Most elementary schools will reopen

Oakland public schools are returning to classrooms in phases

As part of an agreement approved by both the Oakland Unified School District and its teachers union, most elementary schools will reopen their classrooms next week, though some won’t.

Students will be returning to campuses in phases, with those in prekindergarten through second grade and those struggling with distance learning or who have special learning needs being the first to arrive, on Tuesday.

Because teachers won’t be required to return until April 19, however, how many classrooms actually open before then will hinge on how many teachers and other staffers, including psychologists, speech therapists and counselors, voluntarily come back sooner.

About a third of the teachers opted to return Tuesday, and the rest are staying home until they must show up April 19, according to district documents.

About 58% of Oakland Unified elementary school families who responded to a district survey earlier this month said they wanted the option to return to classrooms this spring. That represents about 54% of the district’s entire elementary school population, according to officials.

Only those who indicated in the survey they wanted to return will be able to send their students to classrooms. The others likely will have to remain in distance learning for the remainder of the school year, district spokesman John Sasaki said earlier this month.

According to the district, 21 elementary schools and 11 early childhood development centers will be ready to fully open next week for preschool through second grade students and those considered “high priority.” In addition, 23 elementary schools and nine childhood development centers will “partially” reopen for some of the students who opted to return.

That leaves six schools and nine childhood development centers that will remain closed until April 19 because not enough

teachers opted to return. On that date, they’ll reopen to all elementary and sixth grade students and some “priority groups” in middle and high schools.

Among the schools that have to delay their reopening plans is Cleveland Elementary, whose principal alerted students this week to the change in plans.

“At this time, we simply do not have enough staff who opted in for in-person instruction to open our classrooms to K-2 and priority students on Tuesday, March 30, in a way that keeps all of our students and staff members safe during the first phase of reopening,” Cleveland Principal Peter Van Tassel told families in a letter, reassuring them that all grades will open for in-person

instruction April 19.

“Obviously, we are disappointed. I know many of our staff, families, and students are eagerly looking forward to getting back on campus as soon as possible,” Van Tassel wrote. “This will however allow us more time to prepare for a smooth start so that students get the most out of their time on campus.”

Even for those returning early, school likely will be far from what was considered “normal” before the coronavirus pandemic.

School schedules will vary across different campuses and among different grades or groups of students, but sample schedules offered by the district show that most of those returning to campus will do so only a couple days a week with a specific cohort of fellow students and for only part of the day.

The district is also planning summer education programs to be offered in both

distance-learning and inperson formats, likely starting in June.

And though details are still in flux, District Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell noted in an update last week that “we do not plan on starting the 2021-22 school year in distance learning.”

“We are hopeful that we can open the school year with five full days of in-person instruction a week,” Johnson-Trammell wrote in the update.

Still, she noted, the district will plan for both inperson learning and a hybrid model of distance and in-person learning in case public health officials require it.

“The model we use and the number of students we will be able to serve on campus at any one time will depend on the public health guidance,” she said.