Categories: News

Breaking News: 50 out of 92 Teachers were Gone Today at MSJ. What Happened?

Depicted: Attendance sheets pile up in the office due to teacher absences. 


By Staff Writers Josephine Chew, Sreetama Chowdhury, & Kimberly Huang

MSJ had 50 out of 92 teachers not in attendance on Tuesday, February 19, following a three-day weekend. To deal with the shortage of staff, substitutes were drawn from many levels: teachers with prep periods, district substitutes, and school administration. Several classes were diverted to C-120 which was filled as of first period.

Principal Zack Larsen sent a LoopMail to all parents and students after second period reading, “We had an unusually high number of teachers suddenly call in sick for today and were able to get teacher coverage for all classes. Please be assured that your student has certificated staff in each of their classes and will be supervised and supported throughout the school day.”

This incident of teacher absences occurs in close proximity to the Oakland Education Association’s Saturday announcement that high school teachers in Oakland will be going on strike. Preceding their announcement, the Oakland teacher union unofficially called for its members to call in sick on January 18, after two years of failed labor and wage negotiations.

Multiple teachers and substitutes have declined to comment on the situation.

Photo by Web Editor Rishi Chillara

Jessica Yu

Recent Posts

Hong Kong Fair celebrates Cantonese street food, music, and culture

By Staff Writers Abigaile Lei and Aaqib Zishan The smell of sweet egg waffles and the…

2 days ago

September Editorial: Retaining respect in cutthroat college culture

By the Smoke Signal Editorial Board “Thanks Trump!” one MSJ senior wrote on Instagram, reposting a…

2 days ago

MP3 Memories: Permanence Over Practicality

By Web Editor Ekasha Sikka Over the summer, I made a Spotify playlist, as I…

2 days ago

Vikram’s Viewpoint: From Moments to Memories

By Opinion Editor Vikram Mahajan Adjusting to new sleep schedules, confronting an ever-growing pile of…

2 days ago

Janet’s Journal: Going Home

By Opinion Editor Janet Guan When summer began back in June, alongside relief for the…

2 days ago

Meet the Homecoming Court: Kings

Sahir Gupta Homecoming King Candidate Sahir Gupta hopes to make an impact on MSJ students…

3 days ago