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"content": "\u003cp>In California, home to the largest number of Afghan refugees in the country, school officials are preparing for an influx of students who fled Afghanistan with their families after the Taliban seized power in the country last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools are especially busy in Sacramento and Fremont, which have two of the largest Afghan communities in the state. Over 40% of the nation’s Afghan refugees have resettled in the Sacramento region in recent years, according to Jessie Tientcheu, chief executive officer of \u003ca href=\"https://www.openingdoorsinc.org/\">Opening Doors\u003c/a>, a resettlement agency based in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elk Grove Unified School District began offering culturally appropriate meals and setting aside rooms in many of its middle and high schools for prayer during Muslim holidays in preparation for the additional Afghan students it expects in the next month. San Juan Unified is offering Saturday school for English learners, and Fremont Unified is planning to hire more translators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sacramento school officials have been meeting weekly with representatives from resettlement agencies to prepare for the students. \u003ca href=\"https://refugeeempowerment.org/resettlement/\">Resettlement agencies\u003c/a> partner with the federal government to ensure refugees have food, clothing and housing, as well as medical and mental health services, among other things, for 90 days after their arrival in a city. After that, school districts often take on the role of liaison between the family and social service organizations, offering translators and guidance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We connect with them when their 90 days are over,” said Cristina Burkhart, program specialist with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjuan.edu/Page/47205\">refugee team at San Juan Unified\u003c/a>. “We help them in any way we can. We help them make doctor appointments, or translate for them so they can build that capacity and advocate for themselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sacramento-area school officials have been told to expect about 1,200 new students from Afghanistan to enroll in area schools in the next few months, but the number was estimated before more than 100,000 Afghans were evacuated and could be higher, Tientcheu said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, California school district officials interviewed by EdSource reported only a trickle of refugee enrollments, but Tientcheu says many of the families that have already arrived are completing required vaccinations and medical appointments before enrolling their children in school. Some are living in temporary housing and are waiting to move to permanent homes before starting school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California school districts with Afghan student populations are offering wraparound services for refugee families, including dedicated staff to enroll students in school, language classes for parents and students, and translators to help explain schoolwork or make medical appointments. Districts also refer families to community resources that provide food, housing and medical care, among other services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elk Grove Unified, a district of 63,000 students in south Sacramento County, has about 2,000 student refugees from Afghanistan, said Lisa Levasseur, a program specialist in the district’s Family and Community Engagement Department. The number of students started increasing about four years ago. Now, the Afghan population is the fastest-growing ethnicity in the district, Levasseur said. She said the refugees are sometimes attracted to the Elk Grove area because it has larger apartments that allow extended families to live together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=news_11885908,news_11887273,arts_13902072]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District services for Afghan refugees have increased with their numbers. The district has opened two welcome centers, but Levasseur would like to open two more. At the center, families can enroll students in school, get referrals for social services or find tutoring help. District staff also help parents find jobs and operate support groups for family members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elk Grove staff who are interested in learning more about the cultural differences the Afghan students will face can take classes provided by the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are expanding our programs and constantly learning what is needed,” Levasseur said. “I’m meeting tomorrow with an organization that runs after-school sports and focuses on social-emotional development for refugees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levasseur would like to start a soccer program for newcomers, like the one in nearby San Juan Unified. The San Juan soccer program was originally created for refugee students to provide social-emotional support and help integrate them into the school district. It provides cleats, shin guards and balls for each player — equipment too expensive for most refugee families — and teaches them soccer skills and holds tournaments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Parents enjoyed it because the parents are on the sidelines and they are making friends,” Burkhart said. “They are communicating with other people, and they are cheering. They have to bring chairs. They are learning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district limited the number of players to 300 refugees until this school year when a grant allowed the district to expand the program to all English learners. Now the soccer program, which was scheduled to start Sept. 16, is expected to have 800 players from eight schools. The teams will be divided into two leagues that will play one another in tournaments in October and December, Burkhart said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Juan Unified, a district of 57,000 students, has 3,000 refugee students from Afghanistan — half of its English learner population. Students who have immigrated from other countries sometimes transfer to San Juan Unified from other districts because it has 60 bilingual staff members, 11 translators and 12 community resource assistants, as well as 100 students who speak both their language and English who work as after-school tutors, Burkhart said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district has a robust program for English learners, including a Saturday academy. The program, held twice a year for six to eight weeks, includes language development, self-esteem training, lessons about American norms, physical fitness and sometimes art and music classes. The academy is currently held at four schools, but district officials would like to double that number, Burkhart said. The district also offers after-school programs, including programs on wellness and robotics, as well as summer school for students who are English learners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts fund refugee or newcomer programs from a number of different sources. In San Juan Unified, the program is funded with federal Title I money for lower-income students and Title III money for English learners and immigrants. The district also has grants from the California Health and Human Services Agency and uses some of its state Local Control Funding Formula dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" tag=\"english-learners\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once they come to an American school, Afghan students have to navigate American cultural norms, including, for example, unfamiliar dress in gym class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burkhart said one of the most difficult things to explain to the students and their parents is that attending school is required by law, that a school must be called when a child is going to be absent and students must stay on campus unless given permission to leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahmad Nimati, a school community refugee specialist on the team at San Juan, is one of the first people Afghan refugees see when they arrive at the San Juan Unified enrollment center. Nimati, an immigrant from Afghanistan, often translates for the families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the families arrive at the enrollment center, staff members give them welcome kits that include stationery, a backpack and other useful items, he said. They are offered tutoring, given the contact information for refugee support organizations and the link to a welcome video on YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nimati said there are a lot of things for the students to get used to when they come to the United States. In Afghanistan, students attend school in three- to four-hour shifts and there are no libraries, cafeterias or gym classes, he said. Technology is scarce and there are no science or computer labs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the San Juan refugee team don’t just focus on the new students arriving. The team has spent evenings and weekends trying to contact the families of over two dozen students who were visiting relatives in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over. They are hoping to hear soon that they have been evacuated from the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fremont Unified School District staff also have been working overtime to prepare for the new students. After school staff heard the news of the fall of the Afghan government, they immediately met to evaluate the services the district currently has for refugee students and to determine what types of services need to be added, said Christie Rocha, director of federal and state programs at the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fremont has had a large Afghan population that goes back several generations, so an influx of refugees who want to move near family is expected, although officials at Fremont Unified aren’t certain how many will enroll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district offers a support group for newcomers, which provides them with language and academic support, as well as a curriculum to help them understand the norms in the United States. Every new arrival is given a picture dictionary in their primary language to help them learn English, as well as general school information and contact information for both their teacher and principal, Rocha said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Christie Rocha, Fremont Unified School District director of federal and state programs\"]‘We will welcome them with open arms. If they have any social-emotional, housing or basic necessity needs, we will connect them to the right resources.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fremont Unified has two social workers who help connect refugee families with food, housing and mental health services, among other things. A staff member who speaks Farsi acts as the liaison between the district and families. Rocha would like to be able to hire more translators who speak either Pashto or Dari, which also is called Farsi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will welcome them with open arms,” Rocha said. “If they have any social-emotional, housing or basic necessity needs, we will connect them to the right resources.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles Unified, which has more than 600,000 students, can’t say how many Afghan refugee students have enrolled in the district so far, but it is prepared to offer any who come academic, health and social-emotional services, said Lydia Acosta Stephens, executive director of multilingual and multicultural education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Afghan refugee students are part of what the district calls international newcomers. Coaches and \u003ca href=\"https://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/487/Title%20III%20Immigrant%20Newcomer%20Counselor%200533%20Belmont%20SH%20Deadline%2005%2014%2021.pdf\">counselors\u003c/a> who work directly with students and their families are assigned to 18 schools with a high number of newcomers, Stephens said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://achieve.lausd.net/weareone\">We Are One\u003c/a> L.A. Unified program offers immigrant families information in their language about the school district, its academic programs, their rights as parents and U.S. residents, health and wellness services and phone numbers for legal help. The district also has a summer program that focuses on language development for students who have been in the United States for two years or less. There is also a range of services on district campuses, including \u003ca href=\"https://achieve.lausd.net/Page/11905\">wellness centers\u003c/a> and after-school programs, Stephens said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We try to have a safety net in every type of setting,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This article was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2021/california-schools-prepare-for-thousands-of-aghan-refugee-students/661096\">EdSource\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In California, home to the largest number of Afghan refugees in the country, school officials are preparing for an influx of students who fled Afghanistan with their families after the Taliban seized power in the country last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools are especially busy in Sacramento and Fremont, which have two of the largest Afghan communities in the state. Over 40% of the nation’s Afghan refugees have resettled in the Sacramento region in recent years, according to Jessie Tientcheu, chief executive officer of \u003ca href=\"https://www.openingdoorsinc.org/\">Opening Doors\u003c/a>, a resettlement agency based in Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elk Grove Unified School District began offering culturally appropriate meals and setting aside rooms in many of its middle and high schools for prayer during Muslim holidays in preparation for the additional Afghan students it expects in the next month. San Juan Unified is offering Saturday school for English learners, and Fremont Unified is planning to hire more translators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sacramento school officials have been meeting weekly with representatives from resettlement agencies to prepare for the students. \u003ca href=\"https://refugeeempowerment.org/resettlement/\">Resettlement agencies\u003c/a> partner with the federal government to ensure refugees have food, clothing and housing, as well as medical and mental health services, among other things, for 90 days after their arrival in a city. After that, school districts often take on the role of liaison between the family and social service organizations, offering translators and guidance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We connect with them when their 90 days are over,” said Cristina Burkhart, program specialist with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjuan.edu/Page/47205\">refugee team at San Juan Unified\u003c/a>. “We help them in any way we can. We help them make doctor appointments, or translate for them so they can build that capacity and advocate for themselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sacramento-area school officials have been told to expect about 1,200 new students from Afghanistan to enroll in area schools in the next few months, but the number was estimated before more than 100,000 Afghans were evacuated and could be higher, Tientcheu said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, California school district officials interviewed by EdSource reported only a trickle of refugee enrollments, but Tientcheu says many of the families that have already arrived are completing required vaccinations and medical appointments before enrolling their children in school. Some are living in temporary housing and are waiting to move to permanent homes before starting school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California school districts with Afghan student populations are offering wraparound services for refugee families, including dedicated staff to enroll students in school, language classes for parents and students, and translators to help explain schoolwork or make medical appointments. Districts also refer families to community resources that provide food, housing and medical care, among other services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elk Grove Unified, a district of 63,000 students in south Sacramento County, has about 2,000 student refugees from Afghanistan, said Lisa Levasseur, a program specialist in the district’s Family and Community Engagement Department. The number of students started increasing about four years ago. Now, the Afghan population is the fastest-growing ethnicity in the district, Levasseur said. She said the refugees are sometimes attracted to the Elk Grove area because it has larger apartments that allow extended families to live together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>District services for Afghan refugees have increased with their numbers. The district has opened two welcome centers, but Levasseur would like to open two more. At the center, families can enroll students in school, get referrals for social services or find tutoring help. District staff also help parents find jobs and operate support groups for family members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elk Grove staff who are interested in learning more about the cultural differences the Afghan students will face can take classes provided by the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are expanding our programs and constantly learning what is needed,” Levasseur said. “I’m meeting tomorrow with an organization that runs after-school sports and focuses on social-emotional development for refugees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levasseur would like to start a soccer program for newcomers, like the one in nearby San Juan Unified. The San Juan soccer program was originally created for refugee students to provide social-emotional support and help integrate them into the school district. It provides cleats, shin guards and balls for each player — equipment too expensive for most refugee families — and teaches them soccer skills and holds tournaments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Parents enjoyed it because the parents are on the sidelines and they are making friends,” Burkhart said. “They are communicating with other people, and they are cheering. They have to bring chairs. They are learning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district limited the number of players to 300 refugees until this school year when a grant allowed the district to expand the program to all English learners. Now the soccer program, which was scheduled to start Sept. 16, is expected to have 800 players from eight schools. The teams will be divided into two leagues that will play one another in tournaments in October and December, Burkhart said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Juan Unified, a district of 57,000 students, has 3,000 refugee students from Afghanistan — half of its English learner population. Students who have immigrated from other countries sometimes transfer to San Juan Unified from other districts because it has 60 bilingual staff members, 11 translators and 12 community resource assistants, as well as 100 students who speak both their language and English who work as after-school tutors, Burkhart said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district has a robust program for English learners, including a Saturday academy. The program, held twice a year for six to eight weeks, includes language development, self-esteem training, lessons about American norms, physical fitness and sometimes art and music classes. The academy is currently held at four schools, but district officials would like to double that number, Burkhart said. The district also offers after-school programs, including programs on wellness and robotics, as well as summer school for students who are English learners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts fund refugee or newcomer programs from a number of different sources. In San Juan Unified, the program is funded with federal Title I money for lower-income students and Title III money for English learners and immigrants. The district also has grants from the California Health and Human Services Agency and uses some of its state Local Control Funding Formula dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once they come to an American school, Afghan students have to navigate American cultural norms, including, for example, unfamiliar dress in gym class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burkhart said one of the most difficult things to explain to the students and their parents is that attending school is required by law, that a school must be called when a child is going to be absent and students must stay on campus unless given permission to leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahmad Nimati, a school community refugee specialist on the team at San Juan, is one of the first people Afghan refugees see when they arrive at the San Juan Unified enrollment center. Nimati, an immigrant from Afghanistan, often translates for the families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the families arrive at the enrollment center, staff members give them welcome kits that include stationery, a backpack and other useful items, he said. They are offered tutoring, given the contact information for refugee support organizations and the link to a welcome video on YouTube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nimati said there are a lot of things for the students to get used to when they come to the United States. In Afghanistan, students attend school in three- to four-hour shifts and there are no libraries, cafeterias or gym classes, he said. Technology is scarce and there are no science or computer labs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the San Juan refugee team don’t just focus on the new students arriving. The team has spent evenings and weekends trying to contact the families of over two dozen students who were visiting relatives in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over. They are hoping to hear soon that they have been evacuated from the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fremont Unified School District staff also have been working overtime to prepare for the new students. After school staff heard the news of the fall of the Afghan government, they immediately met to evaluate the services the district currently has for refugee students and to determine what types of services need to be added, said Christie Rocha, director of federal and state programs at the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fremont has had a large Afghan population that goes back several generations, so an influx of refugees who want to move near family is expected, although officials at Fremont Unified aren’t certain how many will enroll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district offers a support group for newcomers, which provides them with language and academic support, as well as a curriculum to help them understand the norms in the United States. Every new arrival is given a picture dictionary in their primary language to help them learn English, as well as general school information and contact information for both their teacher and principal, Rocha said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fremont Unified has two social workers who help connect refugee families with food, housing and mental health services, among other things. A staff member who speaks Farsi acts as the liaison between the district and families. Rocha would like to be able to hire more translators who speak either Pashto or Dari, which also is called Farsi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will welcome them with open arms,” Rocha said. “If they have any social-emotional, housing or basic necessity needs, we will connect them to the right resources.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles Unified, which has more than 600,000 students, can’t say how many Afghan refugee students have enrolled in the district so far, but it is prepared to offer any who come academic, health and social-emotional services, said Lydia Acosta Stephens, executive director of multilingual and multicultural education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Afghan refugee students are part of what the district calls international newcomers. Coaches and \u003ca href=\"https://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/487/Title%20III%20Immigrant%20Newcomer%20Counselor%200533%20Belmont%20SH%20Deadline%2005%2014%2021.pdf\">counselors\u003c/a> who work directly with students and their families are assigned to 18 schools with a high number of newcomers, Stephens said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://achieve.lausd.net/weareone\">We Are One\u003c/a> L.A. Unified program offers immigrant families information in their language about the school district, its academic programs, their rights as parents and U.S. residents, health and wellness services and phone numbers for legal help. The district also has a summer program that focuses on language development for students who have been in the United States for two years or less. There is also a range of services on district campuses, including \u003ca href=\"https://achieve.lausd.net/Page/11905\">wellness centers\u003c/a> and after-school programs, Stephens said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We try to have a safety net in every type of setting,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The school year at Duarte Unified School District, 20 miles east of Los Angeles, started a month ago, but Brady, Ellie and Jack Fitzgibbons have yet to receive any instruction from their teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 13-year-old triplets are on the autism spectrum, and their mother, Julie Fitzgibbons, didn’t feel safe sending them to school because she doubted her kids would keep their masks on all day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They struggle with masks. They won’t be able to be in a class with 36 kids wearing masks,” Fitzgibbons said. “Communication is important for autistic kids. They can’t talk with masks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the district has delayed making accommodations for their disabilities through independent study, the only option for remote learning this year. So far, the triplets have lost four weeks of instruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the state, other parents are being placed in a similar position after more than a year of distance learning during which \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/05/20/students-disabilities-virtual-learning-failure/\">students with disabilities fell behind disproportionately\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, the legislators who designed the recently passed \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2021/08/california-school-reopenings-quarantine-independent-study/\">independent study laws\u003c/a> say this form of remote learning might not be able to accommodate all students’ needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB10\">California’s public schools offered remote instruction through distance learning in response to the coronavirus pandemic\u003c/a>. Teachers were required to provide “daily live interaction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This school year, with vaccines available to adults and children age 12 and older, live, in-person instruction is the expectation. Parents who want to keep their children learning virtually need to apply to their district for independent study, an option predating the pandemic primarily intended for special situations like traveling athletes or child actors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The situation is even more complicated for parents of students with disabilities. Those parents work with districts to create what’s called an individualized education program, or IEP, for their children. These programs aren’t set up for distance learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hence Julie Fitzgibbons’s dilemma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the school year, Fitzgibbons asked the district to place her triplets in independent study. The district, however, said virtual instruction was incompatible with the needs of the triplets and the services they require.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some educators across the state say even if they can provide special education services through independent study, they’re wholly inadequate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889124\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889124\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/091521_brady_students_with_disabilities_calmatters-e1632162645560.jpeg\" alt=\"A student, Brady, takes a break from his schoolwork by watching educational videos on a tablet on top of a bed.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brady takes a break from doing his schoolwork and watches educational videos on a tablet in Monrovia, on Sept. 15, 2021. “There is no way with three kids at home I could have been in all the rooms,” said Julie Fitzgibbons, who expressed relief with having behavioral therapists at home. \u003ccite>(Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Fitzgibbons said she was forced to decide between her kids’ safety and academic progress. If she kept her kids at home, she would have to forfeit their special education services like speech therapy, occupational therapy and extra help in the classroom. If she sent them back to campus for in-person instruction, they would be at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district and Fitzgibbons eventually reached a compromise that would allow her kids to get at least some of the services they received last year, which included six hours a day of one-on-one help and an hour a week of speech and occupational therapy. Fitzgibbons declined to provide details about the new agreement because it still needs to be approved by the Duarte Unified school board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Special education is so individualized. There are cases where it is an easy fit with independent study,” said District Superintendent Gordon Amerson. “There will be other cases where other options need to be discussed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889123\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889123\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/091521_fitzgibbons_students_with_disabilities_calmatters-e1632162661334.jpeg\" alt=\"A mother of triplets all on the autism spectrum is talking with her son, Brady, to try and get him to go back to his desk in their home in Monrovia, California\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julie Fitzgibbons, the mother of triplets all on the autism spectrum, tries to get her son, Brady, 13, to come back to his desk in Monrovia, on Sept. 15, 2021. “This has been hard on parents,” said Fitzgibbons, who had to enroll her kids’ in independent study. \u003ccite>(Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Uneasy return to campus\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In Northern California, Connie Nakano has three children who attend school in the Elk Grove Unified School District, about 15 miles southeast of Sacramento. Her youngest and oldest children, age 7 and 10, both are on the autism spectrum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nakano opted for all of her children to be in independent study this year instead of returning them to campuses. She said she was most concerned about the spread of the delta variant, unmasked kids sitting together for lunch and quarantines disrupting her children’s learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she said her middle child, who does not have a disability, has had a much easier time in independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are some inequities here. Parents are allowed to choose between in-person and online,” Nakano said. “However, those two options don’t translate to students who have disabilities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" tag=\"remote-learning\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Elk Grove Unified denied her request for remote special education services. Nakano said she’s still negotiating with the district. In the meantime, she placed them in independent study so they don’t fall further behind. But so far, her two children on the autism spectrum already are having trouble keeping up with school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re having to make a choice between services and safety,” Nakano said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anne Rigali, director of special education at Elk Grove Unified, said special education has been challenging to merge with independent study. But she said the district is hoping to find creative solutions for all of their students who aren’t ready to return to campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re working with the families to see how we can best support their child,” she said. “We’re trying to address each family and hold these conversations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Some parents want a return to distance learning\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/most-parents-want-their-kids-back-in-the-classroom-fewer-agree-on-the-covid-19-safety-measures/\">most parents across the state had a negative experience last school year\u003c/a>, both Nakano and Fitzgibbons said distance learning worked for their kids. Last year, Nakano’s children received extra help from teachers’ aides through Zoom. Her kids also got more real-time instruction compared to this year in independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fitzgibbons said her school provided therapists who worked remotely with her triplets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re worried we’re gonna lose our service providers and our time slots,” she said. “These people have worked with our kids for 20 months now. Our kids did really well with distance learning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_206985\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 780px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-206985\" src=\"https://calmatters.network/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/091521_Triplets_PU_web_07.jpg\" alt=\"A teenage boy in a long-sleeved T-shirt in a bedroom looks above the camera, ostensibly at a screen.\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jack watches a video related to his schoolwork in Monrovia on Sept. 15, 2021. “There is no way to go back with 37 kids in a classroom,” said his mother, Julie Fitzgibbons. “With masks and not being able to communicate very well, and autism, there is just no way we can go back like normal.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fitzgibbons is currently going through her family’s insurance to pay for private instructors and therapists while her triplets wait for the district to finalize their agreement for special education services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to questions from CalMatters, California State Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty and Phil Ting issued a joint statement that said special education services can be delivered through independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“However, the student’s [individualized education program] is required to be updated first, to make sure the student is not receiving a lower standard of services,” they said. “There may be a determination in the IEP that the student cannot be served in independent study and get their needs met, and that would be a group discussion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They added that a new state guidance to be released as early as this week “will dispel many of the myths that are causing confusion about independent study for families, including the rights of special education students to independent study.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Special education incompatible with independent study\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, school district officials are struggling to reconcile the federal laws that govern special education and the state laws that govern independent study and remote learning. As a result, students with disabilities across California are either waiting to get their special education services or forfeiting them for independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The legislators put us between a rock and a hard place,” said \u003ca href=\"https://eastvalleyselpa.org/info/contact-us\">Patty Metheny, an administrator who oversees special education\u003c/a> in multiple school districts in San Bernardino County. “Because those are the only two options, the consequences are great.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, public schools must offer all students a free appropriate public education by providing any services required to accommodate a disability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as the name suggests, independent study requires a degree of independence, and some students aren’t able to work on their own. As a result, certain students with disabilities who aren’t ready to return to campuses might not be receiving a free appropriate public education in independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very difficult to address all of the goals and needs students have through independent study,” said Amanda Brooke, a deputy superintendent at the Imperial County Office of Education. “We’ve even seen general education students fall behind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Connie Nakano, Elk Grove Unified parent\"]‘There are some inequities here. Parents are allowed to choose between in-person and online. However, those two options don’t translate to students who have disabilities.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The language in the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB130\">independent study laws\u003c/a> don’t specify exactly how many hours a day students must receive real-time, or synchronous, instruction. They only state that students in transitional kindergarten through the third grade must receive daily synchronous instruction. For grades 4 through 12, students must receive weekly real-time instruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, individualized education plans for students with disabilities contain much more detail. The plans often state the number of hours of specialized instruction or therapy that a student must receive each week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Imperial County Office of Education, special education teacher Jazmin Carrillo said her students are getting between two and three hours of real-time instruction daily. But even then, she struggles to help them make progress in both their learning and their behaviors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I typically am there to help regulate their behaviors. I need to be there in person to show them,” Carrillo said. “Sometimes they just turn their cameras off and that cuts me off from them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nakano said her children are meeting with their teachers for about 30 minutes every day through Zoom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a brief check-in,” she said. “It’s not exactly instruction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During distance learning last year, her two children on the autism spectrum got more than two hours of real-time instruction every day, Nakano said. While that still doesn’t beat in-person instruction, she’s worried her children on the autism spectrum will fall behind even more if they don’t get the services they need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to make sure we get them up to speed so they don’t have to repeat a grade,” she said. “For our family, we think about it every day.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The school year at Duarte Unified School District, 20 miles east of Los Angeles, started a month ago, but Brady, Ellie and Jack Fitzgibbons have yet to receive any instruction from their teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 13-year-old triplets are on the autism spectrum, and their mother, Julie Fitzgibbons, didn’t feel safe sending them to school because she doubted her kids would keep their masks on all day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They struggle with masks. They won’t be able to be in a class with 36 kids wearing masks,” Fitzgibbons said. “Communication is important for autistic kids. They can’t talk with masks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the district has delayed making accommodations for their disabilities through independent study, the only option for remote learning this year. So far, the triplets have lost four weeks of instruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the state, other parents are being placed in a similar position after more than a year of distance learning during which \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/05/20/students-disabilities-virtual-learning-failure/\">students with disabilities fell behind disproportionately\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, the legislators who designed the recently passed \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2021/08/california-school-reopenings-quarantine-independent-study/\">independent study laws\u003c/a> say this form of remote learning might not be able to accommodate all students’ needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB10\">California’s public schools offered remote instruction through distance learning in response to the coronavirus pandemic\u003c/a>. Teachers were required to provide “daily live interaction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This school year, with vaccines available to adults and children age 12 and older, live, in-person instruction is the expectation. Parents who want to keep their children learning virtually need to apply to their district for independent study, an option predating the pandemic primarily intended for special situations like traveling athletes or child actors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The situation is even more complicated for parents of students with disabilities. Those parents work with districts to create what’s called an individualized education program, or IEP, for their children. These programs aren’t set up for distance learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hence Julie Fitzgibbons’s dilemma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the beginning of the school year, Fitzgibbons asked the district to place her triplets in independent study. The district, however, said virtual instruction was incompatible with the needs of the triplets and the services they require.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some educators across the state say even if they can provide special education services through independent study, they’re wholly inadequate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889124\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889124\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/091521_brady_students_with_disabilities_calmatters-e1632162645560.jpeg\" alt=\"A student, Brady, takes a break from his schoolwork by watching educational videos on a tablet on top of a bed.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brady takes a break from doing his schoolwork and watches educational videos on a tablet in Monrovia, on Sept. 15, 2021. “There is no way with three kids at home I could have been in all the rooms,” said Julie Fitzgibbons, who expressed relief with having behavioral therapists at home. \u003ccite>(Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Fitzgibbons said she was forced to decide between her kids’ safety and academic progress. If she kept her kids at home, she would have to forfeit their special education services like speech therapy, occupational therapy and extra help in the classroom. If she sent them back to campus for in-person instruction, they would be at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district and Fitzgibbons eventually reached a compromise that would allow her kids to get at least some of the services they received last year, which included six hours a day of one-on-one help and an hour a week of speech and occupational therapy. Fitzgibbons declined to provide details about the new agreement because it still needs to be approved by the Duarte Unified school board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Special education is so individualized. There are cases where it is an easy fit with independent study,” said District Superintendent Gordon Amerson. “There will be other cases where other options need to be discussed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11889123\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11889123\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/091521_fitzgibbons_students_with_disabilities_calmatters-e1632162661334.jpeg\" alt=\"A mother of triplets all on the autism spectrum is talking with her son, Brady, to try and get him to go back to his desk in their home in Monrovia, California\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julie Fitzgibbons, the mother of triplets all on the autism spectrum, tries to get her son, Brady, 13, to come back to his desk in Monrovia, on Sept. 15, 2021. “This has been hard on parents,” said Fitzgibbons, who had to enroll her kids’ in independent study. \u003ccite>(Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Uneasy return to campus\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In Northern California, Connie Nakano has three children who attend school in the Elk Grove Unified School District, about 15 miles southeast of Sacramento. Her youngest and oldest children, age 7 and 10, both are on the autism spectrum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nakano opted for all of her children to be in independent study this year instead of returning them to campuses. She said she was most concerned about the spread of the delta variant, unmasked kids sitting together for lunch and quarantines disrupting her children’s learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she said her middle child, who does not have a disability, has had a much easier time in independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are some inequities here. Parents are allowed to choose between in-person and online,” Nakano said. “However, those two options don’t translate to students who have disabilities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Elk Grove Unified denied her request for remote special education services. Nakano said she’s still negotiating with the district. In the meantime, she placed them in independent study so they don’t fall further behind. But so far, her two children on the autism spectrum already are having trouble keeping up with school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re having to make a choice between services and safety,” Nakano said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anne Rigali, director of special education at Elk Grove Unified, said special education has been challenging to merge with independent study. But she said the district is hoping to find creative solutions for all of their students who aren’t ready to return to campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re working with the families to see how we can best support their child,” she said. “We’re trying to address each family and hold these conversations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Some parents want a return to distance learning\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While \u003ca href=\"https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/most-parents-want-their-kids-back-in-the-classroom-fewer-agree-on-the-covid-19-safety-measures/\">most parents across the state had a negative experience last school year\u003c/a>, both Nakano and Fitzgibbons said distance learning worked for their kids. Last year, Nakano’s children received extra help from teachers’ aides through Zoom. Her kids also got more real-time instruction compared to this year in independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fitzgibbons said her school provided therapists who worked remotely with her triplets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re worried we’re gonna lose our service providers and our time slots,” she said. “These people have worked with our kids for 20 months now. Our kids did really well with distance learning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_206985\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 780px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-206985\" src=\"https://calmatters.network/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/091521_Triplets_PU_web_07.jpg\" alt=\"A teenage boy in a long-sleeved T-shirt in a bedroom looks above the camera, ostensibly at a screen.\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jack watches a video related to his schoolwork in Monrovia on Sept. 15, 2021. “There is no way to go back with 37 kids in a classroom,” said his mother, Julie Fitzgibbons. “With masks and not being able to communicate very well, and autism, there is just no way we can go back like normal.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fitzgibbons is currently going through her family’s insurance to pay for private instructors and therapists while her triplets wait for the district to finalize their agreement for special education services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to questions from CalMatters, California State Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty and Phil Ting issued a joint statement that said special education services can be delivered through independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“However, the student’s [individualized education program] is required to be updated first, to make sure the student is not receiving a lower standard of services,” they said. “There may be a determination in the IEP that the student cannot be served in independent study and get their needs met, and that would be a group discussion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They added that a new state guidance to be released as early as this week “will dispel many of the myths that are causing confusion about independent study for families, including the rights of special education students to independent study.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Special education incompatible with independent study\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, school district officials are struggling to reconcile the federal laws that govern special education and the state laws that govern independent study and remote learning. As a result, students with disabilities across California are either waiting to get their special education services or forfeiting them for independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The legislators put us between a rock and a hard place,” said \u003ca href=\"https://eastvalleyselpa.org/info/contact-us\">Patty Metheny, an administrator who oversees special education\u003c/a> in multiple school districts in San Bernardino County. “Because those are the only two options, the consequences are great.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, public schools must offer all students a free appropriate public education by providing any services required to accommodate a disability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as the name suggests, independent study requires a degree of independence, and some students aren’t able to work on their own. As a result, certain students with disabilities who aren’t ready to return to campuses might not be receiving a free appropriate public education in independent study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very difficult to address all of the goals and needs students have through independent study,” said Amanda Brooke, a deputy superintendent at the Imperial County Office of Education. “We’ve even seen general education students fall behind.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘There are some inequities here. Parents are allowed to choose between in-person and online. However, those two options don’t translate to students who have disabilities.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The language in the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB130\">independent study laws\u003c/a> don’t specify exactly how many hours a day students must receive real-time, or synchronous, instruction. They only state that students in transitional kindergarten through the third grade must receive daily synchronous instruction. For grades 4 through 12, students must receive weekly real-time instruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, individualized education plans for students with disabilities contain much more detail. The plans often state the number of hours of specialized instruction or therapy that a student must receive each week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Imperial County Office of Education, special education teacher Jazmin Carrillo said her students are getting between two and three hours of real-time instruction daily. But even then, she struggles to help them make progress in both their learning and their behaviors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I typically am there to help regulate their behaviors. I need to be there in person to show them,” Carrillo said. “Sometimes they just turn their cameras off and that cuts me off from them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nakano said her children are meeting with their teachers for about 30 minutes every day through Zoom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a brief check-in,” she said. “It’s not exactly instruction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During distance learning last year, her two children on the autism spectrum got more than two hours of real-time instruction every day, Nakano said. While that still doesn’t beat in-person instruction, she’s worried her children on the autism spectrum will fall behind even more if they don’t get the services they need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to make sure we get them up to speed so they don’t have to repeat a grade,” she said. “For our family, we think about it every day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mills-college-to-merge-with-northeastern-university-after-months-long-court-battle",
"title": "Mills College to Merge With Northeastern University, After Months-Long Court Battle",
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"content": "\u003cp>Mills College will merge with Northeastern University, after a vote by the Board of Trustees on Tuesday. The partnership between the schools is expected to take effect on or around July 2022. This comes after months in court with the school’s Alumnae Association of Mills College, which has sued to get more information about the proposed deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, the AAMC and Mills went to court over an ex parte application filed by an alumnae member of the board seeking to slow down the deal. The application would have extended a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11885304/judge-puts-another-pause-on-mills-college-merger-allows-financial-document-review\">previously granted restraining order\u003c/a> for another 60 days, preventing any vote from taking place. But an Alameda County judge denied that request, allowing the vote to go through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An alliance with Northeastern empowers Mills to continue doing what it has done since its founding in 1852: offer exceptional educational opportunities to students who want to make a difference,” said Mills President Elizabeth Hillman in a statement Tuesday. “It also means that the Mills campus will remain a vibrant center of learning with deep and meaningful connections with the broader Oakland community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Mills President Elizabeth Hillman\"]‘An alliance with Northeastern empowers Mills to continue doing what it has done since its founding in 1852: offer exceptional educational opportunities to students who want to make a difference.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Mills College announced it would no longer be granting degrees last March, ideas have swirled about what the future might hold for the historic women’s college. First, there was a potential partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, then a planned on-campus program between the two schools that would bring UC students to the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, there’s the deal with Northeastern. And on Tuesday, Hillman announced a few details about what the merger would entail. For students, Mills will continue to grant degrees up until the partnership date, at which point degrees will be from “Mills College at Northeastern University.” For faculty, Northeastern says it will “honor and abide by the terms of tenure of Mills faculty who hold a tenured position or a continuous contract and will offer tenure-track faculty and adjunct faculty opportunities for employment.” And staff will become employees of Northeastern in July 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But getting to this point has been hard on the entire Mills College community. And some say the many vacillations that have taken place since the college announced its plans to close have had a detrimental impact on students and faculty.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb data-stringify-type=\"bold\">‘It couldn’t have came at a worse time\u003c/b>‘\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Shay Franco-Clausen says she never thought she’d be able to go to college. Growing up in Oakland and San José, her early education was interrupted due to being an incarcerated foster youth, and higher education always felt out of reach financially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she found out about Mills College. It had smaller class sizes, which would be perfect for her learning style. And she was attracted to the college’s legacy of teaching progressive leaders, like East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee. Franco-Clausen is currently the vice-chairperson of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and says she has aspirations for national office, so Mills seemed to be the perfect fit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I said, ‘I want to go to Mills because I’m an elected official. I’m going to be a future Assemblywoman. I want to learn from some of the best and some of the brightest and be in spaces with women as such,'” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=news_11885304,news_11867137,news_11865408]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Franco-Clausen saved up money and worked out a schedule with her wife to care for their five kids. And when she applied for the school’s accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program in public policy, she got in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then halfway through her program, while she was sitting in class, Mills announced that it would stop granting degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It couldn’t have came at a worse time. [For] students like myself — who work, have families and [are] trying to reach our academic goals — to be hit with an interruption of our journey in our path at Mills … it’s blindsiding,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And those distractions didn’t just affect students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think anyone on the faculty or staff, aside from a few select higher-ups, knew anything about it coming down the pipeline,” said Roger Sparks, professor and chair of the economics department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was more confusion for students and faculty when it looked like another Bay Area giant might swoop in and provide some answers: UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that deal didn’t materialize.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘It never got to that point’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Less than a week before Mills announced that it would be forced to close, officials at the Berkeley journalism school sent an email to faculty and lecturers. In it, Associate Dean Jeremy Rue had some exciting news: Berkeley was “exploring the purchase of Mills College campus in Oakland,” and that potential acquisition could present opportunities for the journalism school — including “an entire relocation of the school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were plans to form a committee at the school to look into potential options and “explore its implications and desirability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11888180\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1390\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM.png 1390w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM-800x155.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM-1020x198.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM-160x31.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1390px) 100vw, 1390px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that committee was never formed. Interim Dean Geeta Anand told KQED that relocating to the school was “never seriously considered by me or any of our faculty. It just never got to that point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rumored deal to purchase Mills also fell apart, though officials at both schools have declined to comment on why.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But according to Dr. Marilyn Schuster, an alumna of Mills and a member of the Board of Trustees who’s in favor of the deal with Northeastern, timeliness seems to have been a factor in the decision-making.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Berkeley is part of the UC system. It’s a very complicated decision structure, and there were just other details that were taking a very long time and just didn’t work out,” she said. “I’m sorry it didn’t, frankly. I am a great admirer of what the university does. But when Northeastern started talking with us, the timing and the kinds of things that we could do in a partnership were quite attractive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One issue that has caused friction is the lack of communication between the Mills administration and the wider community. But, according to those familiar with higher education mergers of this type, keeping a deal like this under wraps isn’t unheard of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"More Higher Education Stories\" tag=\"higher-education\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a case where the college announced: We are going to have serious conversations with Northeastern. We have a rough framework for what a deal might look like … and they revealed that they were going to have these conversations,” said Larry Ladd, senior consultant for \u003ca href=\"https://agb.org\">The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges\u003c/a>. “So I think I consider that transparency.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, Ladd said, in some scenarios, potential partnerships aren’t even made public until a deal has already been worked out, like in 2018 when \u003ca href=\"https://www.bu.edu/wheelock/magazine-article/bu-wheelock-merger-will-create-new-school-of-education/\">Boston University merged with Wheelock College\u003c/a> to create a new school of education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And because of the tenuous nature of the deals, it’s typical for schools to be stingy with the specifics while they’re in the midst of negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now [Mills and Northeastern] are going to have negotiations, you don’t have transparency during negotiations … they have to be done quietly and deals are made with each side doing the best to maximize its own interest,” Ladd said. “So you don’t have that public.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ladd says from what he’s seen from both sides, it appears the two colleges are attempting an “identity-protecting merger.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Its students would still be able to get a Mills College degree. The college would continue to advocate for its unique mission of representing women and supporting women, representing social justice issues and supporting social justice issues,” he said. “There will be various ways to preserve the stated mission of Mills, but it will not be a separate entity anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the Mills community is trying to envision what their future with Northeastern might look like, the best insight into its future could lie across the pond. [ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Northeastern in London\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Back in 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://news.northeastern.edu/2019/02/26/northeastern-finalizes-partnership-agreement-with-new-college-of-the-humanities-in-london/\">Northeastern announced that it had finalized a partnership\u003c/a> with the New College of the Humanities in London. The small, privately owned school served about 200 students when it entered into the partnership. The new relationship added the London school’s campus to Northeastern’s network, giving students the opportunity to study across the U.S. and abroad, and allowed the school to confer degrees in the United Kingdom. It also opened up research opportunities for faculty and created new academic programs at NCH.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the announcement, Northeastern officials said that under the partnership terms, “NCH at Northeastern will maintain its own faculty and staff, and will continue to oversee student admission and enrollment to the college. Its one-to-one tutorial model of personalized instruction will not change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But according to at least one former NCH professor, the school did go through some changes — particularly for faculty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monojit Chatterji taught economics at the school. He says when Northeastern came into the picture, the work increased dramatically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Senior Consultant Larry Ladd, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges \"]‘There will be various ways to preserve the stated mission of Mills, but it will not be a separate entity anymore.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During the course of the year they were told, suddenly, to do things which they had never done before, which really added to their workloads,” he said. “Their salary wasn’t cut, that’s true, but their workloads went up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chatterji said that’s largely due to the vast increase in class sizes when Northeastern students began attending the small school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Professors saw their class assignments change as well, Chatterji said, as a result of the leadership changes. And he said the contracts offered to faculty contained so many teaching hours that doing research felt nearly impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Chatterji decided not to pursue a new contract at the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So if faculty at Mills think that they’re going to be in the same working conditions that they were in before, they should think again,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northeastern did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Ladd, changes are to be expected to some degree when mergers of this type take place, particularly for schools in the situation that Mills is currently in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, the circumstances that Mills has experienced mean change is inevitable,” he said. “Even if the college stayed independent, it does not have the resources to continue to operate the way it has.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for those who want to keep the college intact as it is, the relationship with Northeastern felt like it was rushed, without much insight into why this option was the only viable one on the table.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What’s the best path forward?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While the Mills administration has moved forward on this deal, some alumnae have questioned whether or not the school could look into other financial options, like fundraising or restructuring the debt to find an outcome that would keep the school intact as-is. They said they even formally proposed some of these ideas to members of the Board of Trustees but felt their ideas were being brushed off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Board of Trustees should be ashamed that they’ve brought this historic college to this state. This is their failure,” said Cynthia Mahood Levin, president of the board of Save Mills College Coalition, in a statement regarding the Northeastern deal. “They are selling out Mills College after years of poor financial mismanagement, and then claiming this sale as a ‘success.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Cynthia Mahood Levin, Save Mills College Coalition\"]‘They are selling out Mills College after years of poor financial mismanagement, and then claiming this sale as a ‘success.”[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From Larry Ladd’s perspective, however, this deal may have been the best thing on the table for long-term sustainability — although, he said, that doesn’t mean the process isn’t painful for current and former students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their heart has been broken. … They loved it when they went there. They’ve given money to it. They feel very loyal to it. It’s a part of their own identity. And then it’s going to change in radical ways,” he said. “It’s not going to be the college they remember.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s clear that the uncertainty of Mills’s future has already had an impact on students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the turmoil at the college convinced Shay Franco-Clausen to switch out of the accelerated program and just pursue her bachelor’s degree. She’s now on track to finish in May 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I applied because I wanted to be a Mills graduate and because of the space it provided,” she said. “It’s been just a completely disappointing experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Mills College will merge with Northeastern University, after a vote by the Board of Trustees on Tuesday. The partnership between the schools is expected to take effect on or around July 2022. This comes after months in court with the school’s Alumnae Association of Mills College, which has sued to get more information about the proposed deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, the AAMC and Mills went to court over an ex parte application filed by an alumnae member of the board seeking to slow down the deal. The application would have extended a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11885304/judge-puts-another-pause-on-mills-college-merger-allows-financial-document-review\">previously granted restraining order\u003c/a> for another 60 days, preventing any vote from taking place. But an Alameda County judge denied that request, allowing the vote to go through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An alliance with Northeastern empowers Mills to continue doing what it has done since its founding in 1852: offer exceptional educational opportunities to students who want to make a difference,” said Mills President Elizabeth Hillman in a statement Tuesday. “It also means that the Mills campus will remain a vibrant center of learning with deep and meaningful connections with the broader Oakland community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Mills College announced it would no longer be granting degrees last March, ideas have swirled about what the future might hold for the historic women’s college. First, there was a potential partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, then a planned on-campus program between the two schools that would bring UC students to the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, there’s the deal with Northeastern. And on Tuesday, Hillman announced a few details about what the merger would entail. For students, Mills will continue to grant degrees up until the partnership date, at which point degrees will be from “Mills College at Northeastern University.” For faculty, Northeastern says it will “honor and abide by the terms of tenure of Mills faculty who hold a tenured position or a continuous contract and will offer tenure-track faculty and adjunct faculty opportunities for employment.” And staff will become employees of Northeastern in July 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But getting to this point has been hard on the entire Mills College community. And some say the many vacillations that have taken place since the college announced its plans to close have had a detrimental impact on students and faculty.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb data-stringify-type=\"bold\">‘It couldn’t have came at a worse time\u003c/b>‘\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Shay Franco-Clausen says she never thought she’d be able to go to college. Growing up in Oakland and San José, her early education was interrupted due to being an incarcerated foster youth, and higher education always felt out of reach financially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then she found out about Mills College. It had smaller class sizes, which would be perfect for her learning style. And she was attracted to the college’s legacy of teaching progressive leaders, like East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee. Franco-Clausen is currently the vice-chairperson of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and says she has aspirations for national office, so Mills seemed to be the perfect fit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I said, ‘I want to go to Mills because I’m an elected official. I’m going to be a future Assemblywoman. I want to learn from some of the best and some of the brightest and be in spaces with women as such,'” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Franco-Clausen saved up money and worked out a schedule with her wife to care for their five kids. And when she applied for the school’s accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program in public policy, she got in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then halfway through her program, while she was sitting in class, Mills announced that it would stop granting degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It couldn’t have came at a worse time. [For] students like myself — who work, have families and [are] trying to reach our academic goals — to be hit with an interruption of our journey in our path at Mills … it’s blindsiding,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And those distractions didn’t just affect students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think anyone on the faculty or staff, aside from a few select higher-ups, knew anything about it coming down the pipeline,” said Roger Sparks, professor and chair of the economics department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was more confusion for students and faculty when it looked like another Bay Area giant might swoop in and provide some answers: UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that deal didn’t materialize.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘It never got to that point’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Less than a week before Mills announced that it would be forced to close, officials at the Berkeley journalism school sent an email to faculty and lecturers. In it, Associate Dean Jeremy Rue had some exciting news: Berkeley was “exploring the purchase of Mills College campus in Oakland,” and that potential acquisition could present opportunities for the journalism school — including “an entire relocation of the school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were plans to form a committee at the school to look into potential options and “explore its implications and desirability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11888180\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1390\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM.png 1390w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM-800x155.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM-1020x198.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-07-at-7.32.14-PM-160x31.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1390px) 100vw, 1390px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that committee was never formed. Interim Dean Geeta Anand told KQED that relocating to the school was “never seriously considered by me or any of our faculty. It just never got to that point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rumored deal to purchase Mills also fell apart, though officials at both schools have declined to comment on why.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But according to Dr. Marilyn Schuster, an alumna of Mills and a member of the Board of Trustees who’s in favor of the deal with Northeastern, timeliness seems to have been a factor in the decision-making.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Berkeley is part of the UC system. It’s a very complicated decision structure, and there were just other details that were taking a very long time and just didn’t work out,” she said. “I’m sorry it didn’t, frankly. I am a great admirer of what the university does. But when Northeastern started talking with us, the timing and the kinds of things that we could do in a partnership were quite attractive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One issue that has caused friction is the lack of communication between the Mills administration and the wider community. But, according to those familiar with higher education mergers of this type, keeping a deal like this under wraps isn’t unheard of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a case where the college announced: We are going to have serious conversations with Northeastern. We have a rough framework for what a deal might look like … and they revealed that they were going to have these conversations,” said Larry Ladd, senior consultant for \u003ca href=\"https://agb.org\">The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges\u003c/a>. “So I think I consider that transparency.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, Ladd said, in some scenarios, potential partnerships aren’t even made public until a deal has already been worked out, like in 2018 when \u003ca href=\"https://www.bu.edu/wheelock/magazine-article/bu-wheelock-merger-will-create-new-school-of-education/\">Boston University merged with Wheelock College\u003c/a> to create a new school of education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And because of the tenuous nature of the deals, it’s typical for schools to be stingy with the specifics while they’re in the midst of negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now [Mills and Northeastern] are going to have negotiations, you don’t have transparency during negotiations … they have to be done quietly and deals are made with each side doing the best to maximize its own interest,” Ladd said. “So you don’t have that public.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ladd says from what he’s seen from both sides, it appears the two colleges are attempting an “identity-protecting merger.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Its students would still be able to get a Mills College degree. The college would continue to advocate for its unique mission of representing women and supporting women, representing social justice issues and supporting social justice issues,” he said. “There will be various ways to preserve the stated mission of Mills, but it will not be a separate entity anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the Mills community is trying to envision what their future with Northeastern might look like, the best insight into its future could lie across the pond. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Northeastern in London\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Back in 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://news.northeastern.edu/2019/02/26/northeastern-finalizes-partnership-agreement-with-new-college-of-the-humanities-in-london/\">Northeastern announced that it had finalized a partnership\u003c/a> with the New College of the Humanities in London. The small, privately owned school served about 200 students when it entered into the partnership. The new relationship added the London school’s campus to Northeastern’s network, giving students the opportunity to study across the U.S. and abroad, and allowed the school to confer degrees in the United Kingdom. It also opened up research opportunities for faculty and created new academic programs at NCH.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the announcement, Northeastern officials said that under the partnership terms, “NCH at Northeastern will maintain its own faculty and staff, and will continue to oversee student admission and enrollment to the college. Its one-to-one tutorial model of personalized instruction will not change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But according to at least one former NCH professor, the school did go through some changes — particularly for faculty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Monojit Chatterji taught economics at the school. He says when Northeastern came into the picture, the work increased dramatically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During the course of the year they were told, suddenly, to do things which they had never done before, which really added to their workloads,” he said. “Their salary wasn’t cut, that’s true, but their workloads went up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chatterji said that’s largely due to the vast increase in class sizes when Northeastern students began attending the small school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Professors saw their class assignments change as well, Chatterji said, as a result of the leadership changes. And he said the contracts offered to faculty contained so many teaching hours that doing research felt nearly impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Chatterji decided not to pursue a new contract at the school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So if faculty at Mills think that they’re going to be in the same working conditions that they were in before, they should think again,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northeastern did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Ladd, changes are to be expected to some degree when mergers of this type take place, particularly for schools in the situation that Mills is currently in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, the circumstances that Mills has experienced mean change is inevitable,” he said. “Even if the college stayed independent, it does not have the resources to continue to operate the way it has.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for those who want to keep the college intact as it is, the relationship with Northeastern felt like it was rushed, without much insight into why this option was the only viable one on the table.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What’s the best path forward?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>While the Mills administration has moved forward on this deal, some alumnae have questioned whether or not the school could look into other financial options, like fundraising or restructuring the debt to find an outcome that would keep the school intact as-is. They said they even formally proposed some of these ideas to members of the Board of Trustees but felt their ideas were being brushed off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Board of Trustees should be ashamed that they’ve brought this historic college to this state. This is their failure,” said Cynthia Mahood Levin, president of the board of Save Mills College Coalition, in a statement regarding the Northeastern deal. “They are selling out Mills College after years of poor financial mismanagement, and then claiming this sale as a ‘success.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From Larry Ladd’s perspective, however, this deal may have been the best thing on the table for long-term sustainability — although, he said, that doesn’t mean the process isn’t painful for current and former students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their heart has been broken. … They loved it when they went there. They’ve given money to it. They feel very loyal to it. It’s a part of their own identity. And then it’s going to change in radical ways,” he said. “It’s not going to be the college they remember.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s clear that the uncertainty of Mills’s future has already had an impact on students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the turmoil at the college convinced Shay Franco-Clausen to switch out of the accelerated program and just pursue her bachelor’s degree. She’s now on track to finish in May 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I applied because I wanted to be a Mills graduate and because of the space it provided,” she said. “It’s been just a completely disappointing experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Other School Districts in No Rush to Follow Los Angeles Unified Vaccine Mandate",
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"content": "\u003cp>Fourteen-year-old Allison Cunningham rushed to get her vaccine as soon as she became eligible for her shots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when she started her first year last month at Venice High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District, she found that many of her classmates had not been so eager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People we don’t know will sometimes sit and eat lunch with us,” Cunningham said. “And it’s kinda awkward to ask, ‘Are you vaccinated?’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cunningham can interact with new classmates with more confidence now that the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted Thursday to require all eligible students ages 12 and older to be vaccinated by Dec. 19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m pretty excited about it. I’m glad we’re taking this step,” she said. “I feel more comfortable hanging out with people who are vaccinated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LAUSD is the first major school district in the nation to require vaccines for students. But the move from California’s largest school district won’t have an immediate ripple effect. While some California districts have already started considering a vaccine mandate for students, the conversation hasn’t started at others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have so many kids in our district,” Cunningham said. “I think it’s our job to make it safe to come to school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>No statewide momentum yet\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://boe.lausd.net/sites/default/files/09-09-21SpclBdMaterials.pdf\">Los Angeles Unified’s\u003c/a> mandate requires that all students 12 and older receive their first dose by Nov. 3 and their second dose by Dec. 19, with earlier deadlines for students participating in in-person extracurricular activities. Younger students must be fully vaccinated within eight weeks of their 12th birthdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LAUSD isn’t the first district to require vaccines for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The neighboring \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/19/us/culver-city-student-vaccine-mandate.html\">Culver City Unified School District\u003c/a> issued a vaccine mandate in mid-August. Less than a week later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine for those 16 and older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as schools reopened statewide, no other districts in the state required vaccines for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some districts may hesitate because they feel it’s intrusive,” said Troy Flint, spokesperson for the California School Boards Association. “Some may feel that it’s too politically charged. Others may feel they’ve been able to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through other measures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While health experts hope California’s largest district can be a guiding light for others across the state, Flint said there’s been no immediate rush to issue similar mandates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m sure there will be some other districts that take this step,” he said. “But I don’t get the feeling that this will become a huge trend in the short term.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alex Stack, a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom, said there is currently \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2021/08/california-vaccines-teachers-mandate/\">no conversation about a statewide vaccine mandate for students\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even at neighboring districts like Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Orange County and Duarte Unified School District 20 miles east of Los Angeles, school leaders have not started considering a vaccine requirement for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public health experts like Dr. Monica Gandhi from UCSF and Andrew Noymer from UC Irvine support a vaccine mandate for all eligible students but said all students and staff should continue wearing masks indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While children are less likely to have severe cases of COVID-19, those same experts say vaccinating children will help protect their families and the other adults in their lives. Vaccinations would reduce \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-23/frustrated-with-lausds-covid-19-reporting-system-a-parent-group-creates-their-own\">the number of quarantines\u003c/a> for students and tilt the school year towards normalcy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We already ask children to get vaccinated for preventable illnesses like measles, mumps and rubella,” said Gandhi, a professor of medicine. “These kinds of mandates that keep society immune have been around a long time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA has not fully approved the vaccine for children between the age of 12 and 15, but Gandhi said millions of students in those age groups have already been safely vaccinated under emergency use authorization.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Allison Cunningham, Los Angeles Unified School District student\"]‘I feel more comfortable hanging out with people who are vaccinated.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Noymer, a public health professor, said the FDA prioritized approving the COVID-19 vaccine for adults not because the shots are dangerous for kids, but because adults are most at risk of getting sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea was never that we need to protect these children from vaccines because vaccines are experimental and dangerous,” he said. “We vaccinate kids all the time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Oakland Unified starts the conversation\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the Los Angeles Unified School District school board passed its vaccine mandate for students, the Oakland Unified School District’s board introduced a resolution that tasks the superintendent with coming up with a plan for getting all students vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no date set yet for a vaccine requirement, but it’s definitely gonna be soon,” said Gary Yee, an OUSD school board member.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that students could be exempt from the requirement for medical or religious reasons, but might have to provide a note from a doctor to be medically excused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Megan Bacigalupi, an Oakland Unified School District parent and the executive director of Open Schools California, said districts should first require all employees to be vaccinated first, as Los Angeles Unified has done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The primary burden in schools and society should be on adults getting vaccinated because of their risk of getting sick,” she said. “We’re asking children to shoulder the burden.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OUSD and most other districts in the state are following the guidelines from the California Department of Public Health, which require teachers and staff to be fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yee said a vaccine requirement for all adults and students would be ideal, but he said it would require bargaining with the teacher and staff unions.[aside tag=\"education\" label=\"More school coverage\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would personally love that,” Yee said. “Requiring vaccinations for adults might be the next step, but I wanted to move forward with something that’s cleaner and clearer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many public health experts agree with Bacigalupi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In this case, I don’t see the logic in having one set of standards for one school sub-population alongside a different standard for another sub-population,” Noymer said. “Especially given that the students have the stricter standard, while the adults are the ones who are more at risk of symptomatic disease.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Responding to local needs\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Unified School District, another large urban district, will likely not need a vaccine mandate for students, said Board of Education President Gabriela López. According to the city’s COVID-19 vaccination data, 90% of all residents between 12 and 17 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason why we’ve been safer in combating the pandemic is because of vaccinations,” López said. “It’s helped our staff get back to school. It’s the one thing that shifted our entire approach to COVID.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At San Diego Unified School District, the state’s second-largest district with close to 100,000 students, Board President Richard Barrera said the district is “not quite ready to discuss vaccine mandates for students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Zachary Patterson, a student board member and a senior in the district, said he believes the science is clear behind vaccines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would support any resolution brought forth,” he said. “As we see LAUSD moving in this direction, it definitely paves the way for smaller school districts to consider things like that.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Fourteen-year-old Allison Cunningham rushed to get her vaccine as soon as she became eligible for her shots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when she started her first year last month at Venice High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District, she found that many of her classmates had not been so eager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People we don’t know will sometimes sit and eat lunch with us,” Cunningham said. “And it’s kinda awkward to ask, ‘Are you vaccinated?’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cunningham can interact with new classmates with more confidence now that the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted Thursday to require all eligible students ages 12 and older to be vaccinated by Dec. 19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m pretty excited about it. I’m glad we’re taking this step,” she said. “I feel more comfortable hanging out with people who are vaccinated.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LAUSD is the first major school district in the nation to require vaccines for students. But the move from California’s largest school district won’t have an immediate ripple effect. While some California districts have already started considering a vaccine mandate for students, the conversation hasn’t started at others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have so many kids in our district,” Cunningham said. “I think it’s our job to make it safe to come to school.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>No statewide momentum yet\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://boe.lausd.net/sites/default/files/09-09-21SpclBdMaterials.pdf\">Los Angeles Unified’s\u003c/a> mandate requires that all students 12 and older receive their first dose by Nov. 3 and their second dose by Dec. 19, with earlier deadlines for students participating in in-person extracurricular activities. Younger students must be fully vaccinated within eight weeks of their 12th birthdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LAUSD isn’t the first district to require vaccines for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The neighboring \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/19/us/culver-city-student-vaccine-mandate.html\">Culver City Unified School District\u003c/a> issued a vaccine mandate in mid-August. Less than a week later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine for those 16 and older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as schools reopened statewide, no other districts in the state required vaccines for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some districts may hesitate because they feel it’s intrusive,” said Troy Flint, spokesperson for the California School Boards Association. “Some may feel that it’s too politically charged. Others may feel they’ve been able to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through other measures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While health experts hope California’s largest district can be a guiding light for others across the state, Flint said there’s been no immediate rush to issue similar mandates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m sure there will be some other districts that take this step,” he said. “But I don’t get the feeling that this will become a huge trend in the short term.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alex Stack, a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom, said there is currently \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/education/2021/08/california-vaccines-teachers-mandate/\">no conversation about a statewide vaccine mandate for students\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even at neighboring districts like Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Orange County and Duarte Unified School District 20 miles east of Los Angeles, school leaders have not started considering a vaccine requirement for students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public health experts like Dr. Monica Gandhi from UCSF and Andrew Noymer from UC Irvine support a vaccine mandate for all eligible students but said all students and staff should continue wearing masks indoors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While children are less likely to have severe cases of COVID-19, those same experts say vaccinating children will help protect their families and the other adults in their lives. Vaccinations would reduce \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-23/frustrated-with-lausds-covid-19-reporting-system-a-parent-group-creates-their-own\">the number of quarantines\u003c/a> for students and tilt the school year towards normalcy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We already ask children to get vaccinated for preventable illnesses like measles, mumps and rubella,” said Gandhi, a professor of medicine. “These kinds of mandates that keep society immune have been around a long time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA has not fully approved the vaccine for children between the age of 12 and 15, but Gandhi said millions of students in those age groups have already been safely vaccinated under emergency use authorization.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Noymer, a public health professor, said the FDA prioritized approving the COVID-19 vaccine for adults not because the shots are dangerous for kids, but because adults are most at risk of getting sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea was never that we need to protect these children from vaccines because vaccines are experimental and dangerous,” he said. “We vaccinate kids all the time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Oakland Unified starts the conversation\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the Los Angeles Unified School District school board passed its vaccine mandate for students, the Oakland Unified School District’s board introduced a resolution that tasks the superintendent with coming up with a plan for getting all students vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no date set yet for a vaccine requirement, but it’s definitely gonna be soon,” said Gary Yee, an OUSD school board member.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that students could be exempt from the requirement for medical or religious reasons, but might have to provide a note from a doctor to be medically excused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Megan Bacigalupi, an Oakland Unified School District parent and the executive director of Open Schools California, said districts should first require all employees to be vaccinated first, as Los Angeles Unified has done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The primary burden in schools and society should be on adults getting vaccinated because of their risk of getting sick,” she said. “We’re asking children to shoulder the burden.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OUSD and most other districts in the state are following the guidelines from the California Department of Public Health, which require teachers and staff to be fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yee said a vaccine requirement for all adults and students would be ideal, but he said it would require bargaining with the teacher and staff unions.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would personally love that,” Yee said. “Requiring vaccinations for adults might be the next step, but I wanted to move forward with something that’s cleaner and clearer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many public health experts agree with Bacigalupi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In this case, I don’t see the logic in having one set of standards for one school sub-population alongside a different standard for another sub-population,” Noymer said. “Especially given that the students have the stricter standard, while the adults are the ones who are more at risk of symptomatic disease.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Responding to local needs\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Unified School District, another large urban district, will likely not need a vaccine mandate for students, said Board of Education President Gabriela López. According to the city’s COVID-19 vaccination data, 90% of all residents between 12 and 17 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason why we’ve been safer in combating the pandemic is because of vaccinations,” López said. “It’s helped our staff get back to school. It’s the one thing that shifted our entire approach to COVID.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At San Diego Unified School District, the state’s second-largest district with close to 100,000 students, Board President Richard Barrera said the district is “not quite ready to discuss vaccine mandates for students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Zachary Patterson, a student board member and a senior in the district, said he believes the science is clear behind vaccines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would support any resolution brought forth,” he said. “As we see LAUSD moving in this direction, it definitely paves the way for smaller school districts to consider things like that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Rate of COVID-19 Cases in San Francisco Schools Remains Low 3 Weeks After Students Return to Class",
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"content": "\u003cp>The rate of new COVID-19 infections in San Francisco schools has remained very low since students and educators came back into classrooms on Aug. 16, the San Francisco Department of Public Health \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/files/09.9.21_SFDPH_COVID_cases_Children_and_Schools.pdf\">announced \u003c/a>Thursday, noting that about 90% of children ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the department reports that there have been 227 COVID-19 cases — out of 52,000 students and nearly 10,000 staff — the “vast majority” of those infections were transmitted outside of schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department also said district schools have had no reported outbreaks, which it defines as “three or more cases in non-related households in which the source of infection occurred at the school, and not another setting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, SFDPH said, the numbers of pediatric COVID-19 cases in the city have remained low throughout the pandemic, even during the most recent delta variant surge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“COVID-19 cases in children under 18 has remained less than 20% of overall cases throughout this pandemic,” SFDPH said. “The vast majority of COVID-19 cases have been in adults.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Serious forms of pediatric COVID-19 are even more rare, with fewer than five children hospitalized for the virus at any given time in San Francisco. There are currently no children who are hospitalized for COVID-19 in the city, the health department said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"sfusd\"]The data in San Francisco come as the spread of COVID-19 among children rises in the country, especially in the last month \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/23/1029737143/breakthrough-covid-infections-add-even-more-chaos-to-schools-start-n-2021https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/23/1029737143/breakthrough-covid-infections-add-even-more-chaos-to-schools-start-n-2021\">as students head back to school for in-person learning\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationally, a greater number of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/05/03/993141036/children-now-account-for-22-of-new-u-s-covid-cases-why-is-that\">new COVID-19\u003c/a> cases overall are among children. From Aug. 19 to Sept. 2, there was a \u003ca href=\"https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/AAP%20and%20CHA%20-%20Children%20and%20COVID-19%20State%20Data%20Report%209.2%20FINAL.pdf\">10% increase\u003c/a> in the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases among children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFDPH also emphasized that vaccinations “are our best defense to protect children,” noting that most pediatric cases of COVID-19 in the city came from unvaccinated adults in households getting the virus and spreading it to unvaccinated children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=San+Francisco+Schools+Have+Had+No+COVID-19+Outbreaks+Since+Classes+Began+Last+Month&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The rate of new COVID-19 infections in San Francisco schools has remained very low since students and educators came back into classrooms on Aug. 16, the San Francisco Department of Public Health \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/files/09.9.21_SFDPH_COVID_cases_Children_and_Schools.pdf\">announced \u003c/a>Thursday, noting that about 90% of children ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the department reports that there have been 227 COVID-19 cases — out of 52,000 students and nearly 10,000 staff — the “vast majority” of those infections were transmitted outside of schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department also said district schools have had no reported outbreaks, which it defines as “three or more cases in non-related households in which the source of infection occurred at the school, and not another setting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, SFDPH said, the numbers of pediatric COVID-19 cases in the city have remained low throughout the pandemic, even during the most recent delta variant surge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“COVID-19 cases in children under 18 has remained less than 20% of overall cases throughout this pandemic,” SFDPH said. “The vast majority of COVID-19 cases have been in adults.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Serious forms of pediatric COVID-19 are even more rare, with fewer than five children hospitalized for the virus at any given time in San Francisco. There are currently no children who are hospitalized for COVID-19 in the city, the health department said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The data in San Francisco come as the spread of COVID-19 among children rises in the country, especially in the last month \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/23/1029737143/breakthrough-covid-infections-add-even-more-chaos-to-schools-start-n-2021https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/23/1029737143/breakthrough-covid-infections-add-even-more-chaos-to-schools-start-n-2021\">as students head back to school for in-person learning\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationally, a greater number of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/05/03/993141036/children-now-account-for-22-of-new-u-s-covid-cases-why-is-that\">new COVID-19\u003c/a> cases overall are among children. From Aug. 19 to Sept. 2, there was a \u003ca href=\"https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/AAP%20and%20CHA%20-%20Children%20and%20COVID-19%20State%20Data%20Report%209.2%20FINAL.pdf\">10% increase\u003c/a> in the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases among children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFDPH also emphasized that vaccinations “are our best defense to protect children,” noting that most pediatric cases of COVID-19 in the city came from unvaccinated adults in households getting the virus and spreading it to unvaccinated children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=San+Francisco+Schools+Have+Had+No+COVID-19+Outbreaks+Since+Classes+Began+Last+Month&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "billions-in-public-money-aimed-at-curing-homelessness-and-caring-for-whole-body-politic",
"title": "'Whole Person Care': A Major Shift in Medi-Cal's Scope Targets Those Most in Need",
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"headTitle": "‘Whole Person Care’: A Major Shift in Medi-Cal’s Scope Targets Those Most in Need | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Living unmedicated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Eugenia Hunter has a hard time recalling how long she’s been staying in the tent she calls home at the bustling intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood. Craft coffee shops and weed dispensaries are plentiful here, and one-bedroom apartments push $3,000 per month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At least the rats aren’t all over me in here,” the 59-year-old Oakland native said on a bright August afternoon, stretching her arm to grab the zipper to her front door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was hot inside and the stench of wildfire smoke hung in the air. Still, after sleeping on a nearby bench for the better part of a year, she felt safer here, Hunter explained as she rolled a joint she’d use to ease the pain from also living with what she said is untreated pancreatic cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887857\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1350px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887857 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03.jpg\" alt=\"Woman with no hair sits in door of a tent on a bedframe, looking tired.\" width=\"1350\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03.jpg 1350w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eugenia Hunter lives in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood surrounded by upscale apartments and hip eateries. She can’t find a place she can afford on the $930 per month she receives in federal disability payments. \u003ccite>(Angela Hart/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hunter has been hospitalized repeatedly, including once last summer after she overdosed on alcohol and lay unconscious on a sidewalk until someone stopped to help. But she is reluctant to see a doctor or use Medi-Cal, California’s health insurance program for low-income and disabled people, largely because it would force her to leave her tent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My stuff keeps on getting taken when I’m not around and, besides, I’m waiting until I got a place to live to start taking my medication again,” Hunter said, tearing up. “I can’t get anything right out here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hunter’s long and complex list of ailments, combined with her mistrust of the health care system, make her an incredibly difficult and expensive patient to treat. But she is exactly the kind of person California intends to prioritize under an ambitious experiment to move Medi-Cal beyond traditional doctor visits and hospital stays into the realm of social services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887890\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1350px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887890 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06.jpg\" alt=\"A row of tents alongside a cement sidewalk in an urban park surrounded by buildings.\" width=\"1350\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06.jpg 1350w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Staying in a tent in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood has been a safer experience for Eugenia Hunter than sleeping on a nearby bench, which was her living situation for most of the year. However, she is reluctant to see a doctor or use Medi-Cal, largely because it would force her to leave her tent. When she has left her tent in the past, her belongings have been stolen. \u003ccite>(Angela Hart/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Under the program, vulnerable patients like Hunter will be assigned a personal care manager to coordinate their health care treatments and daily needs, like paying bills and buying groceries. And they will receive \u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/09/CalAIM-Nontraditional-Services-2022.pdf\">services that aren’t typically covered by health insurance plans\u003c/a>, such as getting security deposits paid, receiving deliveries of fruits and vegetables, and having toxic mold removed from homes to reduce asthma flare-ups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next five years, California is plowing nearly $6 billion in state and federal money into the plan, which will target just a sliver of the 14 million low-income Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal: unhoused individuals or those at risk of losing their homes; heavy users of hospital emergency rooms; children and seniors with complicated physical and mental health conditions; and people in — or at risk of landing in — expensive institutions like jails, nursing homes or mental health crisis centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='large' align='right']Under the program, vulnerable patients like Hunter will be assigned a personal care manager to coordinate their health care treatments and daily needs, like paying bills and buying groceries.[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom is trumpeting the first-in-the-nation initiative as the centerpiece of his ambitious health care agenda — and vows it will help fix the mental health and addiction crisis on the streets and get people into housing, all while saving taxpayer money. His top health care advisers have even \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/MCQMD/CalAIM-Role-in-Addressing-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-%26-Letter-4-9-21.pdf\">cast it as an antidote to California’s worsening homelessness crisis\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the first-term Democrat, who faces a Sept. 14 recall election, is making a risky bet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California does not have the evidence to prove this approach will work statewide, nor the workforce or infrastructure to make it happen on such a large scale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11883165\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/041021_FacebookVaccine_AW_09-1020x680.jpeg\"]Critics also fear the program will do nothing to improve care for the millions of other Medi-Cal enrollees who won’t get help from this initiative. Medi-Cal has been slammed for failing to provide basic services, \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2018-111.pdf\">including vaccinations for kids\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2018-122.pdf\">timely appointments for rural residents\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/09/Newsom_begins_mental_health_care_crackdown_with_county_sanctions.pdf\">adequate mental health treatment\u003c/a> for Californians in crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the managed-care insurance companies responsible for most enrollees’ health will nonetheless be given massive new power as they implement this experiment. The insurers will decide which services to offer and which high-needs patients to target, likely creating disparities across regions and further contributing to an unequal system of care in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This will leave a lot of people behind,” said Linda Nguy, a policy advocate at the Western Center on Law & Poverty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We haven’t seen health plans excel in even providing basic preventative services to healthy people,” she said. “I mean, do your basic job first. How can they be expected to successfully take on these additional responsibilities for people with very high health needs?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This revolution in Medi-Cal’s scope and mission is taking place alongside a parallel initiative to hold insurance companies more accountable for providing quality health care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='large' align='right']If California’s experiment succeeds, other states will likely follow … but if the richest state in the country can’t pull off better health outcomes and cost savings, the movement to put health insurers into the business of social work will falter.[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State health officials are forcing Medi-Cal managed-care plans to reapply and meet stricter standards if they want to continue doing business in the program. Together, these initiatives will fundamentally reinvent the biggest Medicaid program in the country, which serves about one-third of the state population at a cost of $124 billion this fiscal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Documents/CalAIM-Proposal-03-23-2021.pdf\">experiment succeeds\u003c/a>, other states will likely follow, national Medicaid experts say. But if the richest state in the country can’t pull off better health outcomes and cost savings, the movement to put health insurers into the business of social work will falter.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What it takes to provide ‘whole person care’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When Newsom signed the “California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal” initiative into law in late July — “CalAIM” for short — he celebrated it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to completely transform the Medicaid system in California.” He declined an interview request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11877000\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/06/RS49414_028_SanRafael_ProjectHomekey_05172021-qut-1020x680.jpg\"]Beginning next year, public and private managed health care plans will pick high-needs Medi-Cal enrollees to receive nontraditional services from among \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/MCQMD/MCP-ECM-and-ILOS-Contract-Template-Provisions.pdf\">14 broad categories, including housing and food benefits, addiction care and home repairs\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The approach is known as “whole person care,” and insurers will be required to assign patients a personal care manager to help them navigate the system. Insurers will receive incentive payments to offer new services and boost provider networks and, over time, the program will expand to more people and services. For instance, members of Native American tribes will eventually be eligible to receive treatment for substance use disorder, and incarcerated people will be enrolled in Medi-Cal automatically upon release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The insurers — currently 25 are participating — will focus most intensely on developing housing programs to combat the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/MCQMD/CalAIM-Role-in-Addressing-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-%26-Letter-4-9-21.pdf\">worsening homelessness epidemic\u003c/a>. The state was home to at least 162,000 unhoused people in 2020, a 6.8% increase since Newsom took office in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Jacey Cooper, director of Medicaid for California\"]‘If you generally focus on [the most vulnerable], you will be able to yield better health outcomes for those individuals and, ultimately, cost savings.’[/pullquote]Jacey Cooper, the state’s Medicaid director, said \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/MCQMD/CalAIM-Role-in-Addressing-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-%26-Letter-4-9-21.pdf\">all Medi-Cal members will eventually be eligible for housing services\u003c/a>. Initially, though, they will be available only to the costliest patients. State Medi-Cal expenditure data shows that 1% of Medi-Cal enrollees, many of the unhoused patients who frequently land in hospitals, account for a staggering 21% of overall spending. And 5% account for 44% of the budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You really need to focus on your top 1% to 5% of utilizers — that’s your most vulnerable,” Cooper said. “If you generally focus on that group, you will be able to yield better health outcomes for those individuals and, ultimately, cost savings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials do not have a savings estimate for the program, nor a projection of how many people will be enrolled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan, Cooper said, builds on more than \u003ca href=\"https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/PDF/2020/wholepersoncare-report-jan2020.pdf\">25 successful regional experiments underway since 2016\u003c/a>. From Los Angeles to rural Shasta, big and small counties have provided vulnerable Medi-Cal patients with different services based on their communities’ needs, from job placement services to providing a safe place for an unhoused person to get sober.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooper highlighted \u003ca href=\"https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/PDF/2020/wholepersoncare-report-jan2020.pdf\">interim data from the experiments\u003c/a> that showed patients hospitalized due to mental illness were more likely to receive follow-up care, obtain treatment for substance abuse, avoid hospitalizations and emergency department visits, and see improvements in chronic diseases like diabetes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She argued that data — even though it is not comprehensive — is enough to prove the initiative will work on a statewide scale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11870625\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/RS43040_011_KQED_SanFrancisco_TentEncampments_05052020-qut-1020x680.jpg\"]However, studies of similar programs elsewhere have yielded mixed results. New York provided housing services to high-cost Medicaid enrollees with chronic diseases and mental health and substance use disorders and found major reductions in hospital admissions and emergency department visits between 2012 and 2017, and saw a \u003ca href=\"https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/supportive_housing/evaluation.htm\">15% reduction in Medicaid spending.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Camden, New Jersey, \u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/news/despite-new-doubts-hotspotting-help-for-heavy-health-care-users-marches-on/\">an early test of the “whole person care” approach\u003c/a> provided expensive Medicaid patients with intensive care coordination, but not nontraditional services. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1906848\">study concluded in 2020 that it hadn’t lowered hospital readmissions\u003c/a> — and thus didn’t save health care dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found we just couldn’t help people with housing as quickly as they needed help,” said Kathleen Noonan, CEO of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers. “Many of these clients have bad credit, they may have a record, and they’re still using. Those are huge challenges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California may find success where the coalition hadn’t because it will offer social services, she said, which the coalition has also started doing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it will take time. California will have five years to prove to the federal government it can save money and improve health care quality. Insurers will be required to track health outcomes and savings, and can boost services over time or drop programs that don’t work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the regional experiments have failed to serve low-income Black and Latino residents, according to the interim assessments conducted by Nadereh Pourat, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. She concluded that they have \u003ca href=\"https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/PDF/2020/wholepersoncare-report-jan2020.pdf\">primarily benefited white, English-speaking, middle-aged men\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11877585\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/06/RS49286_002_LakeCounty_ProjectHomekey_05142021-qut-1020x680.jpg\"]Cooper said \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Documents/CalAIM-Proposal-03-23-2021.pdf\">the statewide initiative will tackle “systemic racism,” \u003c/a>initially as it targets \u003ca href=\"https://endhomelessness.org/resource/racial-inequalities-homelessness-numbers/\">unhoused individuals, who are disproportionately Black\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consider Eugenia Hunter, who is African American, and whose many untreated mental and physical illnesses, intertwined with her addictions, mean it will take a herculean effort — and cost — to get her off the street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hunter has gone without a stable housing situation for at least three years. Or maybe it’s five; her mental illness clouds her memory, and she erupts in anger when pressed for details. She eases her frustration sometimes with sleep, sometimes by smoking crystal meth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A stack of unopened health insurance letters sat beside Hunter one evening in late August. Her eyes were glassy when she struggled to remember when she received a cancer diagnosis — if she ever did at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Bringing stakeholders on board\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Health insurers will not be required to offer social services to patients like Hunter because federal law requires nontraditional Medicaid services to be optional. But California is enticing insurers with bigger payouts and higher state rankings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are asking the plans and providers to stretch. We’re asking them to reform,” Cooper said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Jacey Cooper, director of Medicaid for California\"]‘We are asking the plans and providers to stretch. We’re asking them to reform.’[/pullquote]The state is urging insurers to start with the roughly 130,500 Medi-Cal patients already enrolled in the local experiments. To prepare, they are cobbling together networks of nonprofits and social service organizations to provide food, housing and other services — much as they do with doctors and hospitals contracted to deliver medical care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/09/CalAIM-Nontraditional-Services-2022.pdf\">Services will also vary by insurer and region.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Inland Empire Health Plan, for example, will offer some patients home repairs that reduce asthma triggers, such as mold removal and installing air filters. But Partnership HealthPlan of California will not offer those benefits in its wildfire-prone Northern California region because it doesn’t have an adequate network of organizations equipped to provide those services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In interviews with nearly all of California’s Medi-Cal managed-care plans, executives said they support the dual goals of helping patients get healthier while saving money, but “it is a lot to take on,” said Richard Sanchez, CEO of CalOptima, which serves Orange County and will start modestly, primarily with housing services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='large' align='right']Nearly all the health plans will offer housing services right away, focusing on three categories of aid: helping enrollees secure housing and rent subsidies; providing temporary rent and security deposit payments; and helping tenants stay housed.[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The last thing I want to do is make promises that we can do all these things and not come through,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly all the health plans will offer housing services right away, focusing on three categories of aid: helping enrollees secure housing and rent subsidies; providing temporary rent and security deposit payments; and helping tenants stay housed, like intervening with a landlord if a patient misses rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Dr. Robert Moore, chief medical officer of Partnership HealthPlan\"]‘It’s a great deal of money for a small number of members … we are building something extraordinarily ambitious quickly, without the infrastructure in place to make it successful.’[/pullquote]Partnership HealthPlan, which serves 616,000 Medi-Cal patients in 14 Northern California counties, will prioritize its most at-risk enrollees with housing services, food deliveries and a “homemaker” benefit to help them cook dinner, do laundry and pay bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a great deal of money for a small number of members and, frankly, there’s no guarantee it’s going to work,” said Dr. Robert Moore, the plan’s chief medical officer. “We are building something extraordinarily ambitious quickly, without the infrastructure in place to make it successful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if offering new services costs more money than it saves, it’s a worthwhile investment, said John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest Medi-Cal plan, which serves more than 2 million patients in Los Angeles County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When somebody has congestive heart failure, their diet should be structured around alleviating that chronic condition,” he said, explaining his plan to offer patients healthful food. “What are we going to do — let them eat ramen noodles for the rest of their lives?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Alameda County, two plans are available to serve Hunter. The Alameda Alliance for Health, a public insurer established by the county, and Anthem Blue Cross, a private insurance company, will expand housing services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label ='Related Coverage' tag='healthcare, health care']“People like Eugenia Hunter are exactly who we want to serve, and we’re prepared to go out and help her,” said Scott Coffin, CEO of the Alameda Alliance for Health, who is also on a local street medicine team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’d have to find her first — chaos and homeless encampment sweeps force her to move her tent frequently. And then they’d have to win her trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one moment, Hunter angrily described how health plans have tried to enroll her in services, but she declined, mistrustful of their motives. In the next moment, fighting back voices in her head, she said she desperately wants care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Someone is going to help me?” she asked. “All I want to do is pay my rent and succeed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Kaiser Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at Kaiser Family Foundation, an endowed nonprofit providing information on health issues.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"headline": "'Whole Person Care': A Major Shift in Medi-Cal's Scope Targets Those Most in Need",
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"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/news/author/angela-hart/\">Angela Hart\u003c/a>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Living unmedicated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Eugenia Hunter has a hard time recalling how long she’s been staying in the tent she calls home at the bustling intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood. Craft coffee shops and weed dispensaries are plentiful here, and one-bedroom apartments push $3,000 per month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At least the rats aren’t all over me in here,” the 59-year-old Oakland native said on a bright August afternoon, stretching her arm to grab the zipper to her front door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was hot inside and the stench of wildfire smoke hung in the air. Still, after sleeping on a nearby bench for the better part of a year, she felt safer here, Hunter explained as she rolled a joint she’d use to ease the pain from also living with what she said is untreated pancreatic cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887857\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1350px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887857 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03.jpg\" alt=\"Woman with no hair sits in door of a tent on a bedframe, looking tired.\" width=\"1350\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03.jpg 1350w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter03-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eugenia Hunter lives in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood surrounded by upscale apartments and hip eateries. She can’t find a place she can afford on the $930 per month she receives in federal disability payments. \u003ccite>(Angela Hart/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hunter has been hospitalized repeatedly, including once last summer after she overdosed on alcohol and lay unconscious on a sidewalk until someone stopped to help. But she is reluctant to see a doctor or use Medi-Cal, California’s health insurance program for low-income and disabled people, largely because it would force her to leave her tent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My stuff keeps on getting taken when I’m not around and, besides, I’m waiting until I got a place to live to start taking my medication again,” Hunter said, tearing up. “I can’t get anything right out here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hunter’s long and complex list of ailments, combined with her mistrust of the health care system, make her an incredibly difficult and expensive patient to treat. But she is exactly the kind of person California intends to prioritize under an ambitious experiment to move Medi-Cal beyond traditional doctor visits and hospital stays into the realm of social services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887890\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1350px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887890 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06.jpg\" alt=\"A row of tents alongside a cement sidewalk in an urban park surrounded by buildings.\" width=\"1350\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06.jpg 1350w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/Hunter06-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Staying in a tent in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood has been a safer experience for Eugenia Hunter than sleeping on a nearby bench, which was her living situation for most of the year. However, she is reluctant to see a doctor or use Medi-Cal, largely because it would force her to leave her tent. When she has left her tent in the past, her belongings have been stolen. \u003ccite>(Angela Hart/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Under the program, vulnerable patients like Hunter will be assigned a personal care manager to coordinate their health care treatments and daily needs, like paying bills and buying groceries. And they will receive \u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/09/CalAIM-Nontraditional-Services-2022.pdf\">services that aren’t typically covered by health insurance plans\u003c/a>, such as getting security deposits paid, receiving deliveries of fruits and vegetables, and having toxic mold removed from homes to reduce asthma flare-ups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next five years, California is plowing nearly $6 billion in state and federal money into the plan, which will target just a sliver of the 14 million low-income Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal: unhoused individuals or those at risk of losing their homes; heavy users of hospital emergency rooms; children and seniors with complicated physical and mental health conditions; and people in — or at risk of landing in — expensive institutions like jails, nursing homes or mental health crisis centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom is trumpeting the first-in-the-nation initiative as the centerpiece of his ambitious health care agenda — and vows it will help fix the mental health and addiction crisis on the streets and get people into housing, all while saving taxpayer money. His top health care advisers have even \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/MCQMD/CalAIM-Role-in-Addressing-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-%26-Letter-4-9-21.pdf\">cast it as an antidote to California’s worsening homelessness crisis\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the first-term Democrat, who faces a Sept. 14 recall election, is making a risky bet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California does not have the evidence to prove this approach will work statewide, nor the workforce or infrastructure to make it happen on such a large scale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Critics also fear the program will do nothing to improve care for the millions of other Medi-Cal enrollees who won’t get help from this initiative. Medi-Cal has been slammed for failing to provide basic services, \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2018-111.pdf\">including vaccinations for kids\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2018-122.pdf\">timely appointments for rural residents\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/09/Newsom_begins_mental_health_care_crackdown_with_county_sanctions.pdf\">adequate mental health treatment\u003c/a> for Californians in crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the managed-care insurance companies responsible for most enrollees’ health will nonetheless be given massive new power as they implement this experiment. The insurers will decide which services to offer and which high-needs patients to target, likely creating disparities across regions and further contributing to an unequal system of care in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This will leave a lot of people behind,” said Linda Nguy, a policy advocate at the Western Center on Law & Poverty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We haven’t seen health plans excel in even providing basic preventative services to healthy people,” she said. “I mean, do your basic job first. How can they be expected to successfully take on these additional responsibilities for people with very high health needs?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This revolution in Medi-Cal’s scope and mission is taking place alongside a parallel initiative to hold insurance companies more accountable for providing quality health care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "If California’s experiment succeeds, other states will likely follow … but if the richest state in the country can’t pull off better health outcomes and cost savings, the movement to put health insurers into the business of social work will falter.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State health officials are forcing Medi-Cal managed-care plans to reapply and meet stricter standards if they want to continue doing business in the program. Together, these initiatives will fundamentally reinvent the biggest Medicaid program in the country, which serves about one-third of the state population at a cost of $124 billion this fiscal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Documents/CalAIM-Proposal-03-23-2021.pdf\">experiment succeeds\u003c/a>, other states will likely follow, national Medicaid experts say. But if the richest state in the country can’t pull off better health outcomes and cost savings, the movement to put health insurers into the business of social work will falter.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What it takes to provide ‘whole person care’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When Newsom signed the “California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal” initiative into law in late July — “CalAIM” for short — he celebrated it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to completely transform the Medicaid system in California.” He declined an interview request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Beginning next year, public and private managed health care plans will pick high-needs Medi-Cal enrollees to receive nontraditional services from among \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/MCQMD/MCP-ECM-and-ILOS-Contract-Template-Provisions.pdf\">14 broad categories, including housing and food benefits, addiction care and home repairs\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The approach is known as “whole person care,” and insurers will be required to assign patients a personal care manager to help them navigate the system. Insurers will receive incentive payments to offer new services and boost provider networks and, over time, the program will expand to more people and services. For instance, members of Native American tribes will eventually be eligible to receive treatment for substance use disorder, and incarcerated people will be enrolled in Medi-Cal automatically upon release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The insurers — currently 25 are participating — will focus most intensely on developing housing programs to combat the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/MCQMD/CalAIM-Role-in-Addressing-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-%26-Letter-4-9-21.pdf\">worsening homelessness epidemic\u003c/a>. The state was home to at least 162,000 unhoused people in 2020, a 6.8% increase since Newsom took office in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘If you generally focus on [the most vulnerable], you will be able to yield better health outcomes for those individuals and, ultimately, cost savings.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Jacey Cooper, the state’s Medicaid director, said \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Documents/MCQMD/CalAIM-Role-in-Addressing-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-%26-Letter-4-9-21.pdf\">all Medi-Cal members will eventually be eligible for housing services\u003c/a>. Initially, though, they will be available only to the costliest patients. State Medi-Cal expenditure data shows that 1% of Medi-Cal enrollees, many of the unhoused patients who frequently land in hospitals, account for a staggering 21% of overall spending. And 5% account for 44% of the budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You really need to focus on your top 1% to 5% of utilizers — that’s your most vulnerable,” Cooper said. “If you generally focus on that group, you will be able to yield better health outcomes for those individuals and, ultimately, cost savings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials do not have a savings estimate for the program, nor a projection of how many people will be enrolled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plan, Cooper said, builds on more than \u003ca href=\"https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/PDF/2020/wholepersoncare-report-jan2020.pdf\">25 successful regional experiments underway since 2016\u003c/a>. From Los Angeles to rural Shasta, big and small counties have provided vulnerable Medi-Cal patients with different services based on their communities’ needs, from job placement services to providing a safe place for an unhoused person to get sober.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooper highlighted \u003ca href=\"https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/PDF/2020/wholepersoncare-report-jan2020.pdf\">interim data from the experiments\u003c/a> that showed patients hospitalized due to mental illness were more likely to receive follow-up care, obtain treatment for substance abuse, avoid hospitalizations and emergency department visits, and see improvements in chronic diseases like diabetes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She argued that data — even though it is not comprehensive — is enough to prove the initiative will work on a statewide scale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>However, studies of similar programs elsewhere have yielded mixed results. New York provided housing services to high-cost Medicaid enrollees with chronic diseases and mental health and substance use disorders and found major reductions in hospital admissions and emergency department visits between 2012 and 2017, and saw a \u003ca href=\"https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/supportive_housing/evaluation.htm\">15% reduction in Medicaid spending.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Camden, New Jersey, \u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/news/despite-new-doubts-hotspotting-help-for-heavy-health-care-users-marches-on/\">an early test of the “whole person care” approach\u003c/a> provided expensive Medicaid patients with intensive care coordination, but not nontraditional services. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1906848\">study concluded in 2020 that it hadn’t lowered hospital readmissions\u003c/a> — and thus didn’t save health care dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found we just couldn’t help people with housing as quickly as they needed help,” said Kathleen Noonan, CEO of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers. “Many of these clients have bad credit, they may have a record, and they’re still using. Those are huge challenges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California may find success where the coalition hadn’t because it will offer social services, she said, which the coalition has also started doing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it will take time. California will have five years to prove to the federal government it can save money and improve health care quality. Insurers will be required to track health outcomes and savings, and can boost services over time or drop programs that don’t work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, the regional experiments have failed to serve low-income Black and Latino residents, according to the interim assessments conducted by Nadereh Pourat, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. She concluded that they have \u003ca href=\"https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/PDF/2020/wholepersoncare-report-jan2020.pdf\">primarily benefited white, English-speaking, middle-aged men\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Cooper said \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Documents/CalAIM-Proposal-03-23-2021.pdf\">the statewide initiative will tackle “systemic racism,” \u003c/a>initially as it targets \u003ca href=\"https://endhomelessness.org/resource/racial-inequalities-homelessness-numbers/\">unhoused individuals, who are disproportionately Black\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consider Eugenia Hunter, who is African American, and whose many untreated mental and physical illnesses, intertwined with her addictions, mean it will take a herculean effort — and cost — to get her off the street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hunter has gone without a stable housing situation for at least three years. Or maybe it’s five; her mental illness clouds her memory, and she erupts in anger when pressed for details. She eases her frustration sometimes with sleep, sometimes by smoking crystal meth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A stack of unopened health insurance letters sat beside Hunter one evening in late August. Her eyes were glassy when she struggled to remember when she received a cancer diagnosis — if she ever did at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Bringing stakeholders on board\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Health insurers will not be required to offer social services to patients like Hunter because federal law requires nontraditional Medicaid services to be optional. But California is enticing insurers with bigger payouts and higher state rankings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are asking the plans and providers to stretch. We’re asking them to reform,” Cooper said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The state is urging insurers to start with the roughly 130,500 Medi-Cal patients already enrolled in the local experiments. To prepare, they are cobbling together networks of nonprofits and social service organizations to provide food, housing and other services — much as they do with doctors and hospitals contracted to deliver medical care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://californiahealthline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/09/CalAIM-Nontraditional-Services-2022.pdf\">Services will also vary by insurer and region.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Inland Empire Health Plan, for example, will offer some patients home repairs that reduce asthma triggers, such as mold removal and installing air filters. But Partnership HealthPlan of California will not offer those benefits in its wildfire-prone Northern California region because it doesn’t have an adequate network of organizations equipped to provide those services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In interviews with nearly all of California’s Medi-Cal managed-care plans, executives said they support the dual goals of helping patients get healthier while saving money, but “it is a lot to take on,” said Richard Sanchez, CEO of CalOptima, which serves Orange County and will start modestly, primarily with housing services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "Nearly all the health plans will offer housing services right away, focusing on three categories of aid: helping enrollees secure housing and rent subsidies; providing temporary rent and security deposit payments; and helping tenants stay housed.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The last thing I want to do is make promises that we can do all these things and not come through,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly all the health plans will offer housing services right away, focusing on three categories of aid: helping enrollees secure housing and rent subsidies; providing temporary rent and security deposit payments; and helping tenants stay housed, like intervening with a landlord if a patient misses rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘It’s a great deal of money for a small number of members … we are building something extraordinarily ambitious quickly, without the infrastructure in place to make it successful.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Partnership HealthPlan, which serves 616,000 Medi-Cal patients in 14 Northern California counties, will prioritize its most at-risk enrollees with housing services, food deliveries and a “homemaker” benefit to help them cook dinner, do laundry and pay bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a great deal of money for a small number of members and, frankly, there’s no guarantee it’s going to work,” said Dr. Robert Moore, the plan’s chief medical officer. “We are building something extraordinarily ambitious quickly, without the infrastructure in place to make it successful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if offering new services costs more money than it saves, it’s a worthwhile investment, said John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest Medi-Cal plan, which serves more than 2 million patients in Los Angeles County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When somebody has congestive heart failure, their diet should be structured around alleviating that chronic condition,” he said, explaining his plan to offer patients healthful food. “What are we going to do — let them eat ramen noodles for the rest of their lives?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Alameda County, two plans are available to serve Hunter. The Alameda Alliance for Health, a public insurer established by the county, and Anthem Blue Cross, a private insurance company, will expand housing services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“People like Eugenia Hunter are exactly who we want to serve, and we’re prepared to go out and help her,” said Scott Coffin, CEO of the Alameda Alliance for Health, who is also on a local street medicine team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’d have to find her first — chaos and homeless encampment sweeps force her to move her tent frequently. And then they’d have to win her trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one moment, Hunter angrily described how health plans have tried to enroll her in services, but she declined, mistrustful of their motives. In the next moment, fighting back voices in her head, she said she desperately wants care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Someone is going to help me?” she asked. “All I want to do is pay my rent and succeed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Kaiser Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at Kaiser Family Foundation, an endowed nonprofit providing information on health issues.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Weeks into the school year, the Oakland Unified School District’s rollout of its remote learning program has been mired in problems, as understaffing, poor communication and a lack of organization have led to confusion and frustration for some parents. Some students still haven’t met their teachers, and the first informational session for families interested in the program was held just four days before the start of the school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a school board meeting held last week\u003cstrong>,\u003c/strong> Faiza Ayesh, a parent with three young kids enrolled in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ousd.org/independentstudy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sojourner Truth Independent Study/Online Learning\u003c/a> program, complained the program was in disarray.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have no teachers, we have no communication from the school about what’s going on,” Ayesh told the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the vast majority of Oakland students returned to campuses in person, 726 students are now enrolled in the independent study program. Hundreds more are on a wait list, and OUSD projects that enrollment will reach 1,112, as parents weigh the risks of sending their kids into classrooms while the highly transmissible coronavirus delta variant drives an elevated case count.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the first two school board meetings of the year, Sojourner Truth parents said they weren’t even sure whether their children were enrolled, with phone calls and emails going unanswered. Some who had managed to get a spot said they never got login information for their kids’ virtual meetings, or that they were given incorrect passwords. Three weeks in, some said their kids were only getting a half hour of Zoom instruction a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That leaves parents who aren’t comfortable sending their kids back into classrooms feeling abandoned by the district. Meanwhile, as the reality of exposure notifications and classroom quarantines sets in, some who opted for in-person school might like to reconsider, but a good alternative is not yet in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Ayesh, the decision to stick with virtual learning came down to her personal experience with COVID. Her fourth and fifth graders recently got the virus. Neither is old enough to be vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have six kids and we’ve been through all kinds of flus and viruses,” she said, but COVID left them with “the worst stomach pain ever. My older daughter was literally in the fetal position on the floor for two days.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ayesh and her husband, both vaccinated, got mild breakthrough infections from their kids. And weeks after getting sick, her daughter still had lingering pain. “I just didn’t want to do this again and put my kids at risk for more problems,” Ayesh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family didn’t think of going back to distance learning as a sacrifice — last school year, her kids thrived in Sankofa United Elementary School’s virtual classes, and Ayesh thought she knew what to expect. “I thought everything is going to happen smoothly because we’ve been doing this for the past almost two years,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC8297119966&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, she learned her children would have to leave Sankofa and enroll in a different school — Sojourner Truth Independent Study — and though they’d be able to opt back in to in-person school at any time, their spots at Sankofa weren’t guaranteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, lawmakers created and schools administered distance learning as an emergency alternative during the pandemic. Ahead of this school year, legislators — concerned about students’ learning loss and mental health, and with pressure from parents demanding that schools reopen — limited distance learning in order to ensure school systems brought students back into classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traditionally, independent study has offered a way to keep students learning while on extended vacations, or if bullying or a mental health issue created stress at school. But in the face of the continuing pandemic, the programs have had to ramp up to serve more students than ever, while adhering to a more stringent curriculum and class time requirements newly imposed by the state Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pre-pandemic, Oakland Unified’s Sojourner Truth Independent Study program served about 200 students, with fewer than 20 of elementary age, according to the school’s principal, Willie Thompson. This year, Thompson said, about half of the 726 students enrolled are TK-fifth graders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887213\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887213 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"A young woman walks down a leafy street holding hands with a schoolchild wearing a large backpack.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Families pick up their children from Montclair Elementary School on the first day back to in-person learning on March 30, 2021. Most of Oakland Unified’s 36,000 students have returned to schools in person this year. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s not like we’re sitting on our hands here,” Thompson said during the first week of school. “We are talking about a radical shift for us.” He said the level of interest caught leadership off guard. “We knew that there would be some parents opting for distance learning, but not at this scale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the biggest challenges, he said, has been setting a schedule for students and teachers amid changing enrollment. “It’s almost like trying to fly a plane while you build it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Middle school teacher Mark Airgood was assigned to the program after requesting a medical accommodation from the district, allowing him to stay out of the classroom during the pandemic. On the second day of school, he learned he’d be teaching middle school math and science, subjects for which he has the credentials but not the teaching experience. For the last 20 years, he said, he’s been a special education resources teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m just going to have to get rolling on it,” he said of his new assignment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sojourner Truth also faced the challenge of hiring new teachers to meet the increased demand, especially in the elementary grades, a problem complicated by \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/california-covid-19-teacher-workforce-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a statewide teacher shortage exacerbated during the pandemic\u003c/a>. During the first week of school, Thompson said\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>the program was still short about four of the roughly 18 teachers he had estimated the school needed\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>not to mention additional staff to meet wait list demand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To fill the gap, staff from the district’s central office stepped in. “We just need all boots on the ground,” Thompson said, noting that many of the reinforcements are former teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Sojourner Truth parents, some of those staffers are still running what limited instruction there is. Jamie Burnell said at the school board meeting last week that her son still hadn’t met his permanent teacher. “I’m frankly shocked that my child is still doing 30-minute lessons almost a month into the school year,” she told the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tamia Green’s seventh grade daughter met her English teacher for the first time at the end of the second week of school, after the teacher she’d initially been assigned had resigned, Green said. Her daughter still hadn’t met her math teacher, and when she wasn’t given a password to log in to her Zoom class, Green found it hard to get answers from the school. “I felt like everybody was passing the baton,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘Plenty of time to prepare’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>OUSD is not alone in facing challenges implementing distance learning through independent study, according to Kevin Gordon, president of the Sacramento-based lobbying firm Capitol Advisors Group, which represents hundreds of school districts around the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers weren’t anticipating the delta variant when they constrained virtual learning options, Gordon said. “Now what happens is there’s a high demand for distance learning and a very, very narrow opportunity in the law to offer it. Schools are trapped in the middle, trying to figure out, ‘How do we abide by the law and serve all our kids?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law has also created hurdles for districts trying to work through how to educate quarantined students. The California Association of Suburban School Districts recently \u003ca href=\"https://calssd.org/school-opening-and-budget-trailer-clean-up-on-independent-study/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sent a letter to lawmakers\u003c/a> urging them to make changes to the law, contending that “challenges are at a critical point” due to “ever increasing numbers of students participating in independent study.” Among the requests for help was a short-term distance learning option for students required to quarantine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Phil Ting, who \u003ca href=\"https://a19.asmdc.org/press-releases/20201207-ting-proposal-require-school-reopenings-most-cases-during-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">championed a return to in-person schooling\u003c/a>, stands by the effort to limit virtual learning. “Districts are getting a record level of funding to hire staff,” he said, “It’s been very clear that this is the direction that we were going unless we got a different directive from our public health doctors, and they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for this. I think that they’re having difficulty adapting to change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not the money that districts are complaining about — it’s finding the teachers whom they can spend it on. “It’s easy when you’re a Monday morning quarterback,” Principal Thompson said. “I’m in the work, and it’s a logistical nightmare in terms of getting up to scale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell recently told the school board that 25 new teachers would be allocated to Sojourner Truth: 10 district teachers who’ve elected to move to the program, along with another 15 who will need to be hired. The school also now has a community school manager on site to facilitate communication with families, and Johnson-Trammell said other services, like tutoring and mental health support, would follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Faiza Ayesh, the parent of three students in the program, is hopeful things will work out. But for now, she said, “I feel like our kids were shortchanged. It’s not fair. We’re just trying to keep our kids safe. We don’t want to be a hardship on the school district, but we’re in a pandemic. It’s not over yet.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Weeks into the school year, the Oakland Unified School District’s rollout of its remote learning program has been mired in problems, as understaffing, poor communication and a lack of organization have led to confusion and frustration for some parents. Some students still haven’t met their teachers, and the first informational session for families interested in the program was held just four days before the start of the school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a school board meeting held last week\u003cstrong>,\u003c/strong> Faiza Ayesh, a parent with three young kids enrolled in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ousd.org/independentstudy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sojourner Truth Independent Study/Online Learning\u003c/a> program, complained the program was in disarray.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have no teachers, we have no communication from the school about what’s going on,” Ayesh told the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the vast majority of Oakland students returned to campuses in person, 726 students are now enrolled in the independent study program. Hundreds more are on a wait list, and OUSD projects that enrollment will reach 1,112, as parents weigh the risks of sending their kids into classrooms while the highly transmissible coronavirus delta variant drives an elevated case count.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the first two school board meetings of the year, Sojourner Truth parents said they weren’t even sure whether their children were enrolled, with phone calls and emails going unanswered. Some who had managed to get a spot said they never got login information for their kids’ virtual meetings, or that they were given incorrect passwords. Three weeks in, some said their kids were only getting a half hour of Zoom instruction a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That leaves parents who aren’t comfortable sending their kids back into classrooms feeling abandoned by the district. Meanwhile, as the reality of exposure notifications and classroom quarantines sets in, some who opted for in-person school might like to reconsider, but a good alternative is not yet in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Ayesh, the decision to stick with virtual learning came down to her personal experience with COVID. Her fourth and fifth graders recently got the virus. Neither is old enough to be vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have six kids and we’ve been through all kinds of flus and viruses,” she said, but COVID left them with “the worst stomach pain ever. My older daughter was literally in the fetal position on the floor for two days.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ayesh and her husband, both vaccinated, got mild breakthrough infections from their kids. And weeks after getting sick, her daughter still had lingering pain. “I just didn’t want to do this again and put my kids at risk for more problems,” Ayesh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family didn’t think of going back to distance learning as a sacrifice — last school year, her kids thrived in Sankofa United Elementary School’s virtual classes, and Ayesh thought she knew what to expect. “I thought everything is going to happen smoothly because we’ve been doing this for the past almost two years,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC8297119966&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, she learned her children would have to leave Sankofa and enroll in a different school — Sojourner Truth Independent Study — and though they’d be able to opt back in to in-person school at any time, their spots at Sankofa weren’t guaranteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, lawmakers created and schools administered distance learning as an emergency alternative during the pandemic. Ahead of this school year, legislators — concerned about students’ learning loss and mental health, and with pressure from parents demanding that schools reopen — limited distance learning in order to ensure school systems brought students back into classrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traditionally, independent study has offered a way to keep students learning while on extended vacations, or if bullying or a mental health issue created stress at school. But in the face of the continuing pandemic, the programs have had to ramp up to serve more students than ever, while adhering to a more stringent curriculum and class time requirements newly imposed by the state Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pre-pandemic, Oakland Unified’s Sojourner Truth Independent Study program served about 200 students, with fewer than 20 of elementary age, according to the school’s principal, Willie Thompson. This year, Thompson said, about half of the 726 students enrolled are TK-fifth graders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11887213\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11887213 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"A young woman walks down a leafy street holding hands with a schoolchild wearing a large backpack.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/RS48265_017_Oakland_SchoolReopening_03302021-qut.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Families pick up their children from Montclair Elementary School on the first day back to in-person learning on March 30, 2021. Most of Oakland Unified’s 36,000 students have returned to schools in person this year. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s not like we’re sitting on our hands here,” Thompson said during the first week of school. “We are talking about a radical shift for us.” He said the level of interest caught leadership off guard. “We knew that there would be some parents opting for distance learning, but not at this scale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the biggest challenges, he said, has been setting a schedule for students and teachers amid changing enrollment. “It’s almost like trying to fly a plane while you build it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Middle school teacher Mark Airgood was assigned to the program after requesting a medical accommodation from the district, allowing him to stay out of the classroom during the pandemic. On the second day of school, he learned he’d be teaching middle school math and science, subjects for which he has the credentials but not the teaching experience. For the last 20 years, he said, he’s been a special education resources teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m just going to have to get rolling on it,” he said of his new assignment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sojourner Truth also faced the challenge of hiring new teachers to meet the increased demand, especially in the elementary grades, a problem complicated by \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/california-covid-19-teacher-workforce-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a statewide teacher shortage exacerbated during the pandemic\u003c/a>. During the first week of school, Thompson said\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>the program was still short about four of the roughly 18 teachers he had estimated the school needed\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>not to mention additional staff to meet wait list demand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To fill the gap, staff from the district’s central office stepped in. “We just need all boots on the ground,” Thompson said, noting that many of the reinforcements are former teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Sojourner Truth parents, some of those staffers are still running what limited instruction there is. Jamie Burnell said at the school board meeting last week that her son still hadn’t met his permanent teacher. “I’m frankly shocked that my child is still doing 30-minute lessons almost a month into the school year,” she told the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tamia Green’s seventh grade daughter met her English teacher for the first time at the end of the second week of school, after the teacher she’d initially been assigned had resigned, Green said. Her daughter still hadn’t met her math teacher, and when she wasn’t given a password to log in to her Zoom class, Green found it hard to get answers from the school. “I felt like everybody was passing the baton,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘Plenty of time to prepare’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>OUSD is not alone in facing challenges implementing distance learning through independent study, according to Kevin Gordon, president of the Sacramento-based lobbying firm Capitol Advisors Group, which represents hundreds of school districts around the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers weren’t anticipating the delta variant when they constrained virtual learning options, Gordon said. “Now what happens is there’s a high demand for distance learning and a very, very narrow opportunity in the law to offer it. Schools are trapped in the middle, trying to figure out, ‘How do we abide by the law and serve all our kids?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law has also created hurdles for districts trying to work through how to educate quarantined students. The California Association of Suburban School Districts recently \u003ca href=\"https://calssd.org/school-opening-and-budget-trailer-clean-up-on-independent-study/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sent a letter to lawmakers\u003c/a> urging them to make changes to the law, contending that “challenges are at a critical point” due to “ever increasing numbers of students participating in independent study.” Among the requests for help was a short-term distance learning option for students required to quarantine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember Phil Ting, who \u003ca href=\"https://a19.asmdc.org/press-releases/20201207-ting-proposal-require-school-reopenings-most-cases-during-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">championed a return to in-person schooling\u003c/a>, stands by the effort to limit virtual learning. “Districts are getting a record level of funding to hire staff,” he said, “It’s been very clear that this is the direction that we were going unless we got a different directive from our public health doctors, and they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for this. I think that they’re having difficulty adapting to change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not the money that districts are complaining about — it’s finding the teachers whom they can spend it on. “It’s easy when you’re a Monday morning quarterback,” Principal Thompson said. “I’m in the work, and it’s a logistical nightmare in terms of getting up to scale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell recently told the school board that 25 new teachers would be allocated to Sojourner Truth: 10 district teachers who’ve elected to move to the program, along with another 15 who will need to be hired. The school also now has a community school manager on site to facilitate communication with families, and Johnson-Trammell said other services, like tutoring and mental health support, would follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Faiza Ayesh, the parent of three students in the program, is hopeful things will work out. But for now, she said, “I feel like our kids were shortchanged. It’s not fair. We’re just trying to keep our kids safe. We don’t want to be a hardship on the school district, but we’re in a pandemic. It’s not over yet.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/30/1032367184/rockets-kabul-airport-deadline-us-troops-bomb\">U.S. ended its massive evacuations out of Kabul, Afghanistan\u003c/a>, by President Biden's Aug. 31 deadline — but as many as 27 California public school students remain in Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The students, whose grades range from elementary to high school, are from 19 families from the San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento. Most of the students, the school district says, have family members with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sacramento area is home to one of the United States' largest Afghan American communities. How these students will be able to return to the U.S. in a now Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11886733,news_11885170]\"These numbers continue to change rapidly. We believe that some of these families may be in transit out of Afghanistan, as we have not been able to reach many of them in the last few days,\" Raj Rai, the school district's director of communications, told NPR in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We stand ready to support these students and families in whatever way that we can,\" Rai said, adding that the district has been working with state officials and congressional offices. One of the congressional offices is that of Rep. Ami Bera, a Democrat who represents the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bera's office told NPR it had been in contact with the school district and has \"urgently flagged\" the situation with the State Department and the Department of Defense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are pushing the DOD and State Department for an update,\" Travis Horne, Bera's communications director, said in an email to NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">npr.org\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Several+California+Public+School+Students+Are+Still+Trapped+In+Afghanistan&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\" />\u003c/div>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/30/1032367184/rockets-kabul-airport-deadline-us-troops-bomb\">U.S. ended its massive evacuations out of Kabul, Afghanistan\u003c/a>, by President Biden's Aug. 31 deadline — but as many as 27 California public school students remain in Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The students, whose grades range from elementary to high school, are from 19 families from the San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento. Most of the students, the school district says, have family members with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sacramento area is home to one of the United States' largest Afghan American communities. How these students will be able to return to the U.S. in a now Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\"These numbers continue to change rapidly. We believe that some of these families may be in transit out of Afghanistan, as we have not been able to reach many of them in the last few days,\" Raj Rai, the school district's director of communications, told NPR in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We stand ready to support these students and families in whatever way that we can,\" Rai said, adding that the district has been working with state officials and congressional offices. One of the congressional offices is that of Rep. Ami Bera, a Democrat who represents the district.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bera's office told NPR it had been in contact with the school district and has \"urgently flagged\" the situation with the State Department and the Department of Defense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are pushing the DOD and State Department for an update,\" Travis Horne, Bera's communications director, said in an email to NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">npr.org\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Several+California+Public+School+Students+Are+Still+Trapped+In+Afghanistan&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\" />\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Survey: Most SF Families Living in Chinatown Communal Housing Don't Want Their Kids Back in School",
"title": "Survey: Most SF Families Living in Chinatown Communal Housing Don't Want Their Kids Back in School",
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"content": "\u003cp>Hundreds of parents who live in communal housing in San Francisco are organizing with a singular message: Keep our kids out of school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chinatowncdc.org/\">The Chinatown Community Development Center\u003c/a>, which owns and operates communal housing in the city, measured that fear directly: Of 294 families living in such housing who answered a recent survey, representing roughly 400 SFUSD students, 70% oppose in-person learning for their kids, and only 30% are in support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of those families surveyed lived in Chinatown, and many identify as Chinese or Chinese American, said the Chinatown CDC. The organization surveyed its tenants who have at least one child under 18 living in their household, by phone the week before SFUSD's fall semester started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who support in-person learning largely said they were worried about unemployment benefits expiring in September, and need to send their children back to school so the adults can work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, those who oppose bringing their kids back to school are especially concerned that children under 12 are not yet vaccinated, and are worried that schools aren’t providing enough ventilation. They also voiced concern over COVID transmission on public transit and asked whether school buses could help mitigate that concern.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But despite the opposition to in-person learning, many of these families don't have much of a choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new data comes after more than a year of public drumbeating to reopen schools during the pandemic voiced by the city’s most vocal parents — with “decrease the distance!” becoming their signature rallying cry — leading into the San Francisco Unified School District opening its doors to kids in August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But just one week before that fateful day, on Aug. 10, a swarm of equally furious parents stormed SFUSD’s monthly (virtual) meeting. Their request? The exact opposite the public had heard for months. These parents wanted their kids to stay home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 2,000 of them — mostly Chinese and Chinese American — signed a petition asking SFUSD to offer more options for their kids to safely evade the increasingly spreading delta variant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are concerned that the start of in-person learning in Fall will lead to greater infection rates, not only in the children themselves, but also for vulnerable family members,” their letter read. “We do not wish to force distance learning upon everyone, but believe it is imperative to provide it to those families who need it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11883330\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-11883330 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut.jpeg\" alt='Protest sign saying \"I want school! Full time. I miss my friends\" in foreground of crowd before City Hall. Protestors in yellow T-shirts, Mayor Breed at podium in background.' width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut-1020x679.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut-1536x1022.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mayor London Breed speaks during a rally to reopen San Francisco public schools on March 13, 2021, the one-year anniversary of school buildings being closed. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That effort comes as no surprise to Jen Chan, resident services manager at the Chinatown CDC, who works with families who live in the organization's single-room occupancy housing, many of whom are Chinese and Chinese American. She says living conditions may be one reason those families would prefer to keep their kids at home, especially in single-room occupancy housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SROs are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11866033/i-dont-care-if-the-state-says-we-cant-sf-officials-say-city-should-vaccinate-at-risk-sro-residents\">communal spaces where families often live in a single room, sharing kitchens and bathrooms with tenants on the same floor\u003c/a> — families who may be especially concerned about being unable to quarantine should the worst happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There's a lot of fear,” Chan said. And that fear may be particular to the Chinese community due to hard-lived experience, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of our families were immigrants, right? They have heard of the outbreaks of SARS, the outbreak of COVID in their home countries in Hong Kong and in China. And they understand and have been impacted by people getting sick in their family. Deaths in their family,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The notion that scores of parents want their kids to stay at home may be a surprise to those reading news headlines for the last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local news has for months \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/S-F-teachers-share-demands-for-returning-to-15927867.php\">amplified the voices of more organized groups like Decreasing the Distance.\u003c/a> Some of those more amplified voices are calling for schools to reopen sooner rather than later, and are even recalling San Francisco school board members based on the idea that they single-handedly kept kids home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And their message has largely dominated the conversation about schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when it came time to finally let kids back in classrooms, the 450 online spots for distance learning provided by the district were quickly gobbled up. The school district has admitted 700 students who applied by July 30 to be in their online learning program, said SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that isn’t the sum total of the students wanting to stay home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To accommodate that growing number, SFUSD opened its applications for one of two independent learning programs with a deadline of Aug. 27.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Dudnick added, “we strongly encourage students who are able to participate in in-person learning to do so, as it is the best option for the vast majority of students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the number of families who want distance learning may be far higher than the official ones known to SFUSD. Chan told KQED some who desire distance learning haven’t applied for fear of losing priority in their desired schools, and many think distance learning isn’t even an option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s one they’d take if they had the chance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pushing for more open spots, local parents and parents of kids in SRO hotels are organizing for their own interests, demanding more distance learning options. KQED has seen screenshots of their group discussions on WeChat — the social media platform of choice for many in the Chinese community — with more than 800 people clamoring for distance learning options. [aside tag=\"education,remote-learning\" label=\"More Coverage\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a second letter, sent Aug. 24, the families laid out their requests: rapid testing available for students of SRO families, SFUSD staff who can be point people to work with SRO families to ensure safety precautions are catered to their specific situations, more choices in remote learning, more language access for school emails to parents and, most of all, more input.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"All decisions must be made with SRO families, by them, and resolutions of their concerns,\" the letter reads. \"Families demand to be engaged so that they can provide meaningful input and direct policies.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board of Education President Gabriela López says she's working on a resolution with fellow board members to call on the district to address the SRO families' specific asks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We have been hearing from and connecting with many families in order to address these serious concerns,\" López said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam also has been meeting with these SRO families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We've been hearing from families for many months as we've been planning the full return,\" Lam said. \"The timing is, while we were returning to in-person [learning], the delta variant was also surging through the city and throughout the state. We are seeing that stabilization now of the delta variant and the positive cases, but certainly empathize and understand the concerns from families.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Lam characterized these concerns as a recent development, the desire to maintain distance learning has been bubbling up for months, Chan from Chinatown CDC said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as far back as April, Lang Xie, another Chinatown SRO resident, shared similar concerns with KQED — even before the delta variant reared its head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Xie lives in an SRO with her husband and 10-year-old daughter, Vicky, who attends Gordon J. Lau Elementary School. Both Xie and her husband are fully vaccinated but said they feel uncomfortable sending Vicky back to school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In my opinion, it is still kind of concerning. Even though we are vaccinated, the risk of being infected is still there. If there is nothing important, we would avoid going outside as much as possible,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like others who live in SRO hotels, sharing a single room means they have no space to quarantine from one another, a concern Xie shares, despite some city resources open to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of those fears, Vicky learned from home during the spring semester, only returning to Gordon J. Lau Elementary School in the fall — but only because the family felt they had no other options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vicky was far from alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of roughly 750 students at Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, only 13 returned during the first week of school last April when in-person learning started again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school is more than 80% Asian, and many students are Chinese, with the school sitting squarely in Chinatown, right along Stockton Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD, then, had long seen signs that many Chinese families weren’t ready to return to school, even before the delta variant rose. And San Francisco isn’t unique in that regard. [ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Surveys have shown this for months\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Multiple surveys conducted during the pandemic have shown a stark divide in who wants to return to in-person learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the pandemic, no matter what level of response was given, the ratios were often the same: White families overwhelmingly want to return to school, and Black and Latino families often want to return, but by a far slimmer majority than White families. But Asian families, and Chinese families in particular, are often far less likely to wish to return to in-person learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May\u003cstrong>,\u003c/strong> the latest month available, just 27% of Asian families of fourth graders nationally were enrolled in in-person instruction, versus 66% of white families, \u003ca href=\"https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/\">according to a survey by the Institute of Education Sciences\u003c/a>. The institute is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And according to that same survey, a whopping 51% of Asian families preferred to learn remotely, compared to just 14% of white families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Closer to home, in an Oakland Unified School District survey circulated in March, 44% of Asian families were ready to return to in-person learning, the smallest number of any ethnic group. And in one December survey conducted by SFUSD, only 36% of Asian families said they’re returning to in-person learning, versus 80% of white families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People living in SRO buildings — like the tenants highlighted by the Chinatown Community Development Center’s survey — feel particularly vulnerable to COVID.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything’s communal [in an SRO],\" Chan said. “It’s a big worry that other units are going to spread [COVID] to them and vice versa.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11866067\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-11866067 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1.jpg\" alt=\"Long, spare, clean hallway with older Chinese residents standing in their doorways\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1570\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1-800x654.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1-1020x834.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1-160x131.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1-1536x1256.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Residents of single-room occupancy hotels fear they have little ability to quarantine due to living in close quarters, with shared bathrooms and kitchens. Seen here, residents of an SRO building on Clayton Street in San Francisco pose for a photo in May 2020. (Photo courtesy Chinatown Community Development Center) \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy Chinatown Community Development Center)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To date, 1,397 people living in SROs have tested positive for COVID-19, spread across 269 SRO buildings, with 26 deaths as a result of the virus, \u003ca href=\"https://sf.gov/data/covid-19-single-room-occupancies-sros\">according to the city's COVID-19 dashboard\u003c/a>. By April, roughly 412 people from SROs had stayed in city-provided quarantine sites. The statistics are no longer publicly posted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In theory, San Francisco does provide hotel rooms for people living in SROs without their own space to separate when sick. But health professionals don’t always recommend those rooms as an option for SRO residents, and residents don’t always know of their existence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one such tightly packed SRO building, Jun Chang Tan lives in a single room with his wife, 15-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter. He lived on unemployment for most of the summer, after his wife lost her job at a salon that closed during the pandemic and he lost hours at his job as a custodian, a job he only regained a few months ago. During the pandemic, his kids have largely learned from home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tan said in April that he didn’t want his children returning to school yet. He says he can’t be sure they’re safe from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city prioritized SRO residents for the vaccine, and Tan and his wife eagerly got their shots. But with no space to quarantine, Tan didn’t want his kids to risk becoming infected at school, and he especially fears the vaccine will not protect against new variants of the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though you are vaccinated, there is still a risk,” Tan says. “If they come in contact with COVID at school and bring it back home, then I do not have enough room because we live in a small apartment.” [aside tag=\"covid-19,coronavirus\" label=\"more COVID-19 coverage\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED asked Commissioner Lam if, were she speaking directly to Tan, she would say that sending his children back to school is safe?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I would say yes, it is,\" Lam said. \"I would encourage Mr. Tan that absolutely we have the proper protocols and guidelines in place.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lam is a parent herself, with two SFUSD high schoolers already returning to school. Lam said for learning's sake — and emotional well-being — learning in person is the best option for children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the fall semester, Tan did let his daughter return to school because, he said, he has no feasible choice, and because SFUSD had too few slots for distance learning. He also thinks SFUSD has too high of a requirement to prove your kid can be kept out of school — namely, one of two programs available asks kids who are “medically fragile” to apply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Tan finally let his daughter return to Yick Wo Elementary for the fall semester, however, they got a phone call on the third day: Class would be canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A kid in his daughter’s class tested positive for COVID.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been 71 reported positive cases in pre-K through fifth grade elementary schools in SFUSD, and 16 reported positive cases in pre-K through eighth grade schools, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/covid-19-response-updates-and-resources/health-and-safety-guidelines/when-someone-gets-sick/covid-19-testing-dashboard\">according to SFUSD's COVID dashboard\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Community-minded solutions\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Back at Gordon J. Lau Elementary School in April, Principal Gloria Choy sat near a sobbing child dressed in a Spider-Man costume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the families who were fearful to return during that spring semester, and to more broadly return, weren’t just afraid of COVID, but of the violence against the Asian community, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885993\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-11885993 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Principal Gloria Choy at Gordon Lau Elementary School in San Francisco's Chinatown on April 21, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of Choy’s school families was attacked riding a Muni bus from Market Street to pick up a free Wi-Fi hot spot from Gordon J. Lau in March. “This person was eyeing them the whole time. And when she got on the bus, the person yanked her backpack and her purse,” Choy said. The would-be thief got frustrated when bystanders tried to help. He “got upset, and just punched her in the face. So my [school] parents, they’re afraid,” Choy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And families fear that violence may continue even as the pandemic subsides and children return to school in droves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 50% of SFUSD elementary school families traditionally commute by car, 25% walk, 10% take public transit and 10% take yellow school buses, according to district data. But Choy’s school has a much higher proportion of kids busing from outside the neighborhood. About half of Gordon J. Lau families live on the other side of the city, Choy says. They all take Muni in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stop AAPI Hate’s most recent national count saw 9,081 hate incidents reported to the organization from March 19, 2020, through June 2021. Of those hate incidents, 10% were reported by kids age 17 and younger. This number likely undercounts the rate of hate incidents against kids, the organization says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign conducted in the summer of 2020 found that 77% of AAPI youth surveyed were angry over anti-Asian hate in the U.S., with 60% expressing disappointment over racism, and 30% of AAPI youth expressing fear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://stopaapihate.org/reports/\">Stop AAPI Hate\u003c/a> also released a report on racism’s effects on Asian youth, alongside a long list of recommendations for policymakers and school districts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among them: asking school officials to denounce hate, integrating ethnic studies and anti-racism curricula into coursework, establishing anonymous reporting systems for bullying, holding trainings with teachers and faculty on anti-Asian hate and discrimination, and boosting multilingual outreach to parents and families with culturally responsive mental health resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, a few of these recommendations are already underway: In March the San Francisco Board of Education made ethnic studies a graduation requirement, and they have disseminated an extensive and ever-growing document to educators with resources on emotionally processing and combating hate against the AAPI community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vincent Matthews, SFUSD’s superintendent, addressed that fear back in a March school board meeting, and has done so repeatedly since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The pandemic has brought a lot of pain and suffering for many, and with it conspiracy theories scapegoating the Asian community for the COVID-19 pandemic,” Matthews said in March. “We have to stand together against violence perpetrated against any member of our community, and right now there is an increase in violence against our Asian brothers and sisters. It is unacceptable and we must recommit ourselves to creating safe communities for each and every person. Your child’s physical and emotional safety is our priority whether we are in distance learning or in person.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/SFUnified/status/1379494112919838722\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Commissioner Lam also said she attended a town hall for monolingual Chinese families just in August, where she and her colleagues did their best to hear the concerns of families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the district has held Cantonese-language town halls, Lai Wa Wu, a policy director from the Chinese Progressive Association, said it felt like the community was being talked to, not with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It's not so much giving them more information, it's about shifting, creating spaces for there to be real long-term dialogue,” she said. “And that includes resourcing these spaces and taking these spaces seriously, where you give information to the community to help them make more informed decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hearing that concern, Lam said she's making an effort to get more staff to bridge the gap with the SRO community, and the monolingual Chinese community. She's hoping to arrange a meeting between their representatives and Superintendent Matthews soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're living through a pandemic that we have not lived through before in over a century. So certainly there are a lot of unknowns and certainty how we live through this together, and we are calling upon our institutions to be able to serve its people,\" Lam said. \"And so I take that responsibility wholeheartedly. Are there things that the district needs to do better? Of course, we always need to be doing better.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for Principal Choy, the solutions need not be grandiose. Even the simple act of providing yellow school buses for kids to avoid attacks on public transit would be a huge help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other solutions may require even more legwork. [ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Bringing kids back\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to one of the only 13 students to return to Gordon J. Lau Elementary School in April: Amy Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On her first day back in the spring, Amy was more than ready for school: She dressed in her warm kitty-cat sweater and carried her pink backpack on her shoulders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joyce — Amy’s mother — and Amy's story shows something unique, Principal Choy says: trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joyce was relieved when Amy returned to school in the spring. She volunteers at a local YMCA doing relief work with families hit hard by the pandemic and can take work meetings with more ease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am always happy to find the time to do volunteer work and help out the community. Because we are from a low-income family, my abilities are limited and I am only able to help to a certain extent,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So while Amy returned to school before hundreds of her peers, the Lee family also has an advantage many of her classmates don’t: She lives in the same neighborhood as her school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A staple of San Francisco’s historic Chinatown since 1952, the Ping Yuen affordable housing project on Pacific Avenue is home to more than 400 people. That includes Amy and Joyce. And on that particular Wednesday \u003cstrong>i\u003c/strong>n April, the second day of school, she practically dragged her mom out the door with excitement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amy knows where her classmates are this year: “They’re at Zoom,” she told KQED, as if Zoom were a place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885950\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-11885950 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joyce Lee and her daughter Amy check in with Gordon Lau Elementary School staff in San Francisco on April 21, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As we all walked together to Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, Joyce talked about the advantages of having Amy back in school, especially helpful as COVID ravages the finances of many families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With fewer child-watching duties, Joyce may be able to find additional work to supplement their income. Her husband lost his restaurant job during the pandemic, and they have two other children: a toddler, and a teenager attending Galileo Academy of Science and Technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel safe allowing my children to return to school because the COVID-19 pandemic in the city has already reduced to a lower risk, the vaccine is available now, and the school district and school have held a meeting with parents about returning to campus,” Lee said during the spring semester.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that trust hasn’t come easily to the rest of the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think some of our Chinese community are still afraid of getting even their shots of vaccines,” Choy says. “I think they have to trust that the vaccine is going to work. I think they have to also trust that our school is going to keep them safe. They're going to have to trust that, you know, when they get on the bus to come to school” they’ll be safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That trust is tenuous. That trust takes time to earn. It takes more than just a translated flyer or a town hall from a school district — it takes resources, effort and genuine back-and-forth conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And to assure the safety of the community during the fall semester, that trust needs to come soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some interviews for this story were conducted in Cantonese with the help of a community translator, recorded and later translated for publication. Translations were conducted for KQED by Sophie Liang.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Families living in communal housing, most of whom are Chinese, oppose bringing their kids back to school, especially concerned that kids under 12 aren't yet vaccinated. More than 2,000 community members asked SFUSD to offer more options for kids to evade the delta variant.",
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"title": "Survey: Most SF Families Living in Chinatown Communal Housing Don't Want Their Kids Back in School | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Hundreds of parents who live in communal housing in San Francisco are organizing with a singular message: Keep our kids out of school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chinatowncdc.org/\">The Chinatown Community Development Center\u003c/a>, which owns and operates communal housing in the city, measured that fear directly: Of 294 families living in such housing who answered a recent survey, representing roughly 400 SFUSD students, 70% oppose in-person learning for their kids, and only 30% are in support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of those families surveyed lived in Chinatown, and many identify as Chinese or Chinese American, said the Chinatown CDC. The organization surveyed its tenants who have at least one child under 18 living in their household, by phone the week before SFUSD's fall semester started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who support in-person learning largely said they were worried about unemployment benefits expiring in September, and need to send their children back to school so the adults can work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other hand, those who oppose bringing their kids back to school are especially concerned that children under 12 are not yet vaccinated, and are worried that schools aren’t providing enough ventilation. They also voiced concern over COVID transmission on public transit and asked whether school buses could help mitigate that concern.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But despite the opposition to in-person learning, many of these families don't have much of a choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new data comes after more than a year of public drumbeating to reopen schools during the pandemic voiced by the city’s most vocal parents — with “decrease the distance!” becoming their signature rallying cry — leading into the San Francisco Unified School District opening its doors to kids in August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But just one week before that fateful day, on Aug. 10, a swarm of equally furious parents stormed SFUSD’s monthly (virtual) meeting. Their request? The exact opposite the public had heard for months. These parents wanted their kids to stay home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 2,000 of them — mostly Chinese and Chinese American — signed a petition asking SFUSD to offer more options for their kids to safely evade the increasingly spreading delta variant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are concerned that the start of in-person learning in Fall will lead to greater infection rates, not only in the children themselves, but also for vulnerable family members,” their letter read. “We do not wish to force distance learning upon everyone, but believe it is imperative to provide it to those families who need it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11883330\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-11883330 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut.jpeg\" alt='Protest sign saying \"I want school! Full time. I miss my friends\" in foreground of crowd before City Hall. Protestors in yellow T-shirts, Mayor Breed at podium in background.' width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut-1020x679.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/07/RS47777_078_SanFrancisco_ReopenSchoolsMarch_03132021-qut-1536x1022.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mayor London Breed speaks during a rally to reopen San Francisco public schools on March 13, 2021, the one-year anniversary of school buildings being closed. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That effort comes as no surprise to Jen Chan, resident services manager at the Chinatown CDC, who works with families who live in the organization's single-room occupancy housing, many of whom are Chinese and Chinese American. She says living conditions may be one reason those families would prefer to keep their kids at home, especially in single-room occupancy housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SROs are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11866033/i-dont-care-if-the-state-says-we-cant-sf-officials-say-city-should-vaccinate-at-risk-sro-residents\">communal spaces where families often live in a single room, sharing kitchens and bathrooms with tenants on the same floor\u003c/a> — families who may be especially concerned about being unable to quarantine should the worst happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There's a lot of fear,” Chan said. And that fear may be particular to the Chinese community due to hard-lived experience, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of our families were immigrants, right? They have heard of the outbreaks of SARS, the outbreak of COVID in their home countries in Hong Kong and in China. And they understand and have been impacted by people getting sick in their family. Deaths in their family,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The notion that scores of parents want their kids to stay at home may be a surprise to those reading news headlines for the last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local news has for months \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/S-F-teachers-share-demands-for-returning-to-15927867.php\">amplified the voices of more organized groups like Decreasing the Distance.\u003c/a> Some of those more amplified voices are calling for schools to reopen sooner rather than later, and are even recalling San Francisco school board members based on the idea that they single-handedly kept kids home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And their message has largely dominated the conversation about schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when it came time to finally let kids back in classrooms, the 450 online spots for distance learning provided by the district were quickly gobbled up. The school district has admitted 700 students who applied by July 30 to be in their online learning program, said SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that isn’t the sum total of the students wanting to stay home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To accommodate that growing number, SFUSD opened its applications for one of two independent learning programs with a deadline of Aug. 27.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Dudnick added, “we strongly encourage students who are able to participate in in-person learning to do so, as it is the best option for the vast majority of students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the number of families who want distance learning may be far higher than the official ones known to SFUSD. Chan told KQED some who desire distance learning haven’t applied for fear of losing priority in their desired schools, and many think distance learning isn’t even an option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s one they’d take if they had the chance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pushing for more open spots, local parents and parents of kids in SRO hotels are organizing for their own interests, demanding more distance learning options. KQED has seen screenshots of their group discussions on WeChat — the social media platform of choice for many in the Chinese community — with more than 800 people clamoring for distance learning options. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a second letter, sent Aug. 24, the families laid out their requests: rapid testing available for students of SRO families, SFUSD staff who can be point people to work with SRO families to ensure safety precautions are catered to their specific situations, more choices in remote learning, more language access for school emails to parents and, most of all, more input.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"All decisions must be made with SRO families, by them, and resolutions of their concerns,\" the letter reads. \"Families demand to be engaged so that they can provide meaningful input and direct policies.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Board of Education President Gabriela López says she's working on a resolution with fellow board members to call on the district to address the SRO families' specific asks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We have been hearing from and connecting with many families in order to address these serious concerns,\" López said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD Board of Education commissioner Jenny Lam also has been meeting with these SRO families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We've been hearing from families for many months as we've been planning the full return,\" Lam said. \"The timing is, while we were returning to in-person [learning], the delta variant was also surging through the city and throughout the state. We are seeing that stabilization now of the delta variant and the positive cases, but certainly empathize and understand the concerns from families.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Lam characterized these concerns as a recent development, the desire to maintain distance learning has been bubbling up for months, Chan from Chinatown CDC said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as far back as April, Lang Xie, another Chinatown SRO resident, shared similar concerns with KQED — even before the delta variant reared its head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Xie lives in an SRO with her husband and 10-year-old daughter, Vicky, who attends Gordon J. Lau Elementary School. Both Xie and her husband are fully vaccinated but said they feel uncomfortable sending Vicky back to school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In my opinion, it is still kind of concerning. Even though we are vaccinated, the risk of being infected is still there. If there is nothing important, we would avoid going outside as much as possible,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like others who live in SRO hotels, sharing a single room means they have no space to quarantine from one another, a concern Xie shares, despite some city resources open to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of those fears, Vicky learned from home during the spring semester, only returning to Gordon J. Lau Elementary School in the fall — but only because the family felt they had no other options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vicky was far from alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of roughly 750 students at Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, only 13 returned during the first week of school last April when in-person learning started again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school is more than 80% Asian, and many students are Chinese, with the school sitting squarely in Chinatown, right along Stockton Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFUSD, then, had long seen signs that many Chinese families weren’t ready to return to school, even before the delta variant rose. And San Francisco isn’t unique in that regard. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Surveys have shown this for months\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Multiple surveys conducted during the pandemic have shown a stark divide in who wants to return to in-person learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Throughout the pandemic, no matter what level of response was given, the ratios were often the same: White families overwhelmingly want to return to school, and Black and Latino families often want to return, but by a far slimmer majority than White families. But Asian families, and Chinese families in particular, are often far less likely to wish to return to in-person learning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May\u003cstrong>,\u003c/strong> the latest month available, just 27% of Asian families of fourth graders nationally were enrolled in in-person instruction, versus 66% of white families, \u003ca href=\"https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/\">according to a survey by the Institute of Education Sciences\u003c/a>. The institute is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And according to that same survey, a whopping 51% of Asian families preferred to learn remotely, compared to just 14% of white families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Closer to home, in an Oakland Unified School District survey circulated in March, 44% of Asian families were ready to return to in-person learning, the smallest number of any ethnic group. And in one December survey conducted by SFUSD, only 36% of Asian families said they’re returning to in-person learning, versus 80% of white families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People living in SRO buildings — like the tenants highlighted by the Chinatown Community Development Center’s survey — feel particularly vulnerable to COVID.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything’s communal [in an SRO],\" Chan said. “It’s a big worry that other units are going to spread [COVID] to them and vice versa.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11866067\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-11866067 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1.jpg\" alt=\"Long, spare, clean hallway with older Chinese residents standing in their doorways\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1570\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1-800x654.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1-1020x834.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1-160x131.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/7c93f304-1-1536x1256.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Residents of single-room occupancy hotels fear they have little ability to quarantine due to living in close quarters, with shared bathrooms and kitchens. Seen here, residents of an SRO building on Clayton Street in San Francisco pose for a photo in May 2020. (Photo courtesy Chinatown Community Development Center) \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy Chinatown Community Development Center)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To date, 1,397 people living in SROs have tested positive for COVID-19, spread across 269 SRO buildings, with 26 deaths as a result of the virus, \u003ca href=\"https://sf.gov/data/covid-19-single-room-occupancies-sros\">according to the city's COVID-19 dashboard\u003c/a>. By April, roughly 412 people from SROs had stayed in city-provided quarantine sites. The statistics are no longer publicly posted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In theory, San Francisco does provide hotel rooms for people living in SROs without their own space to separate when sick. But health professionals don’t always recommend those rooms as an option for SRO residents, and residents don’t always know of their existence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one such tightly packed SRO building, Jun Chang Tan lives in a single room with his wife, 15-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter. He lived on unemployment for most of the summer, after his wife lost her job at a salon that closed during the pandemic and he lost hours at his job as a custodian, a job he only regained a few months ago. During the pandemic, his kids have largely learned from home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tan said in April that he didn’t want his children returning to school yet. He says he can’t be sure they’re safe from COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city prioritized SRO residents for the vaccine, and Tan and his wife eagerly got their shots. But with no space to quarantine, Tan didn’t want his kids to risk becoming infected at school, and he especially fears the vaccine will not protect against new variants of the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though you are vaccinated, there is still a risk,” Tan says. “If they come in contact with COVID at school and bring it back home, then I do not have enough room because we live in a small apartment.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED asked Commissioner Lam if, were she speaking directly to Tan, she would say that sending his children back to school is safe?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I would say yes, it is,\" Lam said. \"I would encourage Mr. Tan that absolutely we have the proper protocols and guidelines in place.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lam is a parent herself, with two SFUSD high schoolers already returning to school. Lam said for learning's sake — and emotional well-being — learning in person is the best option for children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the fall semester, Tan did let his daughter return to school because, he said, he has no feasible choice, and because SFUSD had too few slots for distance learning. He also thinks SFUSD has too high of a requirement to prove your kid can be kept out of school — namely, one of two programs available asks kids who are “medically fragile” to apply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Tan finally let his daughter return to Yick Wo Elementary for the fall semester, however, they got a phone call on the third day: Class would be canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A kid in his daughter’s class tested positive for COVID.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been 71 reported positive cases in pre-K through fifth grade elementary schools in SFUSD, and 16 reported positive cases in pre-K through eighth grade schools, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/covid-19-response-updates-and-resources/health-and-safety-guidelines/when-someone-gets-sick/covid-19-testing-dashboard\">according to SFUSD's COVID dashboard\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Community-minded solutions\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Back at Gordon J. Lau Elementary School in April, Principal Gloria Choy sat near a sobbing child dressed in a Spider-Man costume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the families who were fearful to return during that spring semester, and to more broadly return, weren’t just afraid of COVID, but of the violence against the Asian community, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885993\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-11885993 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48747_026_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Principal Gloria Choy at Gordon Lau Elementary School in San Francisco's Chinatown on April 21, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of Choy’s school families was attacked riding a Muni bus from Market Street to pick up a free Wi-Fi hot spot from Gordon J. Lau in March. “This person was eyeing them the whole time. And when she got on the bus, the person yanked her backpack and her purse,” Choy said. The would-be thief got frustrated when bystanders tried to help. He “got upset, and just punched her in the face. So my [school] parents, they’re afraid,” Choy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And families fear that violence may continue even as the pandemic subsides and children return to school in droves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 50% of SFUSD elementary school families traditionally commute by car, 25% walk, 10% take public transit and 10% take yellow school buses, according to district data. But Choy’s school has a much higher proportion of kids busing from outside the neighborhood. About half of Gordon J. Lau families live on the other side of the city, Choy says. They all take Muni in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stop AAPI Hate’s most recent national count saw 9,081 hate incidents reported to the organization from March 19, 2020, through June 2021. Of those hate incidents, 10% were reported by kids age 17 and younger. This number likely undercounts the rate of hate incidents against kids, the organization says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign conducted in the summer of 2020 found that 77% of AAPI youth surveyed were angry over anti-Asian hate in the U.S., with 60% expressing disappointment over racism, and 30% of AAPI youth expressing fear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://stopaapihate.org/reports/\">Stop AAPI Hate\u003c/a> also released a report on racism’s effects on Asian youth, alongside a long list of recommendations for policymakers and school districts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among them: asking school officials to denounce hate, integrating ethnic studies and anti-racism curricula into coursework, establishing anonymous reporting systems for bullying, holding trainings with teachers and faculty on anti-Asian hate and discrimination, and boosting multilingual outreach to parents and families with culturally responsive mental health resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, a few of these recommendations are already underway: In March the San Francisco Board of Education made ethnic studies a graduation requirement, and they have disseminated an extensive and ever-growing document to educators with resources on emotionally processing and combating hate against the AAPI community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vincent Matthews, SFUSD’s superintendent, addressed that fear back in a March school board meeting, and has done so repeatedly since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The pandemic has brought a lot of pain and suffering for many, and with it conspiracy theories scapegoating the Asian community for the COVID-19 pandemic,” Matthews said in March. “We have to stand together against violence perpetrated against any member of our community, and right now there is an increase in violence against our Asian brothers and sisters. It is unacceptable and we must recommit ourselves to creating safe communities for each and every person. Your child’s physical and emotional safety is our priority whether we are in distance learning or in person.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Commissioner Lam also said she attended a town hall for monolingual Chinese families just in August, where she and her colleagues did their best to hear the concerns of families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the district has held Cantonese-language town halls, Lai Wa Wu, a policy director from the Chinese Progressive Association, said it felt like the community was being talked to, not with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It's not so much giving them more information, it's about shifting, creating spaces for there to be real long-term dialogue,” she said. “And that includes resourcing these spaces and taking these spaces seriously, where you give information to the community to help them make more informed decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hearing that concern, Lam said she's making an effort to get more staff to bridge the gap with the SRO community, and the monolingual Chinese community. She's hoping to arrange a meeting between their representatives and Superintendent Matthews soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're living through a pandemic that we have not lived through before in over a century. So certainly there are a lot of unknowns and certainty how we live through this together, and we are calling upon our institutions to be able to serve its people,\" Lam said. \"And so I take that responsibility wholeheartedly. Are there things that the district needs to do better? Of course, we always need to be doing better.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for Principal Choy, the solutions need not be grandiose. Even the simple act of providing yellow school buses for kids to avoid attacks on public transit would be a huge help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other solutions may require even more legwork. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Bringing kids back\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to one of the only 13 students to return to Gordon J. Lau Elementary School in April: Amy Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On her first day back in the spring, Amy was more than ready for school: She dressed in her warm kitty-cat sweater and carried her pink backpack on her shoulders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joyce — Amy’s mother — and Amy's story shows something unique, Principal Choy says: trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joyce was relieved when Amy returned to school in the spring. She volunteers at a local YMCA doing relief work with families hit hard by the pandemic and can take work meetings with more ease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am always happy to find the time to do volunteer work and help out the community. Because we are from a low-income family, my abilities are limited and I am only able to help to a certain extent,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So while Amy returned to school before hundreds of her peers, the Lee family also has an advantage many of her classmates don’t: She lives in the same neighborhood as her school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A staple of San Francisco’s historic Chinatown since 1952, the Ping Yuen affordable housing project on Pacific Avenue is home to more than 400 people. That includes Amy and Joyce. And on that particular Wednesday \u003cstrong>i\u003c/strong>n April, the second day of school, she practically dragged her mom out the door with excitement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amy knows where her classmates are this year: “They’re at Zoom,” she told KQED, as if Zoom were a place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885950\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-11885950 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS48732_011_SanFrancisco_GordonLauElementary_04212021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joyce Lee and her daughter Amy check in with Gordon Lau Elementary School staff in San Francisco on April 21, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As we all walked together to Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, Joyce talked about the advantages of having Amy back in school, especially helpful as COVID ravages the finances of many families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With fewer child-watching duties, Joyce may be able to find additional work to supplement their income. Her husband lost his restaurant job during the pandemic, and they have two other children: a toddler, and a teenager attending Galileo Academy of Science and Technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel safe allowing my children to return to school because the COVID-19 pandemic in the city has already reduced to a lower risk, the vaccine is available now, and the school district and school have held a meeting with parents about returning to campus,” Lee said during the spring semester.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that trust hasn’t come easily to the rest of the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think some of our Chinese community are still afraid of getting even their shots of vaccines,” Choy says. “I think they have to trust that the vaccine is going to work. I think they have to also trust that our school is going to keep them safe. They're going to have to trust that, you know, when they get on the bus to come to school” they’ll be safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That trust is tenuous. That trust takes time to earn. It takes more than just a translated flyer or a town hall from a school district — it takes resources, effort and genuine back-and-forth conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And to assure the safety of the community during the fall semester, that trust needs to come soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some interviews for this story were conducted in Cantonese with the help of a community translator, recorded and later translated for publication. Translations were conducted for KQED by Sophie Liang.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "What If Your Kid Brings COVID-19 Home? Here's How These Families Dealt With It",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were so careful,” said Alysha Johnson, a resident of Discovery Bay in Contra Costa County. “I’m a germaphobe. When this whole thing happened, we didn’t leave the house for six months.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson was crushed when her toddler, River, caught COVID-19 at a summer play group in late July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a pretty big deal how sick he got,” said Johnson. “It wasn’t just a little sniffle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her 2-year-old suffered a sore throat, a cough and a fever of 104 degrees. The bout lasted more than a week and sickened Johnson, her sister and her boyfriend — all of whom were vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885701\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11885701\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A parent carries a baby in one hand and a baby bottle in the other. The parent is sitting on a big, brown couch in the living room of their house.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alysha Johnson holds her son River while giving him a bottle in the family’s home in Discovery Bay in Contra Costa County on Aug. 16, 2021. When they and their family tested positive for COVID-19, they quarantined together in the house. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It felt like a really bad sinus cold,” Johnson said. “I felt exhausted. I lost my sense of taste and smell. That was the most bizarre sensation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson is relieved she had her shots protecting her against a more severe case of COVID-19. But the fact that kids are transmitting the coronavirus to family members is unnerving many parents as children head back to school, especially as a coronavirus vaccine for kids under 12 is not yet available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the first week of school, 58 students and 10 staff members tested positive in Oakland Unified School District schools. The tallies are much higher in other parts of the country. Last week, more than 3,000 students and staff had to quarantine in\u003ca href=\"https://www.brevardschools.org/cms/lib/FL02201431/Centricity/Domain/10805/Dashboard%20-%2008.13.21%20to%2008.16.21.pdf\"> Florida’s Brevard Public Schools\u003c/a>. And in Hawaii, many schools are pulling the plug and \u003ca href=\"https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/08/facing-new-covid-cases-waianae-school-returns-to-distance-learning/\">returning to remote learning\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885705\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11885705\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A parent carries their small child in their arms. Both have their bathing suits on and the child wears inflatable lifesavers as both are in the pool. Both are looking up at the sky. Behind them is a backyard and palm trees.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alysha Johnson holds her son River on Aug. 16, 2021, at their home in Discovery Bay. When River contracted COVID-19 during the summer, his body temperature rose to 104 degrees. “It was a pretty big deal how sick he got,” said Johnson. “It wasn’t just a little sniffle.” \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nationwide about 121,000 children tested positive for the virus from August 5 to 12, \u003ca href=\"https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/\">according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association\u003c/a>. That’s a 23% increase over the prior week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Time and time again we’re seeing kids return to school and then come home either after an exposure or sick themselves,” said Dr. Nicole Braxley, an emergency medicine physician at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael. “The virus sheds for a couple of days before the patient has symptoms. Entire families are suddenly exposed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885711\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11885711\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephanie Chenard says goodbye to her son, Desmond, before he goes into his school in Alameda on Aug. 17, 2021. In July, Desmond tested positive for COVID-19. While Desmond’s case was mild and he quickly recovered, this experience has left the family wary of possible infections at school. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>‘The longest few days of my life’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Stephanie Chenard’s 8-year-old son Desmond started third grade in Alameda this Tuesday. That evening after her son returned from his first day of classes, she received an email. The district reported \u003ca href=\"https://www.alameda.k12.ca.us/cvdashboard\">four positive COVID-19 cases\u003c/a> in four different schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s already started,” Chenard texted KQED after receiving the email, including a tearful emoji in her message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She knows firsthand how much a mild pediatric case can upend family life. About a month ago Desmond started to lose his appetite. He quickly developed a fever. Chenard grimaced when he tested positive for COVID-19. The news devastated her son.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He just burst out into tears,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family canceled a long-awaited summer trip to Lake Tahoe. Instead they quarantined at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Stephanie Chenard, Mother of Desmond, 8\"]‘The exposure felt like a moral failing.’[/pullquote]Chenard, a 49-year-old college administrator, started making calls. She notified her son’s summer camp. They suspended all activity. She alerted the public swimming pool. She fretted about whether to notify the organizers of a summer music festival. The hardest call was to a friend who had just had an organ transplant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The exposure felt like a moral failing,” said Chenard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately Chenard’s son’s case was mild. His fever broke the same day it started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Desmond was only sick for eight hours, but I spent 45 hours on notifications alone,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family’s quarantine also required both parents to juggle work and child care. Fortunately neither parent caught the virus. Chenard feels grateful she and her husband are vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some families are not so lucky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jace Garcia caught COVID-19 playing soccer with a friend in Sacramento earlier this month. The virus struck the 11-year-old in the middle of the night. Jace woke up vomiting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He curled up in the bathroom around the toilet. Body aches racked his slim calves, feet, chest and head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything was just squeezing that part of the body towards the bone,” said Jace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885715\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1238px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11885715\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1.png\" alt=\"A parent and a child take a selfie. Both are smiling and wear Oakland A's gear.\" width=\"1238\" height=\"826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1.png 1238w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1-160x107.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1238px) 100vw, 1238px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rico Garcia, left, and Jace Garcia attend an Oakland A’s game before the start of the pandemic. In August of this year, both father and son contracted COVID-19. “As a parent, you feel helpless,” said Garcia. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Rico Garcia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>His fever spiked around 104 degrees. He shivered under a pile of blankets. Even playing video games did not offer relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every time I would click down, I would get a tingling sensation in my hand,” said Jace. He tossed the controllers aside. “I felt dizzy.”\u003cbr>\nThe only advice doctors offered was to try to stay hydrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a parent, you feel helpless,” said Rico Garcia, Jace’s dad. “It was like the longest few days of my life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He worried he might contract the virus. Each morning he anxiously took a rapid test. He hoped his vaccine would offer protection, but on the fourth morning Rico tested positive. Within 24 hours the symptoms set in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It felt like a terrible head cold,” said Garcia. “My brain was foggy. I couldn’t think straight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11855623\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/02/Vaccination-Prep-1020x680.jpg\"]Then he lost his voice. He called in sick to the radio station where he’s a DJ. Then one morning at breakfast, things got weird.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My first sip of coffee was amazing,” Garcia said. “My ninth and tenth sip tasted like hot water. In the snap of a finger my sense of taste and smell was gone. I went as far as to cut a lime open and bite into it and tasted nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually Garcia’s ex-wife also caught the virus from their son. A teacher, she is currently quarantining. Jace is still fighting a lingering cough and congestion. He’s also missing the first 10 days of sixth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epidemiologists say \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html\">breakthrough cases\u003c/a> are on the rise all around the U.S., though estimates vary widely because tallies depend on community masking, testing availability and the level of virus circulating regionally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Symptoms can be absent or so mild in the vaccinated, many dismiss this as a cold or seasonal allergies,” \u003ca href=\"https://profiles.ucsf.edu/peter.chin-hong\">Dr. Peter Chin-Hong\u003c/a>, a UCSF professor and infectious disease specialist explains in an email. “In other words, you don’t know what you don’t know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11883110/the-war-has-changed-a-cdc-document-gives-new-details-on-the-dangers-of-the-delta-variant\">internal presentation\u003c/a> from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 35,000 people a week contract a symptomatic breakthrough infection in the U.S. In the week leading up to July 24, about 384,000 people across the country tested positive for COVID-19, which indicates about 9% of new cases were breakthrough infections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chin-Hong says this is likely an underestimate of the true total, but shouldn’t undermine the vaccines’ effectiveness in peoples’ minds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, one can say why focus on breakthrough infections, as the vaccines are really meant to prevent people getting serious disease and dying — which they are still spectacular at,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Weighing the risks\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Saun-Toy Trotter, Psychotherapist, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital\"]‘Young people experienced more depression and anxiety because of the level of isolation … One element of their well-being is being with peers, learning, stretching, struggling, growing and connecting.’[/pullquote]Until this summer, doctors said it was unusual for kids to pass the virus to a parent, especially someone who was vaccinated. But that’s changing as the delta variant takes hold. The new strain appears to be twice as contagious as the original.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s still rare for a child to experience a severe case or hospitalization or to die from the coronavirus. In states where \u003ca href=\"https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/\">data is available\u003c/a>, fewer than 2% of all pediatric COVID-19 cases required hospitalization and fewer than 0.03% are fatal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet, as schools open and more students test positive, parents and teachers find themselves trying to weigh the risks. Mental health experts learned the lockdown was hard on all of us, especially children — a fact underscored by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm\">spike in emergency room visits\u003c/a> among kids for mental health issues last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Young people experienced more depression and anxiety because of the level of isolation,” said Saun-Toy Trotter, a psychotherapist and a program manager at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland. She stresses screens cannot replace in-person interaction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label ='Related Coverage' tag='coronavirus']“One element of their well-being is being with peers, learning, stretching, struggling, growing and connecting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trotter recommends parents ask doctors and teachers lots of questions to weigh the risks. Schools can mitigate transmission through masks, vaccines and ventilation. Sometimes it’s as easy as opening both a window and a door to create a cross-breeze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before her son started middle school last week, Trotter sent a few emails to school administrators. The responses helped ease her mind. She says in-person learning is the right place for her son, at least for now. She’s watching the data closely.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were so careful,” said Alysha Johnson, a resident of Discovery Bay in Contra Costa County. “I’m a germaphobe. When this whole thing happened, we didn’t leave the house for six months.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson was crushed when her toddler, River, caught COVID-19 at a summer play group in late July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a pretty big deal how sick he got,” said Johnson. “It wasn’t just a little sniffle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her 2-year-old suffered a sore throat, a cough and a fever of 104 degrees. The bout lasted more than a week and sickened Johnson, her sister and her boyfriend — all of whom were vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885701\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11885701\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A parent carries a baby in one hand and a baby bottle in the other. The parent is sitting on a big, brown couch in the living room of their house.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50667_024_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alysha Johnson holds her son River while giving him a bottle in the family’s home in Discovery Bay in Contra Costa County on Aug. 16, 2021. When they and their family tested positive for COVID-19, they quarantined together in the house. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It felt like a really bad sinus cold,” Johnson said. “I felt exhausted. I lost my sense of taste and smell. That was the most bizarre sensation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson is relieved she had her shots protecting her against a more severe case of COVID-19. But the fact that kids are transmitting the coronavirus to family members is unnerving many parents as children head back to school, especially as a coronavirus vaccine for kids under 12 is not yet available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the first week of school, 58 students and 10 staff members tested positive in Oakland Unified School District schools. The tallies are much higher in other parts of the country. Last week, more than 3,000 students and staff had to quarantine in\u003ca href=\"https://www.brevardschools.org/cms/lib/FL02201431/Centricity/Domain/10805/Dashboard%20-%2008.13.21%20to%2008.16.21.pdf\"> Florida’s Brevard Public Schools\u003c/a>. And in Hawaii, many schools are pulling the plug and \u003ca href=\"https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/08/facing-new-covid-cases-waianae-school-returns-to-distance-learning/\">returning to remote learning\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885705\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11885705\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A parent carries their small child in their arms. Both have their bathing suits on and the child wears inflatable lifesavers as both are in the pool. Both are looking up at the sky. Behind them is a backyard and palm trees.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50653_010_DiscoveryBay_ChildrenCOVID_08162021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alysha Johnson holds her son River on Aug. 16, 2021, at their home in Discovery Bay. When River contracted COVID-19 during the summer, his body temperature rose to 104 degrees. “It was a pretty big deal how sick he got,” said Johnson. “It wasn’t just a little sniffle.” \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nationwide about 121,000 children tested positive for the virus from August 5 to 12, \u003ca href=\"https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/\">according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association\u003c/a>. That’s a 23% increase over the prior week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Time and time again we’re seeing kids return to school and then come home either after an exposure or sick themselves,” said Dr. Nicole Braxley, an emergency medicine physician at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael. “The virus sheds for a couple of days before the patient has symptoms. Entire families are suddenly exposed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885711\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11885711\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50638_014_Alameda_ChildrenCOVID_08172021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephanie Chenard says goodbye to her son, Desmond, before he goes into his school in Alameda on Aug. 17, 2021. In July, Desmond tested positive for COVID-19. While Desmond’s case was mild and he quickly recovered, this experience has left the family wary of possible infections at school. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>‘The longest few days of my life’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Stephanie Chenard’s 8-year-old son Desmond started third grade in Alameda this Tuesday. That evening after her son returned from his first day of classes, she received an email. The district reported \u003ca href=\"https://www.alameda.k12.ca.us/cvdashboard\">four positive COVID-19 cases\u003c/a> in four different schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s already started,” Chenard texted KQED after receiving the email, including a tearful emoji in her message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She knows firsthand how much a mild pediatric case can upend family life. About a month ago Desmond started to lose his appetite. He quickly developed a fever. Chenard grimaced when he tested positive for COVID-19. The news devastated her son.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He just burst out into tears,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family canceled a long-awaited summer trip to Lake Tahoe. Instead they quarantined at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Chenard, a 49-year-old college administrator, started making calls. She notified her son’s summer camp. They suspended all activity. She alerted the public swimming pool. She fretted about whether to notify the organizers of a summer music festival. The hardest call was to a friend who had just had an organ transplant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The exposure felt like a moral failing,” said Chenard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately Chenard’s son’s case was mild. His fever broke the same day it started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Desmond was only sick for eight hours, but I spent 45 hours on notifications alone,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family’s quarantine also required both parents to juggle work and child care. Fortunately neither parent caught the virus. Chenard feels grateful she and her husband are vaccinated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some families are not so lucky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jace Garcia caught COVID-19 playing soccer with a friend in Sacramento earlier this month. The virus struck the 11-year-old in the middle of the night. Jace woke up vomiting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He curled up in the bathroom around the toilet. Body aches racked his slim calves, feet, chest and head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything was just squeezing that part of the body towards the bone,” said Jace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11885715\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1238px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11885715\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1.png\" alt=\"A parent and a child take a selfie. Both are smiling and wear Oakland A's gear.\" width=\"1238\" height=\"826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1.png 1238w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1-800x534.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1-1020x681.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/ricojace1-160x107.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1238px) 100vw, 1238px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rico Garcia, left, and Jace Garcia attend an Oakland A’s game before the start of the pandemic. In August of this year, both father and son contracted COVID-19. “As a parent, you feel helpless,” said Garcia. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Rico Garcia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>His fever spiked around 104 degrees. He shivered under a pile of blankets. Even playing video games did not offer relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every time I would click down, I would get a tingling sensation in my hand,” said Jace. He tossed the controllers aside. “I felt dizzy.”\u003cbr>\nThe only advice doctors offered was to try to stay hydrated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a parent, you feel helpless,” said Rico Garcia, Jace’s dad. “It was like the longest few days of my life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He worried he might contract the virus. Each morning he anxiously took a rapid test. He hoped his vaccine would offer protection, but on the fourth morning Rico tested positive. Within 24 hours the symptoms set in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It felt like a terrible head cold,” said Garcia. “My brain was foggy. I couldn’t think straight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Then he lost his voice. He called in sick to the radio station where he’s a DJ. Then one morning at breakfast, things got weird.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My first sip of coffee was amazing,” Garcia said. “My ninth and tenth sip tasted like hot water. In the snap of a finger my sense of taste and smell was gone. I went as far as to cut a lime open and bite into it and tasted nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually Garcia’s ex-wife also caught the virus from their son. A teacher, she is currently quarantining. Jace is still fighting a lingering cough and congestion. He’s also missing the first 10 days of sixth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epidemiologists say \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html\">breakthrough cases\u003c/a> are on the rise all around the U.S., though estimates vary widely because tallies depend on community masking, testing availability and the level of virus circulating regionally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Symptoms can be absent or so mild in the vaccinated, many dismiss this as a cold or seasonal allergies,” \u003ca href=\"https://profiles.ucsf.edu/peter.chin-hong\">Dr. Peter Chin-Hong\u003c/a>, a UCSF professor and infectious disease specialist explains in an email. “In other words, you don’t know what you don’t know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11883110/the-war-has-changed-a-cdc-document-gives-new-details-on-the-dangers-of-the-delta-variant\">internal presentation\u003c/a> from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 35,000 people a week contract a symptomatic breakthrough infection in the U.S. In the week leading up to July 24, about 384,000 people across the country tested positive for COVID-19, which indicates about 9% of new cases were breakthrough infections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chin-Hong says this is likely an underestimate of the true total, but shouldn’t undermine the vaccines’ effectiveness in peoples’ minds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, one can say why focus on breakthrough infections, as the vaccines are really meant to prevent people getting serious disease and dying — which they are still spectacular at,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Weighing the risks\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Young people experienced more depression and anxiety because of the level of isolation … One element of their well-being is being with peers, learning, stretching, struggling, growing and connecting.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Until this summer, doctors said it was unusual for kids to pass the virus to a parent, especially someone who was vaccinated. But that’s changing as the delta variant takes hold. The new strain appears to be twice as contagious as the original.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s still rare for a child to experience a severe case or hospitalization or to die from the coronavirus. In states where \u003ca href=\"https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/\">data is available\u003c/a>, fewer than 2% of all pediatric COVID-19 cases required hospitalization and fewer than 0.03% are fatal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet, as schools open and more students test positive, parents and teachers find themselves trying to weigh the risks. Mental health experts learned the lockdown was hard on all of us, especially children — a fact underscored by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm\">spike in emergency room visits\u003c/a> among kids for mental health issues last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Young people experienced more depression and anxiety because of the level of isolation,” said Saun-Toy Trotter, a psychotherapist and a program manager at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland. She stresses screens cannot replace in-person interaction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“One element of their well-being is being with peers, learning, stretching, struggling, growing and connecting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trotter recommends parents ask doctors and teachers lots of questions to weigh the risks. Schools can mitigate transmission through masks, vaccines and ventilation. Sometimes it’s as easy as opening both a window and a door to create a cross-breeze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before her son started middle school last week, Trotter sent a few emails to school administrators. The responses helped ease her mind. She says in-person learning is the right place for her son, at least for now. She’s watching the data closely.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A superior court judge in Alameda County has ordered Mills College to provide financial documents to an alumnae trustee before any vote takes place on a potential merger with Northeastern University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a hearing Monday, Judge Stephen Pulido granted, in part, Mills College alum trustee Dr. Viji Nakka-Cammauf’s request for documents related to the financial health of the institution — including planning documents, term sheets and financial data. The documents must be delivered electronically by the end of the day on Aug. 18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The court also issued a temporary injunction that prevents Mills College from entering any new contracts or commitments related to the future of the college. That order will expire on Sept. 3 at 5 p.m., after which the board of trustees (which governs the college) would be able to proceed with a vote on the merger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thankfully, the Alameda County Superior Court has intervened and ruled in favor of truth and transparency about the future of Mills College, which otherwise would continue moving forward with a merger that’s been shrouded in secrecy,” said Alexa Pagonas, vice president of the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Board of Governors in a press release. “I’m thankful the Court realized the important and historic nature of this decision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press release late Monday, Mills College President Elizabeth Hillman said the school would provide the financial records per Judge Pulido’s decision, and called “the continued pursuit” of a merger with Northeastern “vital to advancing the mission of Mills and to ensuring opportunities for our students, our faculty and staff, our alumnae and the broader Oakland community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Access to financial documents\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Back in March, Hillman said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11865408/mills-college-to-stop-offering-degrees-cites-low-enrollment-financial-woes\">in a letter\u003c/a> that the college would cease to be a degree-granting institution in 2023, citing “the economic burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic, structural changes across higher education, and Mills’ declining enrollment and budget deficits.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Months later — after Hillman announced that Mills would \u003ca href=\"https://www.mills.edu/announcement/index.php\">seek a merger with the Boston-based Northeastern University\u003c/a> — some alumnae members of the board of trustees filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court to get more information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They allege, in court documents, that the college is denying them access to crucial financial documents that are essential in exercising their “fiduciary duties” to Mills. And that there should be a review of that information before any merger is considered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the college was originally willing to allow the plaintiff and AAMC President Nakka-Cammauf to review the documents, it was only under very limited circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Judge Stephen Pulido\"]‘I’ll tell you right now, to tell a trustee that they’ve got to go alone into some room and review [these documents] without assistance from a professional … That’s not going to work.’[/pullquote]“The [AAMC] president was told she could basically sit in a room by herself with a ton of documents, thousands and thousands of pages printed out, but not make any copies and not discuss them with a lawyer or accountant,” Pagonas told KQED. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit is aimed at allowing Nakka-Cammauf to review the documents in the presence of an expert. In court Monday, Judge Pulido seemed confused as to why the college was putting conditions around viewing the documents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m a little surprised why these documents can’t just get produced,” Pulido said. “I’ll tell you right now, to tell a trustee that they’ve got to go alone into some room and review them without assistance from a professional … That’s not going to work. There’s got to be a better way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Pausing a merger\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The judge also put on hold the college’s proposed deal with Northeastern University, a contentious merger that is at the heart of the issue for several concerned alumnae. Mills officials originally announced they would pursue the merger in early June, which some alumnae felt was a very fast decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re still trying to deal with what happened in March. So talking about new suitors seems to assume that there’s a \u003cem>reason\u003c/em> we need to talk about new suitors,” Pagonas said. “My analogy to that is somebody asking me, you know, where in Los Angeles I would like to buy a house when I sell mine? I haven’t decided to sell my house. So until I decide that I need to actually move, it seems kind of silly to be looking at other properties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Essentially, they want a better idea of what the entire financial situation is at Mills before a decision is made about entering into a relationship with \u003cem>any \u003c/em>other institution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Mills College' tag='mills-college']But attorney Stephanie Yonekura, who represents Mills President Hillman in the lawsuit, alleged that the ongoing delays in the deal were causing significant financial harm to the college, exacerbating its precipitous situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even if we talk about the little delay that has been at issue so far, it has caused harm to students,” Yonekura said in court. “The students are entering and having their first day of college in about less than 10 days, and they are being forced to make a decision whether or not to come to the school, not knowing if they’re going to be able to continue with their college career there and obtain a degree or whether or not the college will be even operational for the rest of the school year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yonekura also said the delay is affecting faculty and staff as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a declaration submitted to the court, Hillman said the lawsuit was also contributing to staff instability. The document says that, so far, three staff members at the college have resigned, with one citing “growing concerns about the future of Mills” as a reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Yonekura, the college could run out of cash as early as November or December of this year, and “under any circumstances will run out of cash by February of 2022.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The AAMC \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60de4f4aa25e053fedb84faa/t/6103d5a054377a15923f468c/1627641249151/AAMC-Alum-Survey-Responses-July-7-14-21.pdf\">conducted a survey\u003c/a> in early July asking if alums want them to pursue legal action against the college. The survey was sent to 4,000 alums, and out of the 755 responses, 83% said they want the action to go forward, though respondents were somewhat split on how much money the association should pour into the legal fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, not all alumnae agreed the lawsuit is the best step forward — or that the survey is an accurate representation of how most alumnae feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 10, 14 alumnae trustees \u003ca href=\"https://www.mills.edu/news/news-stories/trustees-oppose-aamc-lawsuit.php\">signed a letter\u003c/a> stating that the AAMC lawsuit “is ill considered, divisive, and detrimental to the future of Mills” and that their actions are “putting at great risk the futures of current students, faculty, and staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, in a \u003ca href=\"https://inside.mills.edu/about-mills/office-president/mills-inside-out/august-6.php\">message to the Mills community\u003c/a> on Aug. 6, Hillman alleged that the alumnae association’s reluctance to see the college change was actively harming it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because the alumnae association prefers that Mills not change, it is funding a lawsuit that could force Mills to cut expenses, sell assets, and risk closure rather than work with Northeastern to create a new educational model and achieve financial stability,” Hillman wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response, AAMC Vice President Pagonas told KQED that the assertion was “purposefully misleading.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have, in fact, always been supportive of the college. We are, in fact, supportive of evolution and change. We are also supportive of truth and transparency. And so we believe all of us can work together,” she said. “And to say that we’re just trying to hurt the college or we don’t want change … is categorically untrue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A superior court judge in Alameda County has ordered Mills College to provide financial documents to an alumnae trustee before any vote takes place on a potential merger with Northeastern University.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a hearing Monday, Judge Stephen Pulido granted, in part, Mills College alum trustee Dr. Viji Nakka-Cammauf’s request for documents related to the financial health of the institution — including planning documents, term sheets and financial data. The documents must be delivered electronically by the end of the day on Aug. 18.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The court also issued a temporary injunction that prevents Mills College from entering any new contracts or commitments related to the future of the college. That order will expire on Sept. 3 at 5 p.m., after which the board of trustees (which governs the college) would be able to proceed with a vote on the merger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thankfully, the Alameda County Superior Court has intervened and ruled in favor of truth and transparency about the future of Mills College, which otherwise would continue moving forward with a merger that’s been shrouded in secrecy,” said Alexa Pagonas, vice president of the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Board of Governors in a press release. “I’m thankful the Court realized the important and historic nature of this decision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press release late Monday, Mills College President Elizabeth Hillman said the school would provide the financial records per Judge Pulido’s decision, and called “the continued pursuit” of a merger with Northeastern “vital to advancing the mission of Mills and to ensuring opportunities for our students, our faculty and staff, our alumnae and the broader Oakland community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Access to financial documents\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Back in March, Hillman said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11865408/mills-college-to-stop-offering-degrees-cites-low-enrollment-financial-woes\">in a letter\u003c/a> that the college would cease to be a degree-granting institution in 2023, citing “the economic burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic, structural changes across higher education, and Mills’ declining enrollment and budget deficits.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Months later — after Hillman announced that Mills would \u003ca href=\"https://www.mills.edu/announcement/index.php\">seek a merger with the Boston-based Northeastern University\u003c/a> — some alumnae members of the board of trustees filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court to get more information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They allege, in court documents, that the college is denying them access to crucial financial documents that are essential in exercising their “fiduciary duties” to Mills. And that there should be a review of that information before any merger is considered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the college was originally willing to allow the plaintiff and AAMC President Nakka-Cammauf to review the documents, it was only under very limited circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I’ll tell you right now, to tell a trustee that they’ve got to go alone into some room and review [these documents] without assistance from a professional … That’s not going to work.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The [AAMC] president was told she could basically sit in a room by herself with a ton of documents, thousands and thousands of pages printed out, but not make any copies and not discuss them with a lawyer or accountant,” Pagonas told KQED. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit is aimed at allowing Nakka-Cammauf to review the documents in the presence of an expert. In court Monday, Judge Pulido seemed confused as to why the college was putting conditions around viewing the documents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m a little surprised why these documents can’t just get produced,” Pulido said. “I’ll tell you right now, to tell a trustee that they’ve got to go alone into some room and review them without assistance from a professional … That’s not going to work. There’s got to be a better way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Pausing a merger\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The judge also put on hold the college’s proposed deal with Northeastern University, a contentious merger that is at the heart of the issue for several concerned alumnae. Mills officials originally announced they would pursue the merger in early June, which some alumnae felt was a very fast decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re still trying to deal with what happened in March. So talking about new suitors seems to assume that there’s a \u003cem>reason\u003c/em> we need to talk about new suitors,” Pagonas said. “My analogy to that is somebody asking me, you know, where in Los Angeles I would like to buy a house when I sell mine? I haven’t decided to sell my house. So until I decide that I need to actually move, it seems kind of silly to be looking at other properties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Essentially, they want a better idea of what the entire financial situation is at Mills before a decision is made about entering into a relationship with \u003cem>any \u003c/em>other institution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But attorney Stephanie Yonekura, who represents Mills President Hillman in the lawsuit, alleged that the ongoing delays in the deal were causing significant financial harm to the college, exacerbating its precipitous situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even if we talk about the little delay that has been at issue so far, it has caused harm to students,” Yonekura said in court. “The students are entering and having their first day of college in about less than 10 days, and they are being forced to make a decision whether or not to come to the school, not knowing if they’re going to be able to continue with their college career there and obtain a degree or whether or not the college will be even operational for the rest of the school year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yonekura also said the delay is affecting faculty and staff as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a declaration submitted to the court, Hillman said the lawsuit was also contributing to staff instability. The document says that, so far, three staff members at the college have resigned, with one citing “growing concerns about the future of Mills” as a reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Yonekura, the college could run out of cash as early as November or December of this year, and “under any circumstances will run out of cash by February of 2022.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The AAMC \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60de4f4aa25e053fedb84faa/t/6103d5a054377a15923f468c/1627641249151/AAMC-Alum-Survey-Responses-July-7-14-21.pdf\">conducted a survey\u003c/a> in early July asking if alums want them to pursue legal action against the college. The survey was sent to 4,000 alums, and out of the 755 responses, 83% said they want the action to go forward, though respondents were somewhat split on how much money the association should pour into the legal fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, not all alumnae agreed the lawsuit is the best step forward — or that the survey is an accurate representation of how most alumnae feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 10, 14 alumnae trustees \u003ca href=\"https://www.mills.edu/news/news-stories/trustees-oppose-aamc-lawsuit.php\">signed a letter\u003c/a> stating that the AAMC lawsuit “is ill considered, divisive, and detrimental to the future of Mills” and that their actions are “putting at great risk the futures of current students, faculty, and staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, in a \u003ca href=\"https://inside.mills.edu/about-mills/office-president/mills-inside-out/august-6.php\">message to the Mills community\u003c/a> on Aug. 6, Hillman alleged that the alumnae association’s reluctance to see the college change was actively harming it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because the alumnae association prefers that Mills not change, it is funding a lawsuit that could force Mills to cut expenses, sell assets, and risk closure rather than work with Northeastern to create a new educational model and achieve financial stability,” Hillman wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response, AAMC Vice President Pagonas told KQED that the assertion was “purposefully misleading.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have, in fact, always been supportive of the college. We are, in fact, supportive of evolution and change. We are also supportive of truth and transparency. And so we believe all of us can work together,” she said. “And to say that we’re just trying to hurt the college or we don’t want change … is categorically untrue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"headTitle": "How to Shift From Protest to Policy | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>The Bay’s \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeiQTfCnzwvOkxyTf8kUNPHsaoishgMkbMpQ25W5UpHOn9bw/viewform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">how-to newsletter\u003c/a> series is an extension of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bythepeople\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">By the People\u003c/a> episodes that look into how democracy functions in the spaces around us — and where, exactly, each of us can plug in. These features include changemakers who have learned how to get involved locally and who are now sharing their step-by-step guides with you.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11885124\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-800x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-800x200.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-1020x255.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-160x40.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-1536x384.png 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3.png 1584w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protest and policy can work together. Protests may raise awareness and understanding about issues and \u003ca href=\"https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-politics-of-common-sense-9780190203986?cc=us&lang=en&\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">affect legislation \u003c/a>— such as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30103078\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2016 protests\u003c/a> against the Keystone XL Pipeline in North Dakota that threatened sacred Native American sites and burial grounds and risked polluting a major water source for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The added pressure from protests led to President Joe Biden \u003ca href=\"https://www.dw.com/en/with-a-pen-stroke-president-joe-biden-cancels-keystone-xl-pipeline-project/a-56285371\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">canceling permits for the controversial project on his first day in office\u003c/a>. Last year’s protests around George Floyd’s death have \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/george-floyd-protests-blm-impact/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shifted\u003c/a> the national conversation and demands for change in policing and funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://marchforourlives.com/mission-story/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March for Our Lives\u003c/a> protests can be added to the list. After the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/series/692717472/parkland-school-shooting-one-year-later\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mass shooting\u003c/a> at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018, an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/24/596679790/hundreds-of-thousands-march-for-gun-control-across-the-u-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2 million people in 387 congressional districts\u003c/a> across the country protested the lack of meaningful gun control legislation. Since then, the organization has done bus tours to understand how gun violence affects communities, and registered over 50,000 new voters — contributing to record youth voter turnout during the 2018 election. In 2020 March for Our Lives wrote specific \u003ca href=\"https://marchforourlives.com/demands/?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=The%20Bay&mc_key=00Q1Y00001wB9IBUA0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">policy demands\u003c/a> for the Biden-Harris administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Eve Levenson, March for Our Lives\"]‘The powerful personal stories that we hear at protests and see on social media also need to be shared directly with the people who are writing laws.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>March for Our Lives members Yasmine Mabene and Eve Levenson believe protest and policy don’t have to be seen as separate from one another. “Once you’re able to get people mobilized, you have the attention and then you can come up with demands and policy proposals for your legislators,” Mabene said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levenson added that “the powerful personal stories that we hear at protests and see on social media also need to be shared directly with the people who are writing laws.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mabene and Levenson both got involved with the organization by leading demonstrations at their own high schools in Southern California after the Parkland shootings. Neither had been involved in policy work before, and they learned quite a bit from their time with the organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are Mabene and Levenson’s tips for leveraging protest for policy:\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>1. Start local\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Mabene and Levenson acknowledge how inaccessible policy work can be. So it’s best to research coalitions, organizations or people in your own community, says Mabene, who are working on something you are passionate about — perhaps the environment, housing, or voting access. Join in to see where you can provide support, keep yourself up to date on the issues that are most important to you, and follow up on the policies affecting those issues.\u003cbr>\n[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Yasmine Mabene, March for Our Lives members\"]‘I think a lot of attempts at reducing gun violence have led to criminalization that hurt communities of color so it’s also important to make sure that the approach that they’re taking isn’t going to further marginalize communities.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levenson also suggests getting connected to programs that invest in teaching young people about policymaking and lobbying, like \u003ca href=\"https://ourbluefuture.us/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blue Future\u003c/a> (check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.teamenough.org/who-we-are?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Team ENOUGH\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://click.email.kqed.org/?qs=3ef26f4357ec2b68310c557cb441a0d672c18e1f245a4057eb7462190334a871f818fbb0d06018968c8030c755ef69fd86e6a1ab897b2375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brady campaign\u003c/a>, both of which Levenson helped found). In addition to these groups, Levenson recommends knowing who the decision makers are in your community, such as city council and local elected leaders. “Those people are more likely to listen to you because you help to vote them in. You can contact them via phone, email, and, once COVID gets better, also in-person lobbying meetings,” Levenson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>2. Dip your foot in the pool\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Policy work involves writing, research, creative thinking and, most of all, participation. For Mabene, attending city council or school board meetings helped her gain awareness of how these meetings work and allowed her to gain some exposure to what a city council does. “A lot of times local officials will host town halls, and not a lot of people show up, especially not a lot of young people,” Mabene says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City council agendas are made public and there is usually a time period allotted for the public to make comments. You can speak out during those meetings or you can email elected officials directly.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you choose to lobby legislators, Mabene says you won’t always talk to the elected officials themselves, but rather their chief lobbyist or someone of a similar position. Most of the time, legislative staff are the ones taking notes and relaying the message, but they’re still important people to talk to and establish relationships with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lastly, you don’t have to be registered or eligible to vote to partake in this process. Plus, you can lobby in areas you don’t live in, as seen through nationwide efforts for \u003ca href=\"http://teenvogue.com/story/5-youth-led-climate-justice-groups-to-save-the-environment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">climate change\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>For more on how to prepare for city council meetings, check out “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11852506/by-the-people-oaklands-longtime-city-clerk-on-how-to-make-use-of-city-council-meetings?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=The%20Bay&mc_key=00Q1Y00001wB9IBUA0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">By the People: Oakland’s Longtime City Clerk on Participating in Council Meetings\u003c/a>.” \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2983267421&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>3. Do your research\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Suddenly you’ve got partners and you’re sitting in on local meetings. Next, it’s all about putting those policy ideas on paper, and finding the money to support them. How? Research!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, identify the issue you want to fix. “If you have a specific issue in your city, look at neighboring cities that don’t have that issue,” Mabene says. “Base your proposal off what models they have and explore if that can work in your specific jurisdiction.” You can also look into the models of other states or countries to really examine the issue you are trying to address from a solutions-oriented perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>4. Stay with it\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s important to note that passing policy is just the first step. The next step is making sure it gets implemented properly. “There are a lot of times where you’ll have really good policy, there’s research that backs it, but it ends up getting implemented poorly,” Mabene said. “It ends up not really achieving the goal you wanted.” [aside tag=\"the-bay, democracy\" label=\"More Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Policy takes time. In general, Levenson says policy at the federal level moves slowly. Gun legislation, for example, moves dangerously slow. Nevertheless, Levenson and Mabene are hopeful about President Biden’s recent executive actions on guns. “It’s definitely exciting that the Biden administration is recognizing gun violence as a public health epidemic, which it is, and it’s long overdue for it to be treated as such,” Mabene said. “I think a lot of attempts at reducing gun violence have led to criminalization that hurt communities of color so it’s also important to make sure that the approach that they’re taking isn’t going to further marginalize communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting policy passed and implemented requires a team and nonstop work. But, there is solace in the partnerships created and unfaltering motivation in the pursuit of bigger change. “I’m only 21 right now, and to know that there are people who have been doing this work for much longer, it gives me hope,” Levenson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11885125\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44-800x450.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44-800x450.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44-1020x574.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44-160x90.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Isabeth Mendoza is the engagement producer for The Bay, a podcast that explores local news every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We launched a newsletter and episode series called \u003ca href=\"https://click.email.kqed.org/?qs=de9b073e9d21239f50f202cec0ebe6e98c8b13843e30e1061d8fee1c4457340bcf34b3833b85a9c8a14704995b30714fb0be02251915e015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">By The People\u003c/a> shortly after U.S. Election Day in 2020. The purpose of the series was to look into how democracy functions in the spaces around us, and the \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeiQTfCnzwvOkxyTf8kUNPHsaoishgMkbMpQ25W5UpHOn9bw/viewform?usp=send_form\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">newsletter\u003c/a> continued the conversation focusing on how to plug in. We looked at how to run for office, how to use digital spaces for advocacy and how to get a measure on a ballot. If any of these spark your curiosity, keep reading because we break it down for you in simple how-to guides.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>The Bay’s \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeiQTfCnzwvOkxyTf8kUNPHsaoishgMkbMpQ25W5UpHOn9bw/viewform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">how-to newsletter\u003c/a> series is an extension of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bythepeople\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">By the People\u003c/a> episodes that look into how democracy functions in the spaces around us — and where, exactly, each of us can plug in. These features include changemakers who have learned how to get involved locally and who are now sharing their step-by-step guides with you.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11885124\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-800x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-800x200.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-1020x255.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-160x40.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3-1536x384.png 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/How-To-Headers-3.png 1584w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protest and policy can work together. Protests may raise awareness and understanding about issues and \u003ca href=\"https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-politics-of-common-sense-9780190203986?cc=us&lang=en&\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">affect legislation \u003c/a>— such as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30103078\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2016 protests\u003c/a> against the Keystone XL Pipeline in North Dakota that threatened sacred Native American sites and burial grounds and risked polluting a major water source for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The added pressure from protests led to President Joe Biden \u003ca href=\"https://www.dw.com/en/with-a-pen-stroke-president-joe-biden-cancels-keystone-xl-pipeline-project/a-56285371\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">canceling permits for the controversial project on his first day in office\u003c/a>. Last year’s protests around George Floyd’s death have \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/george-floyd-protests-blm-impact/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shifted\u003c/a> the national conversation and demands for change in policing and funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://marchforourlives.com/mission-story/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March for Our Lives\u003c/a> protests can be added to the list. After the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/series/692717472/parkland-school-shooting-one-year-later\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mass shooting\u003c/a> at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018, an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/24/596679790/hundreds-of-thousands-march-for-gun-control-across-the-u-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2 million people in 387 congressional districts\u003c/a> across the country protested the lack of meaningful gun control legislation. Since then, the organization has done bus tours to understand how gun violence affects communities, and registered over 50,000 new voters — contributing to record youth voter turnout during the 2018 election. In 2020 March for Our Lives wrote specific \u003ca href=\"https://marchforourlives.com/demands/?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=The%20Bay&mc_key=00Q1Y00001wB9IBUA0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">policy demands\u003c/a> for the Biden-Harris administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘The powerful personal stories that we hear at protests and see on social media also need to be shared directly with the people who are writing laws.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>March for Our Lives members Yasmine Mabene and Eve Levenson believe protest and policy don’t have to be seen as separate from one another. “Once you’re able to get people mobilized, you have the attention and then you can come up with demands and policy proposals for your legislators,” Mabene said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levenson added that “the powerful personal stories that we hear at protests and see on social media also need to be shared directly with the people who are writing laws.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mabene and Levenson both got involved with the organization by leading demonstrations at their own high schools in Southern California after the Parkland shootings. Neither had been involved in policy work before, and they learned quite a bit from their time with the organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are Mabene and Levenson’s tips for leveraging protest for policy:\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>1. Start local\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Mabene and Levenson acknowledge how inaccessible policy work can be. So it’s best to research coalitions, organizations or people in your own community, says Mabene, who are working on something you are passionate about — perhaps the environment, housing, or voting access. Join in to see where you can provide support, keep yourself up to date on the issues that are most important to you, and follow up on the policies affecting those issues.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I think a lot of attempts at reducing gun violence have led to criminalization that hurt communities of color so it’s also important to make sure that the approach that they’re taking isn’t going to further marginalize communities.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levenson also suggests getting connected to programs that invest in teaching young people about policymaking and lobbying, like \u003ca href=\"https://ourbluefuture.us/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blue Future\u003c/a> (check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.teamenough.org/who-we-are?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Team ENOUGH\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://click.email.kqed.org/?qs=3ef26f4357ec2b68310c557cb441a0d672c18e1f245a4057eb7462190334a871f818fbb0d06018968c8030c755ef69fd86e6a1ab897b2375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brady campaign\u003c/a>, both of which Levenson helped found). In addition to these groups, Levenson recommends knowing who the decision makers are in your community, such as city council and local elected leaders. “Those people are more likely to listen to you because you help to vote them in. You can contact them via phone, email, and, once COVID gets better, also in-person lobbying meetings,” Levenson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>2. Dip your foot in the pool\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Policy work involves writing, research, creative thinking and, most of all, participation. For Mabene, attending city council or school board meetings helped her gain awareness of how these meetings work and allowed her to gain some exposure to what a city council does. “A lot of times local officials will host town halls, and not a lot of people show up, especially not a lot of young people,” Mabene says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City council agendas are made public and there is usually a time period allotted for the public to make comments. You can speak out during those meetings or you can email elected officials directly.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you choose to lobby legislators, Mabene says you won’t always talk to the elected officials themselves, but rather their chief lobbyist or someone of a similar position. Most of the time, legislative staff are the ones taking notes and relaying the message, but they’re still important people to talk to and establish relationships with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lastly, you don’t have to be registered or eligible to vote to partake in this process. Plus, you can lobby in areas you don’t live in, as seen through nationwide efforts for \u003ca href=\"http://teenvogue.com/story/5-youth-led-climate-justice-groups-to-save-the-environment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">climate change\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>For more on how to prepare for city council meetings, check out “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11852506/by-the-people-oaklands-longtime-city-clerk-on-how-to-make-use-of-city-council-meetings?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=The%20Bay&mc_key=00Q1Y00001wB9IBUA0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">By the People: Oakland’s Longtime City Clerk on Participating in Council Meetings\u003c/a>.” \u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC2983267421&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>3. Do your research\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Suddenly you’ve got partners and you’re sitting in on local meetings. Next, it’s all about putting those policy ideas on paper, and finding the money to support them. How? Research!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, identify the issue you want to fix. “If you have a specific issue in your city, look at neighboring cities that don’t have that issue,” Mabene says. “Base your proposal off what models they have and explore if that can work in your specific jurisdiction.” You can also look into the models of other states or countries to really examine the issue you are trying to address from a solutions-oriented perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>4. Stay with it\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s important to note that passing policy is just the first step. The next step is making sure it gets implemented properly. “There are a lot of times where you’ll have really good policy, there’s research that backs it, but it ends up getting implemented poorly,” Mabene said. “It ends up not really achieving the goal you wanted.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Policy takes time. In general, Levenson says policy at the federal level moves slowly. Gun legislation, for example, moves dangerously slow. Nevertheless, Levenson and Mabene are hopeful about President Biden’s recent executive actions on guns. “It’s definitely exciting that the Biden administration is recognizing gun violence as a public health epidemic, which it is, and it’s long overdue for it to be treated as such,” Mabene said. “I think a lot of attempts at reducing gun violence have led to criminalization that hurt communities of color so it’s also important to make sure that the approach that they’re taking isn’t going to further marginalize communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting policy passed and implemented requires a team and nonstop work. But, there is solace in the partnerships created and unfaltering motivation in the pursuit of bigger change. “I’m only 21 right now, and to know that there are people who have been doing this work for much longer, it gives me hope,” Levenson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11885125\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44-800x450.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44-800x450.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44-1020x574.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44-160x90.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/HOW-TO-Newsletter-Graphic-44.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Isabeth Mendoza is the engagement producer for The Bay, a podcast that explores local news every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We launched a newsletter and episode series called \u003ca href=\"https://click.email.kqed.org/?qs=de9b073e9d21239f50f202cec0ebe6e98c8b13843e30e1061d8fee1c4457340bcf34b3833b85a9c8a14704995b30714fb0be02251915e015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">By The People\u003c/a> shortly after U.S. Election Day in 2020. The purpose of the series was to look into how democracy functions in the spaces around us, and the \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeiQTfCnzwvOkxyTf8kUNPHsaoishgMkbMpQ25W5UpHOn9bw/viewform?usp=send_form\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">newsletter\u003c/a> continued the conversation focusing on how to plug in. We looked at how to run for office, how to use digital spaces for advocacy and how to get a measure on a ballot. If any of these spark your curiosity, keep reading because we break it down for you in simple how-to guides.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"id": "here-and-now",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
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