Commentary

Additional Steps Urgently Needed to Protect Students, Teachers from COVID-19

Why hasn’t OUDSD School Board President Shanthi Gonzales called a special meeting this week to discuss reopening? Why is staff unilaterally creating enrollment policies?

Published

5 years ago

August 7, 2021

Isabelle Price

Protest Bus in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo courtesy Stephen Harlan via Unsplash

The first day of school is August 9. This was always going to be a challenging start to a school year, especially given our lack of proper planning, but with the resurgence of COVID-19, reopening schools to 20,000 unvaccinated children needs to be done in a safe and equitable way.

Currently, the Oakland Unified School District is set to reopen for full, in-person school in days. Masks will be required in classrooms and every classroom has an air purifier. Classes are being fully enrolled so there will be no social distancing.

It has been announced that there will be 10 regional COVID-!9 testing sites, which means there will be no regular testing at all school sites. With full classes and no regular testing, it will be impossible to do contact tracing or to quarantine. Many questions remain unanswered such as recess, lunch, choir, band, sports, volunteers….. which, at this point, is unacceptable.

With the Delta variant of the virus and no vaccine for our students under 12 we must, at a minimum, have COVID-19 tests one to two times a week at all of our school sites.

All of our families have the option to select distance learning instead of in-person instruction, but currently OUSD is telling families that if they opt for distance learning that they will lose their placement at their school.

OUSD is also telling families that many of our programs will not be offered in DL, including dual immersion. That is unacceptable: we must have a distance learning program that is equitable and accessible to provide families with a true option.

No families should be penalized for choosing distance learning.

The school board has neither voted nor been involved in these decisions. The board has not met since June 29 and our first meeting isn’t scheduled until August 11, two days AFTER school starts. And even the yearly school board retreat for planning has been pushed back to August 21.

Why hasn’t OUDSD School Board President Shanthi Gonzales called a special meeting this week to discuss reopening? Why is staff unilaterally creating enrollment policies?

This is an emergency and we need all hands on deck in order to keep our community as safe as possible and OUSD has COVID-19 Relief dollars to fund whatever fixes we need. Where is the urgency?

I will introduce legislation at the August 11 school board meeting to guarantee that families do not lose their school placement if they opt for distance learning. I will also work to add dual immersion and other programs to our DL offerings as needed. If it’s still needed, I will also introduce a resolution directing OUSD to provide COVID-19 testing at all of our school sites at least once a week.

Please email the school board and the superintendent to at least demand that:

Students don’t lose their school placement for opting for distance learning.
There is dual immersion offered in distance learning
OUSD provide weekly COVID-19 testing at every school
That Board President Gonzales call a special meeting immediately to address the many issues surrounding the beginning of the school year

Please attend the August 11 school board meeting, which is currently scheduled to be in person for the first time in 18 months.

Here’s the link to the video of the 6/30 welcome back information session for families

https://youtu.be/WzOqI6D9Q0E

Isabelle Price

Posts by Isabelle Price

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Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

Published

6 days ago

March 22, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post

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Advice

Financial Wellness and Mental Health: Managing Money Stress in College 

While everyone’s financial situation is unique, several common sources of stress have the potential to strain your financial health. These include financial and economic uncertainty, existing debts, unexpected expenses, and mental or physical health changes. Financial stress may differ from situation to situation, but understanding the factors contributing to yours may help you begin to craft a plan for your unique circumstances.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sponsored by JPMorganChase

As a college student, managing financial responsibilities can be stressful.

If you’ve found yourself staying up late thinking about your finances or just feeling anxious overall about your financial future, you’re not alone. In one survey, 78% of college students who reported financial stress had negative impacts on their mental health, and 59% considered dropping out. While finances can impact overall stress, taking steps to manage your finances can support your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

When it comes to money, the sources of stress may look different for each student, but identifying the underlying causes and setting goals accordingly may help you feel more confident about your financial future.

Consider these strategies to help improve your financial wellness and reduce stress.

Understand what causes financial stress

2. Determine your financial priorities

Start by reflecting on your financial priorities. For students this often includes paying for school or paying off student loans, studying abroad, saving for spring break, building an emergency fund, paying down credit card debt or buying a car. Name the milestones that are most important to you, and plan accordingly.

3. Create a plan and stick to it

While setting actionable goals starts you on the journey to better financial health, it’s essential to craft a plan to follow through. Identifying and committing to a savings plan may give you a greater sense of control over your finances, which may help reduce your stress. Creating and sticking to a budget allows you to better track where your money is going so you may spend less and save more.

4. Pay down debt

Many students have some form of debt and want to make progress toward reducing their debt obligations. One option is the debt avalanche method, which focuses on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first, then moving on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Another is the debt snowball method, which builds momentum by paying off your smallest debt balance, and then working your way up to the largest amounts.

5. Build your financial resilience

Some financial stress may be inevitable, but building financial resilience may allow you to overcome obstacles more easily. The more you learn about managing your money, for instance, the more prepared you’ll feel if the unexpected happens. Growing your emergency savings also may increase resilience since you’ll be more financially prepared to cover unexpected expenses or pay your living expenses.

6. Seek help and support

Many colleges have resources to help students experiencing financial stress, like financial literacy courses or funds that provide some assistance for students in need. Talk to your admissions counselor or advisor about your concerns, and they can direct you to sources of support. Your school’s counseling center can also be a great resource for mental health assistance if you’re struggling with financial stress.

The bottom line

Financial stress can affect college students’ health and wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to derail your dreams. Setting smart financial goals and developing simple plans to achieve them may help ease your stress. Revisit and adjust your plan as needed to ensure it continues to work for you, and seek additional support on campus as needed to help keep you on track.

 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC