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I’m at Frank Ogawa Plaza this morning where Oakland parents are gathering for a rally to reopen schools. But a loud helicopter nearby is drowning out pretty much everything
A petition with more than 400 signatures has been circulating among OUSD parents. https://www.ousdparents.com/
I’m not the first to point this out, but many of the signatures on the petition come from parents at elementary schools in the Oakland hills, which raises questions about who really wants schools to reopen. You can see the signatures here #oakedu
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1SwFrKqK_jpaGDPMcRLH26psiadwDBJ8N_MzGTca_ct0/htmlview#gid=343527921
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1SwFrKqK_jpaGDPMcRLH26psiadwDBJ8N_MzGTca_ct0/htmlview#gid=343527921
The helicopter just flew away and people applauded. There’s a couple dozen parents here now, with mainly young kids
Ophelia and Leah, students at Crocker elementary. “Everybody wants to go back to school.” “As much as I like spending my whole day with my cats, I want to see my friends.”
OUSD board president Jody London:
“We are smart enough in America to figure out how to make schools essential ... so they can open safely. Schools are essential.”
“We are smart enough in America to figure out how to make schools essential ... so they can open safely. Schools are essential.”
London also advocated for teachers to be prioritized in getting the vaccine
About 100-150 parents and kids came out, chanting “Schools are essential!” #oakedu
One parent specifically calls out the teachers union for obstructing reopening.
“Sometimes a big moneyed corporation or institution can have reasons to fight for the right of the members. It’s their members who are the priority. Not our kids, not our families.”
“Sometimes a big moneyed corporation or institution can have reasons to fight for the right of the members. It’s their members who are the priority. Not our kids, not our families.”
Another parent: “Our perception (of the teachers union) is that they want to fight more than they want to teach our kids”
It got a little contentious for a few minutes before one of the organizers stepped in. There is definitely some animosity towards the teachers union from some parents over the reopening issue. #oakedu
