More than 1,200 Oakland students pledge to stay home unless schools improve Covid safety

Students join wave of protests across the country calling for better masking and testing or a return to virtual learning

More than 1,200 students in Oakland, California, have signed a petition saying they would stay home this week unless school administrators provide additional Covid protections, including more N95 masks, weekly testing and better social distancing – or a shift to virtual learning.

On Tuesday, three district campuses were closed because students and teachers, in solidarity, stayed home.