.Why I’m Sending My Kid to School During the Teachers’ Strike

The Oakland teachers’ union plans to hold a one-day strike on Thursday, April 29 because of the school board’s decision not to offer raises this year. Even though the district will keep its schools open and staff them with qualified substitutes, many parents plan to keep their kids away from school out of solidarity with the teachers and because they don’t want to put their children in the middle of a labor dispute. But keeping kids out of the classroom is exactly what the teachers’ union wants, and so it’s one of the reasons why I plan to send my child to school that day.