Parents, teachers union protest current COVID testing protocols in Oakland Unified
Parents and members of the Oakland Education Association protested Thursday about the current COVID testing protocols for Oakland schools. They want weekly testing for all students and staff.
"We want to make sure that our schools are safe so that our kids can continue and keep on learning," said Keith Brown, the president of the Education Association.
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Currently, Oakland Unified School District only requires weekly testing for anyone who isn't vaccinated or who has been exposed to COVID-19. The school district says they cannot allocate resources to weekly testing without having to pull from other testing resources like quarantine testing. Some parents want that to change.
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"They're waiting till there is an exposure and then doing the testing," said Mike Avila, a parent who removed his kid from in-person learning. "I think it would be better if the testing was done on the front end and trying to be done as much as possible."
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They also said they are following all the guidelines given to them by health officials from the state and county. The protestors say today's message was not just geared towards the school district, but to the county and state so they can give more resources to the school.
"We are urging for all hands on deck where the state and county work with the district to make sure the essential resources are there," Brown said.
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