alameda are ending mandatory masking in schools
* Please allow students who want to wear masks continue to do so
As Dr. Nick Moss said in a briefing to schools, and I paraphrase: you cannot nor should not use emergency mandates when there is not an emergency any more. They are only meant to be mask mandates when the risk is high and he went on to say the risk is very low now of severe sickness and hospitalization.
The kids need to be allowed to have the choice to learn without masks. A chance to be treated fairly like the rest of the population is.
Follow the Public Health Agencies guidance. Their guidance is backed by science, long debate/thought and it’s time for the District to stop pretending we are still in covid crisis and start focusing on the crisis at hand- the education outcomes of all the OUSD students.
Hi there. I respectfully ask that OUSD rescind the mask mandate for inside and outside school, as so many other school districts are now doing. Now that the CDC says its okay, OUSD needs to follow their lead, as OUSD are experts in schooling, not in infectious diseases. Follow the science and the recommendations of the experts. Its time to allow our kids to unmask- and those who are worried can still wear them! Teachers included!
Please listen to the other comments about lifting the mask mandate in order to follow the science and be kind and compassionate to our children who have lost so much through this. Please create more opportunities for connection and joy. Their childhoods will forever be marked by this time. They need to heal, connect and play, to see each other’s faces and experience the fun side of school.
Board members,
There is no legitimate scientific reasoning behind masking outside— either for adults or children. It is non-sensical and is continuing to cause damage to the social fabric of our society and most especially, to kids. Almost all OUSD students are now fully vaccinated. In addition, new cases fell to a rolling average of 173/day in Alameda County yesterday, in a county of 1.68 million total inhabitants. Further, there is still no evidence that any strain of COVID has significant transmission outdoors. Finally, our children deserve better. They only get to be children once. Please let them return to normal, at least during recess and lunchtime. Rescinding all masking requirements would be even better for them, but small steps toward that goal are acceptable.
Please consider this issue with a sense of urgency. It is time to make the right decisions for the kids’ social and academic well-being.
Why?
Why does OUSD even need to drag out the decision on lifting mask mandates at school for one more day?
Los Angeles has lifted its mandate.
New York has lifted its mandate
San Francisco has lifted its mandate.
My wife and I have two children in OUSD, one at Montera, one at Thornhill. Two weeks ago, we took them to Disneyland. And there, we went about unmasked outdoors and indoors along with thousands of other park goers.
It is time to get real and get back to nomalcy. If thousands of people--and thousands of children--can go about their business at Disneyland completely unmasked, then our kids can go to school in Oakland unmasked.
And they should be doing so now.
Rex Crum
I feel like this is obvious - why is this even up for discussion? We need to drop the mask mandate in OUSD schools, AT THE VERY LEAST outdoors. Masking outdoors is beyond ridiculous.
The CDC, CA DPH, and now AC DPH all say masks are not required for kids in schools. Why would OUSD think they have better health expertise than these organizations? Why are we over thinking this? **Follow the guidance and drop the masks.** Note that students can still wear them if they want!!
The masks are hurting our kids and it's not protecting them from anything. They need to speak freely outside, see each other's faces, and breathe while playing outside. There is no reason why the kids need to continue to hide their faces outside, causing mental anguish for many of our students. We have 3 long months of school left - lift the mask mandate NOW to salvage some normalcy for our precious kids.
Please align with the current student mask guidelines adopted by CDPH/ACDPH. As others here have already mentioned, neighboring districts, including San Francisco, Piedmont and Alameda are ending mandatory masking in schools. LAUSD and CPS have also announced they are ending mask mandates. There is absolutely no reason why OUSD should be any different.