A 17-year-old boy shot and killed in Oakland last weekend was the city's 109th homicide in a year that’s seen explosive violence, hitting Oakland schools hard.
Educators worry things could get worse during winter break.
The Oakland schools have lost more than a dozen young people this year, some in car crashes, most to street violence. Some were recent graduates or attendees, while others were still in school. What's been really hard this year was the inability of the teachers to provide solace and safety in the face of loss.
Nidya Baez is assistant principal at Fremont High School, which lost four former and one current student this year. In fact, Oakland's first homicide of 2020 back in January was a Fremont graduate.
"We’ve been paying our respects and being able to support folks from a distance, but it feels even more isolating for our students who often we hold in spaces at school right after they’ve lost a friend or classmate and we’ve been able to support them in person," Baez said.
She told KCBS Radio the school has always been an extension of the family for kids, a place where they can go to grieve and seek solace until the coronavirus pandemic forced them apart.
"Right now, it’s really hard to tell whether our students are doing okay or they have everything they need to cope with loss,” Baez added.
She said she’s worried about the kids being without an adult connection during the winter break, hoping teachers and students can connect via text just once to check in on life outside the on line classroom.
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