Most of the students, parents and union representatives at the rally decried the district’s planned closing of schools as a cost-saving measure. The district blames declining enrollment.
Teachers and families in the East Bay said they were blindsided by one district’s proposal to close schools. The Hayward Unified School District is looking at closing five elementary schools come next school year. The district said it’s based on declining enrollment.
California school board unanimously approves removing police from campuses
Oakland has also recently ended its partnership with Oakland police.
The Hayward Unified School District school board will have more discussions with the community on how to ensure the safety of students and staff on school campuses, but otherwise the district did not say what will be put in place of police.
“After a national reckoning on issues of racial injustice and policing practices, we owed it to our community to pause and have in-depth conversations about the impact of police officers on our campuses,” Superintendent Matt Wayne said.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with our community to reimagine school safety and create a safe and supportive learning environment for all students and staff members,” he said.