San Francisco parents hold virtual roundtable to talk about ongoing teachers’ strike

By Andrea Nakano

The teachers’ strike in the San Francisco Unified School District is about to go into its fourth day, and many parents are feeling frustrated about how their families are stuck in the middle of the contract negotiations.

So, they held a virtual roundtable Wednesday night to share their frustrations.

“Students shouldn’t have to bear the burden of all of these adult disagreements,” parent Alex Wong said. “Every person involved in these negotiations needs to be working at being at the bargaining table every hour of every day.”

“We’re asking both sides to negotiate with the urgency that our kids deserve because every day matters to our kids’ education,” parent Meredith Dodson added.

Some parents shared stories, such as Bridget Blounx, a grandmother and caregiver of three children, some with special needs.

“Even though I’m working remote, I’m having to stop in between my client interviews and intakes to answer questions and to try to triage and help navigate the kiddos with their different work,” Blounx said.

While parents say it’s imperative to get kids back in the classroom now, Wilbur Liu, a Lowell High School student, also agrees.

He appreciated the break, but he feels it’s important to be back in school, at least by next week.

“Hopefully, it doesn’t go on for too long. Obviously, no one likes losing out on too much learning,” he said.