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SF Teachers Strike: Special education student's meds locked in school
Parent of a special education student says she wasn't able to access her son's medication during the SFUSD teachers strike, because no one would cross the picket line to retrieve them for her until Wednesday. She's speaking out because she says special education students are struggling.
SAN FRANCISCO - The gates at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Middle School in San Francisco remained locked Wednesday for the third day of the teachers strike.
Sabrina Hall, a single mother, stood outside the campus, worried about her son’s medication, which she said has been inside the school since the strike began.
San Francisco schools to remain closed Thursday as negotiations continue
San Francisco schools will remain closed on Thursday while representatives from the teachers union and the San Francisco Unified School District continue to negotiate terms.
"His medication has been locked in his school for three days since the district has been on strike. I’ve been trying to contact them. No response," Hall said. "He has severe allergies and severe disabilities and also special meals."
The San Francisco Unified School District teachers strike has closed all school buildings, affecting nearly 50,000 students. After-school and community-based organizations have scrambled to find alternative locations. For families of students with special education needs, the disruption has posed additional challenges.
Families seek resources
What we know:
Hall said she found space for her son at the Minnie and Lovie Ward Recreation Center, where a nonprofit has been providing meals using its own funds. But she said the medication supply at home was limited.
"Even though I have some medication at home, this is his daytime medication," Hall said. "And being that I’m on Medi-Cal, I can’t just go to a Walgreens or pharmacy and say, ‘Hey, let me get some more medication,’ when I just picked up some."
Hall said the district contacted her and said staff members were working on a solution, but no one could cross the picket line to access the school.
District officials said families of students with disabilities should use centralized resources rather than contacting individual schools, which remain closed.
"We have about 7,000 students with disabilities in SF Unified," said Julia Martin, the district’s special education ombudsperson. "We are working to send out information and include information on our website specifically for kids with disabilities where they can get resources."
Martin urged families to call the district’s Family Link hotline.
"Once the Family Link Line is contacted, we can triage those cases quickly and come up with a solution to address individual needs," Martin said.
Since Friday, the hotline has received more than 500 calls, including about a dozen related to special education concerns, Martin said.
Later Wednesday afternoon, a district staff member retrieved Hall’s son’s medication and meals from the school.
"If this ever happens again, I’m hoping they think about it because the students are supposed to be put first," Hall said.
Buildings closed, talks continue
Dig deeper:
District staff said community organizations cannot use school property during the strike because administrative and janitorial workers are participating in a sympathy strike. Many community programs lack capacity at off-campus locations.
The United Educators of San Francisco did not say whether it would encourage other unions to cross picket lines to reopen buildings for student programs.
In a statement, the union said it supports organizations assisting students who receive special education services and that educators want to return to classrooms.
"We are working hard to negotiate an agreement that ensures all SPED students get the classroom supports and services they need and deserve," the statement said. "The time is now for SFUSD."
Parents of SF Unified students who need resources should call (415)340-1716.
The Source: This story was written based on information from SF Unified parents and educators along with prior reporting.