A Student Perspective on the Oakland Teachers’ Strike

In February, Oakland teachers went on strike for seven days. Their main demands: higher pay, smaller class sizes, no school closures. On picket lines, though, teachers kept focusing on their students—they said all theirs demands centered on them. What did the students think about that?

A lot of high schoolers, like Heavenly Simpson, stood with teachers. They showed support by joining them on the picket line and, more critically, by not crossing it. Now, as students continue to fight budget cuts to student programs, they’re asking their teachers to have their back. Wyatt Kroopf has the story of one student’s perspective on the strike and how students aren’t done fighting, yet.