Activism

OUSD Schools Participate in Pro-Palestine ‘Teach-In’ Despite District Tension

On Wednesday morning, OEA for Palestine members issued a statement calling out the superintendent and the district for trying to intimidate teachers from participating in the teach-in. “By attempting to chill academic freedom on this topic, OUSD is clearly taking a side in the war on Gaza,” said the statement.

Published

2 years ago

December 11, 2023

Magaly Muñoz

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has given rise to tension in the City of Oakland not only with OUSD teachers but in an emotion-filled City Council meeting (above) on Nov. 27 when Oakland leadership approved a cease-fire resolution. Magaly Muñoz file photo.

By Magaly Muñoz, Post Staff

Teachers throughout the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) participated in a “teach-in” on Wednesday, where they informed students about the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, despite efforts by the district to shut it down.

In a YouTube video that was circulated within the district titled “Why YOU Should Participate in the December 6th Teach-In,” Jacob Fowler, a teacher at Lincoln Elementary School encouraged teachers to use a curriculum favoring the Palestinians when discussing the conflict with their students.

Tension across the Bay Area has heightened over the escalating conflict overseas that started with an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 in Southern Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis, and provoked a response that has led to more than 16,000 Palestinian fatalities so far, nearly half of whom are children.

OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell issued a statement Monday morning saying that the teach-in curriculum was “unsanctioned” and did not align with district guidelines.

“I want to make clear that the District does not authorize this action,” Johnson-Trammell said in her statement.

She explained that while the aim is to equip students to engage with local and global issues, educators must keep to principles of education and “keep their personal beliefs out of the classroom.”

Lesson plans for the day included educational materials suitable for grades K-12. These resources were assembled by ad-hoc members of the Oakland Education Association (OEA), the teacher’s union, specifically on the topic of Palestine. The materials included a variety of resources such as picture books, case studies and PBS videos.

On Wednesday morning, OEA for Palestine members issued a statement calling out the superintendent and the district for trying to intimidate teachers from participating in the teach-in.

“By attempting to chill academic freedom on this topic, OUSD is clearly taking a side in the war on Gaza,” said the statement.

The group also hosted a Zoom meeting on Wednesday titled “From Gaza to Oakland.” The meeting featured a panel consisting of representatives from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voices for Peace, and the Black Alliance for Peace.

During the meeting, speakers were asked questions about how students can become more involved in the Palestinian movement and how this issue affects people in Oakland.

A teacher with OUSD who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation said OEA was expecting about 75-100 teachers across the district to participate in the teach-in.

She explained that her third-grade students responded really well to the curriculum and posed thoughtful questions about the conflict. Her school principal was on board with the teachers who opted to use these lessons as a conversation starter for discussions with students. She expressed confidence that parents would be receptive to this approach.

“I’m not hiding anything from parents, and I truly believe that they will be grateful that we’re having these conversations and we’re doing it in a way with safety and respect,” the source said.

While she has received positive responses from her school and students, the teacher expressed concern about her job, citing a quote that OUSD Board President Mike Hutchinson gave to the East Bay Times about teachers potentially losing their jobs as a consequence of participating in the teach-in.

Hutchinson did not respond to multiple attempts by the Post for a comment.

Parents and community members did express concern over the curriculum that was presented to students about the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Stephisha Ycoy-Walton, a mom to an OUSD student, shared that she wished the discussions about the war did not disrupt students’ education. She understands that students may be curious about the issue but emphasized that the district needs to care more about what’s happening in the classroom, rather than what’s happening on the other side of the world.

She expressed that she would have appreciated OEA members reaching out to parents to get their view on what was going to be taught to students, especially given that it was against what the district would typically allow.

“We have to be very careful in how we allow children to grow and to formulate their thoughts and opinions because what we do know is that our children are a total makeup of all of their influences, their environment, what they soak in, by what they hear, what they see, they soak it all in,” Ycoy-Walton said.

Allegedly, some parents across the district chose to keep students from class on Wednesday and some are even considering moving their kids to alternative schools or private school, says Tyler Gregory, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Bay Area.

He shared that the Jewish community is fearing for their lives and are starting to feel excluded in all areas of society, now including schools.

“We need to show that we are resilient, that we belong to this community and that we’re not going anywhere. We have to overcome that sense of fear right now and show the broader community who we are,” Gregory said.

Gregory wished that the lesson plans had been more inclusive to all sides of the conflict, saying that Muslim, Jewish, Palestinian, and Israeli groups should all have a voice in the curriculum.

Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper.

Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities.

The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper. Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities. The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

Published

13 hours ago

June 20, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Published

2 days ago

June 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.

As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.

At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.

Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.

Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.

Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.

This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.

Oakland Post

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Activism

OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark

Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

Published

2 days ago

June 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook. Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook.

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

As a pastor and East Bay resident, I see firsthand how my community struggles with the rising cost of everyday living. A fellow pastor in Oakland recently told me he cuts his pills in half to make them last longer because of the crushing costs of drugs.

Meanwhile, community members are contending with skyrocketing grocery prices and a lack of affordable healthcare options, while businesses are being forced to close their doors.

Our community is hurting. Things have to change.

The most pressing issue that demands our leaders’ attention is rising healthcare costs, and particularly the rising cost of medications. Annual prescription drug costs in California have spiked by nearly 50% since 2018, from $9.1 billion to $13.6 billion.

Some lawmakers, however, have advanced legislation that would drive up healthcare costs and set communities like mine back further.

I’m particularly concerned with Senate Bill (SB) 41, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a carbon copy of a 2024 bill that I strongly opposed and Gov. Newsom rightly vetoed. This bill would impose significant healthcare costs on patients, small businesses, and working families, while allowing big drug companies to increase their profits.

SB 41 would impose a new $10.05 pharmacy fee for every prescription filled in California. This new fee, which would apply to millions of Californians, is roughly five times higher than the current average of $2.

For example, a Bay Area family with five monthly prescriptions would be forced to shoulder about $500 more in annual health costs. If a small business covers 25 employees, each with four prescription fills per month (the national average), that would add nearly $10,000 per year in health care costs.

This bill would also restrict how health plan sponsors — like employers, unions, state plans, Medicare, and Medicaid — partner with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to negotiate against big drug companies and deliver the lowest possible costs for employees and members. By mandating a flat fee for pharmacy benefit services, this misguided legislation would undercut your health plan’s ability to drive down costs while handing more profits to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

This bill would also endanger patients by eliminating safety requirements for pharmacies that dispense complex and costly specialty medications. Additionally, it would restrict home delivery for prescriptions, a convenient and affordable service that many families rely on.

Instead of repeating the same tired plan laid out in the big pharma-backed playbook, lawmakers should embrace Newsom’s transparency-first approach and prioritize our communities.

Let’s urge our state legislators to reject policies like SB 41 that would make a difficult situation even worse for communities like ours.

About the Author

Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.