Oakland teachers and the Oakland Unified School District have reached a tentative agreement over COVID-19 safety, district officials said Tuesday.
The district and teachers, represented by the Oakland Education Association, came to an agreement on six items.
Weekly testing will be offered to all students and staff at all sites consistent with California Department of Public Health guidance. If there is a limited supply of tests or limited capacity to test, people with known exposures will receive priority.
When the number of people who test positive is rising, the district will work to expand the hours of the 10 regional testing hubs.
Access to testing will be provided to all students and staff before they return from spring break. Families will be told to complete a health screening right after spring break and PCR testing will be made available to students and staff who have COVID-19 symptoms.
The district will be providing covered outdoor eating spaces for students at all district sites.
Large school assemblies will be conducted outdoors when possible and windows will be open in interior spaces when possible. The district will be ensuring each interior space has proper ventilation and air purification.
Lastly, high quality COVID-19 masks, such as KN95 masks, will be made available to all students and staff.
District and union negotiators worked on the deal over the past three days. Union members still need to vote on the deal over the weekend and the district Board of Education must ratify it.
“The new tentative agreement between OUSD and OEA is an achievement for our community,” OEA President Keith Brown said in a statement. “Voluntary weekly testing at all schools, high-quality masks for all, better outdoor dining areas for students and extra efforts to cover absences of teachers out sick with Covid.”