OAKLAND (KPIX) — Classes are canceled Friday for Oakland Unified School District students as teachers prepare to hit the picket line for a one-day strike to protest school closures.
Approximately 2,000 teachers are expected to participate in the strike. Quinn Ranahan is one of them. She teaches middle school math at Montera but she used to teach at Roots which closed in 2019.
“I went through a school closure personally and it was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Ranahan told KPIX.
She says the closures are happening in underserved communities that need more resources not fewer.
“These school closures are disproportionately impacting our Black and Brown students in Oakland. For instance, Community Day School is a restorative justice school for students that are typically expelled. Closing that school is impacting the highest needs schools in our community, students that traditional school doesn’t work for.”
Friday’s planned strike got so contentious, OUSD went to the California Public Employment Relations Board to ask for an order to stop the teachers from striking. That request was denied late Thursday afternoon.
OUSD released a statement earlier this week saying “This action impacts our entire OUSD community, especially our students who should be in school learning.”
While all Friday classes are canceled, the district has also announced all interscholastic sports scheduled for the day are being rescheduled or canceled.
For all the latest Education News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
