The following letter was sent by medical professionals and community leaders on Aug. 9, 2021 to Oakland the Oakland Unified School District Superintendent and school board members.

Oakland Unified School District appears to be on the verge of reopening its schools to full capacity, even though the best available data indicates that the spread of COVID‐19 is quickening and expanding, particularly in several of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. 

Because marginalized communities suffer compromised health even in the best of times, it appears inevitable that Oakland’s Black and Brown youth and their families will disproportionately bear the brunt of new infections, and increased morbidity and mortality.
We write to pose some essential questions, the answers to which will reflect the degree to which elected leaders of the school board are willing and prepared to take the steps necessary to protect the well‐being of some of the most vulnerable among us. 

Choices the school board makes with respect to COVID‐19 cannot be divorced from the demands for equity that are sweeping the nation for the simple fact that health vulnerabilities of our communities of color can, in many instances, be traced back to and are deeply rooted in generations of unjust oppression, unequal access to opportunity, and undeniable neglect at the hands of both the public and private sectors. 

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To be sure, OUSD’s actions in the 2020‐21 school year to quickly pivot to distance and then hybrid learning are to be commended. Swift action to suspend in‐person instruction and equip students for distance learning surely saved lives, and courageously modeled for an entire nation principle of self‐sacrifice and equity.

But these important achievements risk being squandered. 

First, an adequate plan for regular and targeted COVID‐19 testing has yet to be implemented.
“Recommended testing” at one of “10 OUSD locations” on a voluntary basis for symptomatic and exposed teachers, students and families, is wholly inadequate. 

That teachers are not required to undergo routine testing or demonstrate proof of vaccination despite spending hours indoors (especially) with unvaccinated children is unfathomable, particularly since the Delta viral strain is transmitted more easily modeling in support of that case.

Only when this is done, can the public ‐- the individuals, organizations, businesses, agencies and elected officials that rely upon the expertise of public health professionals ‐- adequately assess their options and make decisions appropriate to their needs and consistent with their appetite for risk. 

If Oakland parents and students must choose between at‐home/distance learning and
exposure to a serious illness that could prove fatal to themselves or loved ones, then they should be provided information about the relative risks of their options so that they can debate and shape the types and timing of trade‐offs being asked of them during this ordeal.
At a minimum we insist that the school board require:

Symptomatic students, staff and teachers isolate and test negative before presenting to any
school site

Every school site have supplies and staff for onsite COVID‐19 testing
All unvaccinated teachers and staff undergo at least weekly mandatory testing
All unvaccinated teachers and staff wear N95 masks at all times

The following data points be included on the OUSD Dashboard:

• Ventilation strategy being utilized at each school site
• Distancing guideline(s) being observed at each school site for each common area
  (classrooms, hallways, multi‐use rooms)
• Percentage of vaccinated teachers and staff at each school site
• Notification of each COVID‐19 outbreak with number of student and teacher/staff cases

As community leaders and physicians. we stand ready to serve as not only accountability partners, but as a resource to help ensure the health and well‐being of our dedicated teachers and school staff, and the safety of our children. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for additional information or if we can be
of assistance. We look forward to hearing from you.

Signed:
Sherilynn Cooke, MD, president, Sinkler Miller Medical Association
Noha Aboelata, MD, CEO, Roots Community Health Center
Donna White Carey, MD, executive pastor, True Vine Ministries
Aisha Mays, MD, director of Adolescent and School Based Programs, Roots Community Health Center
Kim F. Rhoads, MD, MS, MPH, Assoc. Prof. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Founding Dir., Umoja Health
Damon Francis, MD, Health Committee, Brotherhood of Elders Network
Gregory Hodge, chief network officer, Brotherhood of Elders Network
Pecolia Manigo Awobodu, executive director, Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network
Donald Frasier, executive director, Building Opportunities for Self‐Sufficiency
Pastor Michael McBride, national director, LIVE FREE Project
Carolyn (CJ) Johnson, CEO, Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation
Candice Elder, founder and executive Director, East Oakland Collective
Tanya Dennis, Oakland Frontline Healers Coalition

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Christy Price

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