Oakland school

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzjBTrggmS0

Oakland News Now – Interview with Mike Hutchinson – OUSD Oakland On COVID School Board Member, Leadership – video made by YouTube channel in top left corner of video.

Interview with Mike Hutchinson – OUSD Oakland School Board Member on COVID, Leadership

Following the interview with Misty Cross and Brandon Dawkins, Mike Hutchinson, a member of the Oakland Unified School District school board, agreed to visit the show and talk about the issue and how to fix it.

Join us here at 4:00 p.m. PST on August 19, 2021.

Stay tuned.

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Note from Zennie62Media’s Zennie62 YouTube and Oakland News Now Today Blog SF Bay Area:: This video blog post shows the full, live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental network of mobile multimedia video blogging system Zennie62Media, Inc . which was launched in June 2018. This is an important part of Zennie62Media, Inc.’s new and innovative approach to news media production. What we call “the third wave of media”. The uploaded video is from a YouTube channel. When the video is “liked” by Zennie62 YouTube, it is automatically uploaded and automatically formatted on the Oakland News Now site and on social media pages created and owned by Zennie62. The overall goal here, in addition to our is the real-time on-scene reporting of news, interviews, observations and events anywhere in the world and in seconds and not hours – is use of the existing YouTube social network. graphic on any topic in the world. Now the news is reported with a smartphone and also by promoting the current content on YouTube: no heavy and expensive camera or even a laptop is needed, nor to have a camera crew to film what is already. on Youtube. The secondary objective is the production and distribution of news media content faster and very inexpensively. We have found that there is a lag between the length of the post and the production time and revenue generated. With this the problem is much less, but by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly striving to improve the system’s network coding and is looking for interested multimedia content and technology partners.

Oakland News Now – Oakland School News – Now 4 classes of students in quarantine due to COVID-19 outbreaks – Zennie62 YouTube vlog

Oakland School News – Now 4 classes of students in quarantine due to COVID-19 outbreaks

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Note from Zennie62Media’s Zennie62 YouTube and Oakland News Now Today Blog SF Bay Area: This video blog post shows the full, live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental network of mobile multimedia video blogging system Zennie62Media, Inc. which was launched in June 2018 This is an important part of Zennie62Media, Inc.’s new and innovative approach to news media production. What we call “the third wave of media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with Zennie62 on the partner channel YouTube, then uploaded and formatted automatically on the Oakland News Now site and social media pages created and owned by Zennie62. The overall goal is to report in real time to the scene of news, interviews, sightings and events all over the world and in seconds, not hours. Now the news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are needed. The secondary objective is the production and distribution of news media content faster and very inexpensively. We have found that there is a lag between the length of the post and the production time and revenue generated. With this the problem is much less, but by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly striving to improve the system’s network coding and is looking for interested multimedia content and technology partners.

Kaytlynn King, her husband and two of their children, including Darielle, 4, walked through the doors of Lockwood STEAM Academy on Monday morning, ready for the first day of Darielle’s transitional kindergarten. As they posed for a photo of the first day of class in front of a giant mural on the Havenscourt campus, King fought back tears.

“After going through the pandemic, her ability to go to school is so exciting,” King said. “I am extremely nervous but I put my faith in God and in the school to keep it safe.”

Mixed feelings were common in Oakland schools on Monday, the first day of the 2021-2022 school year. For most students, this is the first time in almost a year and a half that they have been able to learn in their classrooms. While students and teachers were thrilled to be on campus together again in person, coronavirus cases are on the rise in Alameda County, and the Oakland Unified School District is following state and government guidelines. county, including universal masking and health exams for campus staff and visitors, to prevent the spread of the virus. The district does not have a vaccination mandate in place for teachers and no testing is required. District officials are encouraging students to get vaccinated if they are old enough and have partnered with health organizations to run pop-up vaccination clinics on school campuses. Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell pointed out that the district provides access to testing at 10 sites across the city and is working with community organizations to coordinate further.

But for many parents and staff, their nervousness about the pandemic faded once they saw children climbing jungle gyms, running on the asphalt or sitting with each other. on classroom rugs.

Jordan Baxter Stern, music teacher at West Oakland Middle School, is very happy to get to know his students and to play music together in person, rather than on Zoom. This year he will be teaching a string instrument course and his wind instrument course will be held outdoors, as instruments like trumpets, flutes and saxophones cannot be played with a mask. As Stern, in his sophomore year of teaching, tidied up the music room on Monday, he spoke of his hopes of being able to bring professional artists to perform in front of the class and take trips to a record store.

“It was crazy trying to get to know the college kids on Zoom and teach music late,” he said. “Being in person is much better.”

Gloria Mendoza started her day welcoming families to Lockwood STEAM Academy, a new school created by the merger of Futures Elementary and Community United Elementary School in East Oakland. Mendoza is the School Culture and Climate Ambassador, a new position created for School Safety Officers, whose roles were redesigned following the removal of the Oakland School Police Department the year last.

“No more officer Mendoza. No more handcuffs or uniforms because it can be intimidating, ”she said of the change. His new uniform is a collared shirt and jeans. “They are so excited to be in person again. It’s like Christmas.

Most of the district’s 35,000 students attend the school in person, while about 850 have chosen to enroll in Sojourner Truth, the district’s independent study school, so they can continue to learn virtually. Across the district, teachers and staff are focused on a restorative restart of the year: taking the first two weeks of school to make sure students feel comfortable with each other and with their children. teachers, recognizing the loss and upheaval of the past 17 months, and finding out how to be in school again.

Superintendent Johnson-Trammell visited several schools throughout the day, as well as other district officials, Mayor Libby Schaaf, State Superintendent of Public Education Tony Thurmond, members of City Council and school board directors.

At Coliseum College Prep Academy, all desks in a sixth grade class were pushed to the back or side of the room. In the center of the room, the students were seated in a large circle while their teacher, Ainate Yiaueki led the community circle. The goal was for the students to share their thoughts and feelings about the first day and listen to each other.

“The community circle is where we listen with our hearts. We respect what others have to say, ”Yiaueki said.

Among the usual hallway and classroom decorations, like words of encouragement and the alphabet, reminders to wash hands and wear a mask were ubiquitous. Social distancing requirements were relaxed in all OUSD schools, so that students were able to sit next to each other in classrooms and play games that included touching during recess, unlike the early spring.

For some teachers, the first day of school meant reassuring their students that they were ready for their new year. In Dale Turner’s fourth-grade class at Horace Mann Elementary School in the Fairfax neighborhood of East Oakland, students began a math exercise using their names: each letter of the alphabet corresponded to numbers one through 26, and the students were asked to add the value of the letters on their behalf.

But before he started, he asked his students, whose last face-to-face learning experience was second grade, what they thought about math. One student raised his hand to say that he had heard that fourth grade math was difficult, while another student added that they had never done a division before. Turner reassured them that they were up to the challenge.

“We’re going to go through the things you did in third grade and just add them,” he said.

For Donna McClinto, a kindergarten teacher at Lockwood STEAM, the first day of school brought back memories of her first day of kindergarten 31 years ago in the same class she taught. His students would draw pictures to describe how they got to school that day.

“I remember walking into class and my mom looking out the window,” she said. “The only difference is that we no longer have the blackboard.

Oakland – About 30 OUSD seniors finally got what they wanted, about six weeks after the original plan. They received a diploma, the symbol of graduation. The diploma was received in a brief ceremony at Castlemont High School after completing a five-week credit recovery summer school and fulfilling the graduation requirements. It was not a full start with a lot of students and a lot of speeches, but they were able to meet the director of the summer school one by one, receive a diploma, and then take pictures with the director, the family and friends. The person who joined.

All of the graduates were students who lost a few credits without being able to graduate in class at the formal end of the 2020-21 school year. Of course, over a year of distance learning wasn’t ideal for everyone. These students said that was the reason they needed to catch up this summer. Judges Riley, a recent graduate from Castlemont High School, said: “I missed those third grade English credits and had to make up for it this summer.” Now that she has graduated, Jazis says she will be going to college in the fall.

“I’m really proud of her because she did what she had to do,” said Deborah Rayvon, Jazzys babysitter, who recognized the challenge of distance education. “I think she really needed to go to school. I go to school every day… Now that I’m in college, she absolutely has to go.

These students spent five weeks completing what is known as credit recovery to earn the credits required for graduation. The program has been delivered through distance education to over 300 grade 11 and 12 students at Castlemont High School, Freemont High School, McClymonds High School, Oakland High School, Skyline High School, and Oakland Technical High School.

Auckland high school freshman Ulysses Rodriguez said he needs to stay focused to finish summer school. “I’m going to work hard, overcome all situations at school and do my best. Since I graduated the first in my family, there is increasing pressure to do what I can. “

“Basically he did six hour school and tried to catch up until it was over, and he said, ‘Mom, I’m done. “And then what you know is that he’s going to graduate. I’m very proud,” said Angelica Rodriguez, Odysseus’s mother. Ulysses says he’s also going to college at the ‘fall.

“I feel great. Davohn Hackett, a new graduate from Castlemont, said,“ It’s been a long time. I’ve had a lot of experience in my life. I’ve been beaten and almost lost. But I’m glad I had it. graduated from high school. ”Davohn says he plans to go to work to save enough money to pay for his education.

Michelle Espino was the summer school principal at Castlemont High School. She is proud that all students are dedicated to completing their education, especially given the challenges of distance learning. “When I come back and look at the transcripts, a lot of these kids are A and B students, and we can see their grades going down in this pandemic year. It’s going really well towards graduation and the pandemic is talking about the students who arrested it, so I think that shows their level of determination. “

Kyra Johnson Trammel said last week, “We all at OUSD extend our sincere congratulations to these talented students graduating from Castlemont, Fremont, McClymonds, Skyline, Oakland High and Oakland Tech. As they advance in their studies and careers, we expect them to be great. “

Graduates will visit their respective schools in the coming weeks to receive their diplomas and complete their diplomas.

Publications based on press releases from OUSD to Zennie 62 Media, Inc.

Oakland – About 30 OUSD seniors finally got what they wanted about six weeks after their initial intention. They received this symbol of graduation, the Diploma Booklet, which they each received in a brief ceremony at Castlemont High School after completing five weeks of credit recovery summer school. , to fulfill the conditions for obtaining the diploma. It was not a complete start with a crowd of students and many speeches, but one by one they met their director of the summer school, and after receiving their diploma book they were able to take photos with their manager and their families and friends. who joined them.

The graduates were all students who missed a few credits to graduate with their classes at the formal end of the 2020-21 school year. Of course, over a year of distance learning was far from ideal for everyone, and these students said that’s what left them catching up this summer. “Just taking English lessons online, on a computer, was a bit difficult,” said Jazzis Riley, a recent graduate of Castlemont High. “I missed those junior year English credits and had to catch up this summer.” Now that she has graduated, Jazzis says she will be going to college in the fall.

“I am really proud of her because she did what she had to do,” said Deborah Raybon, tutor of Jazzis, who recognized the challenges of distance education. “I think she really needed to be in school, to go every day… Now that she’s going to college, she really needs to be.”

These students spent five weeks completing what is called credit recovery, in order to obtain the necessary credits to graduate. The program was delivered via distance learning to over 300 grade 11 and 12 students from Castlemont High School, Fremont High School, McClymonds High School, Oakland High School, Skyline High School, and Oakland Technical High Schools.

Oakland High School new graduate Ulises Rodriguez said he needs to stay focused to complete summer school. “Work hard, overcome any situation you come across in school, do my best. I am the first in my family to graduate, so I have more pressure to do whatever I can.

“Basically he was doing six hours of school, trying to catch up until he was done, and he said, ‘Mom, I’m done. And then the next thing you know, he’s gonna graduate. I’m super proud, ”said Ulises mother Angelica Rodriguez. Ulises says he too is going to college in the fall.

“He feels good. I feel good that I was able to accomplish this during a pandemic,” said new Castlemont graduate Davohn Hackett. “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been through a lot in my life. “I almost lost him to a stroke, but I’m glad I was able to finish high school. Davohn says he plans to go to work to save enough money to pay for his studies.”

Michelle Espino was the summer school principal at Castlemont High School, and she is proud of all the students who have dedicated themselves to completing their education, especially given the challenges of distance learning. “When I came back and looked at the transcripts a lot of these kids were A and B students and you can see their grades going down just in this one year of the pandemic. We’re talking about students who were really on track to graduate, and then the pandemic intercepted that. So I think it shows their level of determination.

As Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said last week: “We all at OUSD extend our sincere congratulations to these outstanding students for graduating from Castlemont, Fremont, McClymonds, Skyline, Oakland High and Oakland Tech. We expect great things from them as they advance in their education and careers.

Graduates will visit their respective schools in the coming weeks to receive their diplomas, to complete their diploma notebooks.

Publication based on OUSD press release to Zennie62Media, Inc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8GUsW4xq54

ONN – OAS negotiator Timothy Douglas on Oakland School reopening tentative deal – YouTube channel video in top left corner of video.

Timothy Douglas of the Oakland Education Association reviews the Teachers Union and Oakland Unified School District agreement in principle for the reopening. This was recorded at the Action2020 meeting on March 17, ahead of the union vote on whether or not to ratify the agreement.

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Note from Zennie62Media and OaklandNewsNow.com: This video blog post shows the full, live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental network of Zennie62Media, Inc. mobile multimedia video blogging system that was launched in June 2018 This is an important part of Zennie62Media, Inc.’s new and innovative approach to news media production. What we call “the third wave of media”. The uploaded video is from a YouTube channel. When the video is “liked” by Zennie62 YouTube, it is automatically uploaded and automatically formatted on the Oakland News Now site and social media pages created and owned by Zennie62. The overall goal here, in addition to our is the on-scene reporting of news, interviews, sightings and events anywhere in the world and in seconds and not hours – is the use of the network existing YouTube social. graphic on any subject in the world. Now the news is reported with a smartphone and also by promoting the current content on YouTube: no heavy and expensive camera or even a laptop is needed, nor to have a camera crew to film what is already. on Youtube. The secondary objective is the production and distribution of news media content faster and very inexpensively. We have found that there is a lag between the length of the post and the production time and revenue generated. With this the problem is much less, but by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly striving to improve the system’s network coding and is looking for interested multimedia content and technology partners.

OUSD to Unveil District’s Outstanding New Green Schoolyard on Earth Day; Press conference scheduled for Tuesday, April 20

Oakland, CA – The Oakland Unified School District is proud to unveil its remarkable new living schoolyard at the Cesar Chavez Education Center in the District of Fruitvale, the district’s first. Newly transformed living schoolyard removed 13,000 square feet of asphalt and replaced it with natural play areas, a mini grass field, 58 new trees to freshen up the playground and provide shade and seating for the students, a biological ditch designed to channel runoff and remove debris and pollution before emptying into the bay, and a new outdoor classroom with an orchard and planters for the education.

“We are delighted to celebrate the new green schoolyard on the Cesar Chavez campus and how it will improve education, environmental and health outcomes for the nearly 600 students who attend the International Community School and Think College Now co-located, ”said OUSD. Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “The Cesar Chavez Campus with its beautiful natural play structure, grassy field and trees will change the way our students perceive their world and give them a better appreciation of the natural environment around them.”

“We are delighted to celebrate the opening of the first living schoolyard at the Cesar Chavez Education Center. This new center advances Oakland’s goals of climate resilience, environmental justice, and provides our students with direct access to nature and all of its benefits, ”said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “Getting our kids off the asphalt and bringing them into a vibrant natural environment is good for their health, their education and will help them develop environmental stewardship throughout their lives. “

In 2017, the district partnered with The Trust for Public Land and Green Schoolyards America to launch a Living Schoolyards initiative in Oakland to transform asphalt-covered playgrounds into vibrant nature-based schoolyards. The $ 1,500,000.00 Cesar Chavez Living Schoolyard Project is one of the first fully-built projects to demonstrate OUSD’s vision of transforming asphalt-covered schoolyards into spaces that foster children’s health and well-being, while creating green and ecologically rich community parks that connect children and their neighborhoods to the natural world outside their classroom door.

In 2019, the OUSD Education Council unanimously approved a first state policy approving the development of green school grounds. “School grounds will have living schoolyards that support 21st century education; promote the health, well-being and joy of children; and operate as ecologically rich community schools that connect children and their neighborhoods to the natural world right outside their classroom door, every day, ”the policy says.

“I applaud Oakland Unified for being the first school district in California to adopt a green schoolyard policy to ensure that students, teachers and staff have quality, healthy facilities that not only benefit the school but to the surrounding community and environment, ”said Guillermo Rodriguez. , Director of the State of California at the Trust for Public Land. “I hope other school districts will learn from and replicate what Oakland is doing to improve not only academic performance but also the well-being of children,” Rodriguez added.

Planning for Cesar Chavez’s Living Schoolyard began three years ago by engaging the entire school community in the design process. “Not only did we build a green schoolyard, but we helped strengthen the school community by inviting staff, families, students and the surrounding community to dream about what a schoolyard means to them. green, ”said Alejandra Chiesa, Bay Area Program Director with The Confidence for Public Lands. “Engaging the school community was not only fun, it was also educational. We also used the design process to explain to students what environmental stewardship and climate mean to them and how we can redesign their playground to be both a place for fun and a place. that improves the environment, ”added Chiesa.

“Before the renovation, if you walked around campus, you would essentially see a huge, long slab of asphalt,” said Karen Schreiner, principal of Think College Now elementary school. “There was no shade. There was no room for the children to rest, and it was very hot.

In fall 2019, students at International Community School, a bilingual elementary school, recorded surface temperatures ranging from 109 degrees on the asphalt-covered playground to 115 degrees on the plastic slide. A lack of trees and vegetation can contribute to extreme heat, worsen air pollution and worsen flooding. As climate change progresses, the three problems, which are intricately interconnected, are expected to worsen.

“We have pretty high levels of asthma,” said Eleanor Alderman, director of the International Community School, which has 277 students, 90 percent of whom are entitled to a free or reduced price lunch. “Being able to have clean air and natural play areas will benefit not only the students, but the entire community around our campus. “

OUD Acting Facilities Manager Kenya Chatman is delighted to see the genesis of this effort: “Working with people in the community to make these projects happen and move the work forward is the best way to deliver this. kind of benefit because the community is so deeply invested. The district cannot do it alone and we depend on our partners, our funders and most importantly, the school communities to help us take care of our school environments. “

Construction of the new living schoolyard at Cesar Chavez was funded by an urban greening grant from the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Coastal Conservancy and private donations.

On April 14, the California Natural Resources Agency announced a grant of $ 1.1 million to fund a similar renovation at Bridges Academy. Including this recent award, The Trust for Public Land has raised over $ 5 million in public grants from the California Coastal Conservancy and Natural Resources Agency and private philanthropy from the Hellman Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation, Youth Outside, Union Bank, and other funders and supporters, including the California Trust for Public Land Advisory Board, to transform other schools in the district. Markham Elementary, Melrose Leadership Academy and Bridges Academy are the next Living Schoolyards projects to be completed as part of this partnership which aims to increase equity in OUSD by prioritizing schools serving low-income neighborhoods.

OAKLAND (KPIX) – As the youngest students in the Oakland Unified School District return to class for the first time this year next week, teachers disengaging from in-person learning have had an impact on plans for reopening.

Some Kindergarten to Grade 2 students in Oakland are expected to return to school on March 30, but since teachers are not required to return to class until April 19 under the agreement with the Oakland Educators Association, many schools do not have sufficient enrollment.

READ MORE: School officials and neighbors demand closure of Reid Hillview Airport in San Jose

These locations will have to delay reopening, possibly until April 19.

Outside Hillcrest Elementary School in Oakland, parents and children painted a sign of appreciation for students and staff on Friday. But what was supposed to be an early return to campus for the youngest preschool and elementary children next week will be limited.

Even with an $ 800 incentive for these teachers to start classroom teaching early, not everyone comes back.

“So many children are being left behind,” said Megan Bacigalupi, parent of OUSD.

There will be no students in class next week at Cleveland Elementary, and only 60% of the staff will not be returning to Garfield Elementary.

Bacigalpi’s two children – a kindergarten and a second grader – will go to class at Crocker Highlands Elementary on Tuesday, but it will be far from full-time.

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She had to quit her job to supervise the Zoom School.

“It’s really late. We were one of the last neighborhoods to come back and it’s for really minimal hours, ”Bacigalupi explained. “My children will have roughly 40 hours of lessons for this entire school year. Right now we’re getting 5 hours a week, the kids in Berkeley are getting five hours a day, five days a week for the rest of the year. There is a lot of inequity. “

Timothy Douglas is a fifth grade teacher at Fruitvale who was also on the negotiating team with OUSD. He said teachers are grappling with similar issues as they attempt to return to class.

“Child care is a very big issue for about 40% of our members; understand what’s going to happen with their own children when they return, ”said Douglas. This is one of the reasons. Some of our members have not yet been able to get an appointment for the vaccines. “

Despite the ongoing struggle to get students back to classrooms, the Oakland Unified School District is planning a fuller reopening in the fall.

“We hope that by the fall conditions will allow us to be fully open and at full capacity in all of our classrooms,” OUSD spokesperson John Sasaki said.

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The OUSD website has detailed information on the current reopening plans.

OAKLAND (KPIX 5 / CBS SF) – After about two hours of debate, the Oakland School Board voted unanimously tonight to remove the Oakland Unified School District Police Department from campuses.

The “George Floyd Resolution” eliminates the school district police force of 10 sworn officers and 50 unarmed campus security officers.

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The Council also added several changes to the final proposal. One requires the superintendent to ensure that all staff receive training.

Citing the disproportionate arrests of black students by the Oakland School Police, as well as “the district’s obligation to promote the healthy development of each of its students” and the many alternative ways to manage discipline within schools , the council ordered the superintendent to take necessary measures to eliminate the department.

From the 2015-16 to 2019-2020 school year, black students accounted for 73% of arrests at the city’s schools, but only 26% of enrollments, according to the resolution.

This “preventive policing,” according to the resolution, undermines the economic and public health of Oakland’s black community and restricts access to graduation and opportunities.

The member-led community organization, Black Organizing Project, drafted the resolution and called the vote a “historic moment.”

“We are overwhelmed with emotion and filled with gratitude for this historic victory. We thank the Board of Directors for taking this monumental milestone, as well as the black youth and parents, as well as community and administrative partners who have fought with us to make this possible, ”BOP said in a statement.

Supporters gathered in a rally on Wednesday afternoon.

READ MORE: One injured in a hit-and-run car crash on Highway 4

“Today, with a school board vote, we can not only have schools without police, but turn our school security guards into custodians of the culture on our campus,” said Mike Hutchinson of the Journey for Justice Alliance.

READ ALSO : San Francisco Unified School District votes to remove police from city public schools

For Oakland activists, this has been a goal for years; the dissolution of school police officers for the benefit of a greater number of social workers.

“So a full-time counselor in each school, a full-time social worker in each school, a full-time restorative justice coordinator in each school,” said Carrie Anderson, resolution supporter, grade 3 teacher. in Oakland.

A voice of skepticism ahead of Wednesday night’s vote was California Schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond.

“I am aware that there are some districts in our state that have experienced this action already, long before this conversation,” Thurmond said on a conference call with reporters. “Many of these school districts have made the decision to cut all of their School Resource Officer programs, but they have not created an alternative program. And what they found, as a result, had to go back to the same model of policing on campus. “

READ ALSO : California Head of Schools Announces Review and Task Force to Analyze Policing in Schools

“We are on a trajectory of schools without police in the future,” Hutchinson said.

NO MORE NEWS: COVID Delta variant fears eclipse Oakland students’ return to classrooms

Now that the resolution has been approved, the school police would be out before the start of the next school year. What exactly will replace the policy remains to be determined. The resolution calls for a “community-driven process” that would develop a new security plan, no later than August 21.