Whereas:  

Any premature opening of school without mass testing will lead to a new wave of the COVID -19 pandemic. This is an unacceptable risk to the lives and safety of our members and students.

Therefore be it resolved that we will oppose any premature opening of the schools without such necessary safety measures. The OEA demands Mass Testing for all employees and students who want it and that OUSD provide universal access to proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 

 Yes —83

 No—9

---

We must stop any push to prematurely open schools by Trump, Governor Newsom, the CDC or any government body. We must protect our students, their families, and our members from an opening that must result in thousands and thousands of needless deaths.

There is no such thing as social distancing in a school environment. Across the nation, any business or institution that concentrates large numbers of people in a contained space – nursing homes, meat-packing plants, prisons, and immigrant detention facilities – are all death camps and vectors for COVID infection of entire communities. We cannot allow schools join this list.

Nurses and other health care workers have been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 for months. Teachers must join with health care workers to take control of fighting the COVID pandemic. We need to demand a thorough-going campaign of mass testing, contact tracing, and data sharing. Every country that has successfully slowed the pace of COVID-19 infections and deaths has implemented this program.  

The response of the Trump administration to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a complete disaster and has done nothing but guarantee the deaths of countless numbers of people in America. However, although the presentations of Governors Newsom and Cuomo contain some actual facts and references to science, there is a huge and indefensible gap between words and deeds.

California continues to lag the nation in COVID-19  testing. Only Kansas, Texas, and Virginia fall below California in a comparison of state by state per capita testing. In California as in the rest of the nation there is virtually no contact tracing, and most of those who are suspected of being COVID-19 positive are given no choice but to stay at home and risk infection of their entire family. Governor Newsom has already started talking about opening the schools in July or August! This is not acceptable. We must take whatever action is necessary to prevent such criminal disregard for life from being pushed through.

ELECT leaders who will build the mass movement to prioritize saving lives and using science to overcome the COVID pandemic. 

VOTE EON/BAMN in the Upcoming OEA Elections 

May 14^th through May 28^th via ballot in your personal email.

Mark Airgood for Re-election to OEA Executive Board 

Tania Kappner for OEA Vice-President

Adarene Hoag for OEA Executive Board

Equal Opportunity Now/By Any Means Necessary Caucus (EON/BAMN)