Community

OUSD Teachers, Parents, Ask for Weekly COVID-19 Testing

In an effort to ensure safety as the Delta variant has caused a surge in COVID-19 cases both nationally and locally, Oakland parents and teachers are asking the Oakland Unified School District to provide weekly COVID-19 tests to all students and staff.

Published

3 years ago

August 20, 2021

Christy Price

Oakland Unified School District teachers, parents, and students hold signs at a protest outside of School Board President Shanthi Gonzalez's home on August 6. They demanded expanded COVID-19 related safety measures, including weekly testing at all school sites for all staff and students. Photo by Zack Haber.

“I think that anyone who is going to be spending any extended period of time in a school site should be tested,” said Megan Bumpus, a fifth-grade teacher at Reach Academy, and a parent to two students at another OUSD elementary school.

Last week, two students in her class tested positive for COVID-19. Since these students sit next to each other in her classroom, she suspects the transmission happened at school. On August 16, in reaction to the positive cases, nursing staff came to her school to give all students in her class COVID tests. But Bumpus feels these tests should have happened earlier.

“If everybody had got tested right before the first day of school, I think we’d all be in a much better place,” she said.

Other OUSD community members agree with Bumpus and think testing should be expanded.

OUSD teacher and parent Olivia Udovic started a petition that asks for weekly COVID-19 testing at all district schools. It currently has over 1,500 signatures.

On the evening of August 6, the last weekday before the start of the OUSD school year, a crowd of about 20 people made up almost entirely of OUSD teachers, students, and staff protested outside of Board President Shanthi Gonzales’s home to demand expanded COVID-19 safety measures. Weekly COVID-19 testing at every school site was a key demand.

“In order to keep our families safe and let folks know what precautions they need to take, we need to know if there are positive cases,” said OUSD parent Mona Trevino at the protest. “If they make it impossible for us to get that information, we could have a lot of sick kids and parents on our hands.

The Oakland Post also received six e-mails forwarded to us from parents and/or OUSD teachers who had written to the school board asking for expanded COVID safety measures, including demands for weekly testing. Several pointed out that the Los Angeles Unified School District is both providing testing and requiring all school staff and students who participate in in-person schooling to be tested on a weekly basis for the virus.

When asked about COVID testing in Oakland schools, Gonzales wrote in an e-mail to The Oakland Post, “We are following guidance from the State Department of Public Health. As those guidelines change, we will continue to be responsive.” She also pointed out that OUSD has upgraded their ventilation systems, enforces masking requirements, and has upgraded contact tracing measures.

LAUSD tested 81% of staff and students just before their school year started. Of those tested, .8% of them, over 3,600 people, tested positive for COVID-19. Unlike LAUSD, OUSD is not proactively testing asymptomatic people unless they knowingly come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. But, when staff and students do get tested, OUSD is tracking positive cases in the district and releasing that data on a weekly basis.

According to data released on Monday morning, 58 students and 10 OUSD staff members tested positive for COVID-19 during the first week of school, which started August 9. The data lists Reach Academy as having four positive COVID cases, but Bumpus reports that by the end of the school day on Monday, two additional students tested positive.

The site with the highest number of positive cases, according to OUSD’s data, is Oakland High School, where 16 people tested positive and one classroom of students are not currently reporting to school, as the district asked them to go into a full at-home quarantine. A similar quarantine period is occurring with a classroom of students at Montclair Elementary School, where five people tested positive for the virus.

In reaction to the initial positive cases at Oakland High School, OUSD greatly expanded testing on the site, which led to more cases being discovered. Oakland High School music teacher David Byrd compared the situation at his school to a nuclear disaster, and suggested if testing were expanded, another school could also be revealed to be in such a dire situation.

“Oakland High School is the Chernobyl of the COVID outbreak in OUSD,” he wrote on Facebook on Monday. “But, if every other school were testing like us, another site would be the Fukushima.”

OUSD Director of Communications John Sasaki said that the district is already making COVID-19 tests available to students and staff.

“At-home rapid antigen tests will be available for pick-up at each school site for those who develop symptoms during the day, or if they have another reason to get tested, such as if they have been exposed or if they are unvaccinated,” Sasaki wrote in an email to The Oakland Post. Onsite testing is also available in 10 of the district’s 118 schools.

District 5 School Board Director Mike Hutchinson wrote a resolution that, if passed, would direct Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell to ensure that COVID-19 tests be offered on a weekly basis to all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

Language from the resolution points out that “federal and state funds have been provided to help school districts cover the cost of COVID testing.” Unlike the current policy in Los Angeles public schools, Hutchinson’s resolution would not require students to take weekly COVID tests.

It would only offer the tests and parents would have the option of opting their students out, unless public health guidelines change to recommend all students be required to be tested weekly, which is currently not the case on the county, state or national level.

Hutchinson introduced the resolution during the August 11 school board meeting, but board president Gonzales did not put it on the agenda, so the board did not vote on it.

In an e-mail written August 6 that responded to a concerned OUSD parent and teacher, District 1 School Board Director Sam Davis claimed he believed it was important for the district to take “a more proactive stance on testing.”

“There are already at-home test kits available at every school,” he wrote, “but I think we need to go a step further and have staff provide tests to students at every school site on a regular basis, so that we can catch cases before they turn into outbreaks.”

In an e-mail to The Oakland Post, Davis clarified that he believed “we only need widespread testing of students during periods of high incidence such as what we are experiencing now.”

The next OUSD school board meeting is August 25. Unless an emergency meeting is announced, that would be the next time Hutchinson’s resolution requiring COVID-19 testing be offered on a weekly basis could be voted on.

In the meantime, Bumpus is still worried about COVID-19 spreading in OUSD schools through people having COVID-19 while not being aware that they are carrying the virus.

“Having to focus on this right now is awful. I can barely focus on lesson planning,” said Bumpus. “When it comes to testing, it doesn’t feel right not to air on the side of caution.”

The Oakland Post’s coverage of local news in Alameda County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support community newspapers across California.

Christy Price

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Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee Reflects on Her Career as She Bids Farewell to Congress

“Together, we have raised our voices and pushed the envelope for peace, justice and equity. It has been the honor of a lifetime to provide constituent services, deliver federal investments to my district, speak out, and often times be the only one to take tough votes against the tide. I have, and will continue to, fight for working families, the middle class, low income and poor people,” said Lee On her final day in Congress.

Published

4 days ago

February 9, 2025

Oakland Post

Rep. Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Outgoing Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) expressed deep gratitude to her constituents and marked the end of her 26-year career in public service.

Lee, who is succeeded by Lateefah Simon, a civil rights and racial justice activist, praised people in her community for their support. She also highlighted her dedication to promoting peace, justice, and equity.

Throughout her tenure, Lee earned a reputation as a principled lawmaker known for taking bold and sometimes unpopular stances. One of her defining moments came in 2001 when she was the sole member of Congress to vote against the Authorization for the Use of Military Force in response to the September 11 attacks. This decision led to death threats but ultimately cemented her legacy of courage.

Lee’s leadership extended beyond her district, where she fought for social justice, the rights of low-income communities, and global health initiatives. She was a key figure in pushing for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). She was a vocal critic of the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortion services.

The Congresswoman also faced significant challenges in her career, including a failed Senate bid in 2024. Yet, Lee’s efforts have paved the way for more excellent representation, with more Black women now elected to Congress. She worked closely with organizations like Representation Matters to encourage more women of color to run for office.

Lee says she looks to the future, confident that the next generation of leaders will continue her unfinished work, particularly on issues like military force and reproductive rights.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 5 – 11, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 5 – 11, 2025

Published

6 days ago

February 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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OP-ED: Like Physicians, U.S. Health Institutions Must ‘First, Do No Harm’

Coupled with their lack of government and healthcare-related experience, we are concerned these nominees will significantly undermine public health, increase the number of uninsured people, worsen health outcomes, and exacerbate health disparities. Physicians observe Hippocrates’ maxim to “First Do No Harm,”, and we urge Trump administration officials to do the same. It is critical that the leadership of HHS and its agencies make decisions based on facts, evidence, and science. Misinformation and disinformation must not guide policymaking decisions and undermine evidence-based public health strategies. Spreading these falsehoods also erodes trust in our public institutions.

Published

1 week ago

February 4, 2025

Oakland Post

Albert L. Brooks MD. Courtesy photo.

By Albert L. Brooks MD
Special to The Post

Presidential administrations significantly impact the health and wellbeing of our patients and communities.

Through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the agencies within it, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Institutes of Health, this new administration will decide how financial resources are allocated, dictate the focus of federal research, and determine how our public health care insurance systems are managed, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Vaccines for Children program, Medicare, and Medicaid.

The decisions made over the next four years will impact all Americans but will be felt more acutely by those most underserved and vulnerable.

As physicians, we are greatly concerned by the nominations announced by President Trump to critical healthcare related positions. Many of their previous statements and positions are rooted in misinformation.

It is critical that the leadership of HHS and its agencies make decisions based on facts, evidence, and science. Misinformation and disinformation must not guide policymaking decisions and undermine evidence-based public health strategies. Spreading these falsehoods also erodes trust in our public institutions.

Vaccines, in particular, have been a target of disinformation by some HHS nominees. In fact, research continues to confirm that vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines go through multiple rounds of clinical trials prior to being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for administration to the public.

Vaccines protect against life-threateningdiseasessuch as measles, polio, tetanus, and meningococcal disease and, when used effectively, have beenshowntoeliminateorsubstantiallyreducediseaseprevalenceand/orseverity.

Because of vaccine mis- and disinformation, there has been a resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough, endangering those who are too young or unable to be vaccinated.

Several nominees have spread disinformation alleging that fluoride in public drinking water is harmful. In fact, fluoride in drinking water at the recommended level of 0.7 parts per million, like we have in our EBMUD water, is safe and keeps teeth strong. Because of public health interventions dating back to the 1960s that have resulted in 72.3% of the U.S. population now having access to fluoridated water, there has been a reduction in cavities by about 25% in both children and adults.

We also encourage the next administration to invest in our public health infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role of public health agencies in preventing and responding to health crises in our communities.

Health departments at the state and local levels rely on federal funding support and technical assistance to develop public health response plans, implement public health strategies, and work with on the ground organizations to serve hard to reach communities. Public health agencies are critical for protecting everyone in our communities, regardless of income-level, insurance status, or housing status.

Health officials should also work to protect the significant improvements in insurance coverage that have occurred since the passage of theACAin 2010.According to HHS, the numberofuninsuredAmericansfellfrom48millionin2010to25.6millionin2023.

California has led the way by investing in Medi-Cal and expanding eligibility for enrollment. In fact, it reached its lowest uninsured rate ever in 2022 at 6.2%. Voters affirmed this commitment to expanding and protecting access to care in November by passing Proposition 35, which significantly expanded funding for California’s Medi-Cal program. The administration should advance policies that strengthen the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare and improve access to affordable health care.

Regardless of the president in power, physicians will always put the best interests of our patients and communities at the forefront. We will continue to be a resource to our patients, providing evidence-based and scientifically proven information and striving to better their lives and our community’s health. We urge the new Trump administration to do the same.

Albert L. Brooks MD is the immediate past president of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association, which represents 6,000 East Bay physicians.