A classroom at Coliseum College Prep Academy in Oakland is set up with desks spread out to accommodate up to 12 students. Credit: OUSD

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Parents, teachers, and students across Oakland have been anxiously waiting to hear how the fall semester will work. After spring’s jarring, all-encompassing experiment with distance learning, some families feel it’s time for their children to return to the classroom, while others continue to worry about transmission of the coronavirus. If physical schools remain shut, some teachers question whether the district will truly manage to serve every student who lacks access to computers or the internet. And with coronavirus cases rising in Alameda County, the outlook is changing each day.

Last week, Oakland Unified School District officials announced that all of its students would start the school year at home, learning totally remotely for up to four weeks. We’ve got a full rundown of how OUSD’s plan works, and what parents, teachers, and students with various needs can expect next semester.

Once you’ve had a chance to check that out, we’re hoping to hear from community members with a variety of different relationships to OUSD—parent, teacher, student, staff, taxpayer—who have reviewed OUSD’s fall-semester plan and have thoughts about how it will impact their lives.

Fill out the form below to share your thoughts—we’ll read everything you have to say. We may also include your response in future reporting, and get in touch to follow up if you share contact information. Thank you in advance for your insights.

Ashley McBride writes about education equity for The Oaklandside. Her work covers Oakland’s public district and charter schools. Before joining The Oaklandside in 2020, Ashley was a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News and the San Francisco Chronicle as a Hearst Journalism Fellow, and has held positions at the Poynter Institute and the Palm Beach Post. Ashley earned her master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University.