For the past 10 years, 8th Grade German students at Grover have gone on an overnight trip to Washington, DC. A culminating event for our kids after studying German for three years, the trip is educational and tied directly into the curriculum. I want my child to benefit from this valuable experience: Allow the 8th Grade German trip.

California is currently on track to have the biggest measles outbreak in a decade: 133 cases, all but 3 linked to Disneyland in December. An additional 41 cases have occurred across the US, including a recent surge in Canada of 119 confirmed measles cases, most traced back to California. The majority of cases in this ongoing outbreak occurred in unvaccinated individuals. It is only a matter of time before people start dying (1-2 per 1,000). The California Department of Public Health has also reported a sharp rise in the incidence of pertussis (whooping cough) over the past four years, declaring this disease an epidemic in 2014. By March 15, 2015, according the California Department of Public Health, two babies died from pertussis in California this year. Both of these diseases are dangerous and can be deadly. Yet they are preventable with appropriate immunization. The Los Angeles Times and numerous other media sources have published data on vaccine rates in California showing the widespread use of the “personal belief exemption” (CA Code 120365) by parents to excuse their children from mandatory vaccinations. In some schools the vaccination rates are lower than some developing countries. Public health officials have tied the rise in measles and pertussis to the lowering of the vaccination rate. If this trend continues, the immunity of the entire population is threatened (known as ‘herd immunity’). Dangerous communicable diseases will spread further, and will also affect people who have been vaccinated—those with weakened immune systems, the very young, the very old, and the like. We bear a responsibility to raise our immunization rates and protect our communities both near and far. This petition seeks to address falling vaccination rates by requiring all children to be vaccinated in order to attend California schools unless they have a medical condition that precludes it.

With student loan debt exceeding $1.2 trillion, more and more students find themselves graduating college with six-figure student loan debts--often either unable to find employment or only able to find low-wage jobs. Since 1982, student loan debt has grown at a rate twice that of healthcare debt--400%, compared to healthcare's 200%. Yet, healthcare debt can be discharged in bankruptcy, whereas student loan debt cannot under federal law. Many students enter and exit college with minimal or no student loan counseling, failing to receive any or adequate explanation of their financial responsibilities. Even with the Obama Administration's new student loan provisions, such as income-based repayment, millions of students find themselves unable to afford payments and are forced to keep their loans in forbearance, where they continue to accrue interest. Immediate loan forgiveness for all student loan borrowers would provide instant stimulus to the economy, creating job growth, reducing dependence on federal welfare programs, and providing a greater incentive for the nation's students to achieve academically. Currently, graduates find themselves unable to afford a mortgage, unable to start a family, and unable to return to school for a higher degree because of burdensome loan obligations, which they will never be able to repay. Respectfully, we urge the President to take immediate action for millions of Americans and protect them where Congress has failed for years to do so: Issue an Executive Order, providing for immediate loan forgiveness for the nation, so we may enjoy the American promise made by Thomas Jefferson--life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We refuse to remain slaves to the student lending crisis.

The landscape of teaching is changing. I wish I could say that is for the betterment of our students, but in my heart of hearts, I know it is not. Due to the mandate to teach to the Common Core Learning Standards, the pure joy of learning is disappearing across the educational landscape in classrooms in the United States. We as educators honor diversity and the needs of the whole child. We as educators and parents realize that each child learns differently. As educators, the decisions we make about our students should be evidence and research based. The Common Core Learning Standards are not internationally benchmarked. Nor are they research and evidence based. Children are starting to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders in states who implemented these standards early. We the undersigned believe that a one size fits all educational approach is wrong for students. Educators and the public at large have not had a chance to voice their concerns, nor have public hearings been held. It may take years to know the devastating effects that these policies may have on a generation of children. Have we learned nothing from failed policies such as No Child Left Behind? Children are our most precious resource. These standards have the potential to do great harm to children. We ask that the Common Core Learning Standards also known as the Illinois Learning Standards be abolished in Illinois.

Exclusionary Discipline is clearly a problem in Portland Public Schools, as it is nationally. Teachers, parents, and community members must come together to demand change, as this problem of institutionalized racism against Black, Latino and Native American students has gone on for far too long. The current system is broken. We must show our unwillingness to operate within the current punitive system and request a new system from our District Leaders. Leaders who wish to maintain the status quo are reluctant to make immediate changes, arguing that these changes will take time; we maintain that they should have taken place a long time ago. Every day that we wait to end punitive discipline systems mean more African American, Latino, and Native American children who are excluded at higher rates than their white peers. We will not stand for this any longer...and request action now to eradicate the discipline referral system in Portland Public Schools.

Three years is too long for bargaining strife. It is impacting the morale of the district employees and diverting attention from the goals of our school district. It is time for the school board to end the crisis by negotiating in good faith to settle a fair contract.

Hemet was founded on the belief in pubic support for education-. The historically significant Hemet High schools , the old Carnegie Library and even the naming of major streets after well known east coast colleges all remind the present that education was the key block to building the community up for future generations.. After decades of neglect, the buildings are torn down, the community divided and the city core has become ground zero for fewest educational opportunities in Riverside County. Let's rebuild the city the old fashioned way, by building a Cal State Campus in downtown Hemet's forgotten center, before the beautiful old Hemet Elementary School is torn down by county bureaucrats..

The SPROUTS garden has been displaced because of an Indiana University building plan, with no place to go. In its 9 years of existence, the garden has served thousands of students with education in organic gardening, food literacy, sustainability, as well as provided fresh organic produce and medicinal herbs to volunteers and local food agencies, and an environment that fosters friendship and community. Without the garden, SPROUTS almost doesn't exist. Destroying this garden will remove a priceless benefit from the IU community. Relocation is essential for SPROUTS to continue is mission on campus.

I am starting this petition because Molly was denied her High School Diploma. She worked very hard and did everything the school asked her to do. The school was negligent in relaying information and because of this Molly has been denied her diploma. This issue breaks my heart. I saw her bravery change the NECAP issue and help so many students but sadly she is unable to benefit from her hard work. Please support her!!!!

To better serve the members of our organization.

We are starting this Petition for the children. The common core curriculum is a curriculum that is unclear and confusing for our children. If a parent cannot understand the curriculum, how do they expect our children to understand. My granddaughter was punished from recess because her parents were unable to assist her with her homework and did it "old school." She was made to sit out and work the problem not once but twice. Change can only start when it is supported by others. If you are frustrated with this curriculum, stand up for your child by signing this Petitioner. Our voices for our children deserve to be heard! Thank you.

The 2014 charter amendments to the New York State budget put an unfair burden on NYC taxpayers by requiring that the city house privately run charter schools in existing school buildings (“co-location”) or use scant education dollars to pay their rent. All of our districts have overcrowded, co-located schools, with some schools educating students in temporary trailers for years and many students deprived of gym, libraries, art rooms, and a proper lunch time. The charter amendments pit public school needs vs. those of the charters—with the charters all but guaranteed to win. One example of many: it was determined last spring — without any community input — that a new Success Academy Charter School would be granted use of the beautiful campus of Mother Cabrini Parochial High School in Washington Heights. This is one of three Success Academies for which the city is now paying for leased space; other Success Academies are co-located in public school buildings, rendering those buildings far beyond capacity. Yet, Success charters have over a $30 million surplus and, on one night in April alone, raised more than $7.5 million. What’s more, Success says it is a “public” school when convenient (i.e. when staking a claim to public space or money), yet when asked to reveal details about its finances and operations, it has argued in court that it is not a public entity and therefore not subject to public disclosure laws. We also call for a moratorium on all charter approvals unless and until a full audit of existing co-located charters and their compliance with the law—including marketing, enrollment, student retention, and disciplinary policies—has been undertaken by the New York City Comptroller and the New York City Council. We demand that all decisions about the siting of new schools occur in the context of a process that involves community voices and reflects community desires.