OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – A tentative agreement on COVID-19 safety has been reached between the Oakland Unified School District and the Oakland Education Association.

On Wednesday, the school district announced that the agreement was made at the end of last week.

It focuses on two previous agreements that include safety provisions, independent study, and additional compensation.

This new agreement includes:

  • Wellness Day to be held on Friday, Jan. 14 – This is a non-work day for teachers to use for self care or get vaccinations and booster shots. This was already on the schedule for there to be no school.
  • Extended COVID leave – For Oakland Education Association members who get COVID or need to quarantine due to exposure, COVID leave has been entended through the end of the year.

The district says they are negotiating other provisions and hope to have decisions later this week.

The agreement came just hours after teachers at Frick United Academy of Language announced plans to hold a two-day sickout on Wednesday and Thursday after a surge of COVID cases on campus.

The group says Thursday’s protest is out of solidarity with Oakland Unified students who have threatened to walk out of class if their COVID concerns were also not met.

Over the weekend, KRON4 first told you about a student petition which has received more than 1,100 signatures and gives the district until next Monday to meet their demands.

Last Friday, more than 500 teachers held a ‘sickout’ across the district over concerns of a lack of COVID-19 protocols.

Teachers at Frick United are asking the district for:

  1. N95 masks for all students and staff
  2. Weekly PCR testing for all students and staff
  3. Mandatory school-wide quarantine when we have three or more positive COVID cases on campus in a two-week time period
  4. Vaccine clinic at Frick United before 1/31/22 to improve vaccine access for our community
  5. An emergency plan for teacher/staff absent

KRON4 has reached out to the Alameda County Office of Education, Oakland Unified schools, and the Oakland Educators Association for comment but so far, we have not heard back.