There is a need for teaching children tools to reduce stress in this fast pased culture we live in. Yoga is a mind, body, spirit practice that could enhance the lives of all students and potentially create a shift in our next generation toward personal balance and more peace within communities.

Perhaps one of the most troubling things I've seen in my five years in higher ed is the lack of safe spaces, including the classroom. The Minnesota Daily's Editorial Board, so the newspaper itself and not just a writer, has put their stamp of approval on a piece slighting the importance of trigger warnings: http://www.mndaily.com/opinion/editorials/2014/04/20/warnings-aren%E2%80%99t-needed-class Despite acknowledging "It’s important to note that the resolution is only advisory," regarding proposed policies being put forward by Oberlin College and the University of California-Santa Barbara, the Daily goes on to say that the goals of higher education are undermined by being sensitive to those with post-traumatic stress disorder, nurturing the idea that college is for the elite few and should not be made accessible to the less well off: "This student-driven proposal seeks to shield other students from duress, and though it may be well-intentioned, it has no place in a community of intellectual growth." The piece goes on to do much more, including undermining the experiences of students without diagnosis, referring to students who suffer from stress disorders as a "small percentage" despite the pervasiveness of sexual assault incidents in universities everywhere, and disturbingly stating "colleges are not safe houses for students." It is unconscionable that people will have read this and believe it reflects the feelings of the student body, and the University of Minnesota system does not need another reason to turn yet another blind eye to victims and survivors of traumatic events.

I believe only high school students should be allowed to participate in high school sponsored activities. Our children are forced to grow up way too fast and allowing a middle school student to participate in high school activities is just more exposure to children being allowed to participate in non age-appropriate activities. Also, why should a 7th grader be able to play high school sports for 6 years? Middle School children will be given their chance to compete for positions in high school when they are IN HIGH SCHOOL. Until then, the spots should be given only to students that are enrolled IN THAT SCHOOL! It is not fair to the students who want to show spirit and participate in their school's program and activities that the spots are given to children not enrolled in that school. If they want to participate in these programs they should do so at their school with children their age.

The families in my district, Yosemite Unified School District , have no afterschool care for our elementary school children when school ends at 2:30. This makes life very difficult for the kids with working parents, many of whom don’t have a place to go between the time school ends and their working/commuting parents get home in the evening. Every other district in Madera County offers school-based after school care for their elementary school children. Yosemite Unified School District should reinstate a parent-pay after-school childcare program at Coarsegold and Rivergold Elementary Schools.

My children attend Killeen School District and I am against standardized testing that determines the promotion level of students. If a child passes all their subjects in school and fail the STARR exam at the end of the school year, they will not be promoted to the next grade level. That is not right!! Children are stressed out at an early age and are taking medications because of the pressures of STARR Testing every year. We are building our kids up during the school year to tear them down at the end if they do not pass ONE test. How can ONE test determine if your child has learned anything throughout the year. If he or she is passing every quarter then that demonstrates that they are getting the concepts and are learning the curriculum that is put before them. We need to put an end to STARR testing!!!

More and more children have trouble focusing in school and are prone to stress, hectic schedules, and obligations at a young age. Creating a world of healthy, more peaceful, and well adjusted children should be our top priority so kids can accomplish whatever their goals are! Healthy minds and bodies go hand in hand!

I am starting this petition because American youth must have the best chance of receiving a solid math education during grade school years.

The University of Tennessee and Aramark are proposing that all students be forced to purchase a $300 Dining Dollars meal plan, including students that do not use dining facilities or even live on-campus. AGAIN. Even after student outrage at the proposal in Fall 2013 caused it to be taken off the table, the administration and Aramark are attempting to pass the proposal through the Board of Trustees with the mandatory meal plan component still intact.

Principals and teachers who recently administered Pearson-developed Common Core-related tests in New York have asserted that they are barred from speaking about the test content and its implications for student success because of “gag orders” written into the testing contracts. These gag orders and the lack of transparency are fueling the growing distrust and backlash among parents, students and educators in the United States about whether the current testing protocols and testing fixation are in the best interests of children. When parents aren’t allowed to know what is on their children’s tests, and when educators have no voice in how assessments are created, and are forbidden from raising legitimate concerns about the assessments’ quality or from talking to parents about the these concerns, Pearson not only increases distrust of testing but also denies children the rich learning experience they deserve. Parents, students and teachers need assessments that accurately measure student performance through questions that are grade-appropriate and aligned with state standards—especially since standardized tests have increasingly life-altering consequences for students and teachers. By including gag orders in contracts, Pearson is silencing the very stakeholders the company needs to engage with. Poll after poll makes clear that parents overwhelmingly trust educators over all others to do what is best for their children—educators’ voices, concerns and input should be included in the creation and application of these assessments. (Read the full letter the AFT delivered to Pearson's board of directors here: http://www.aft.org/pdfs/press/ltr_Randi-Pearson042414.pdf)

We care about these wonderful kids. They have bright futures which are in jeopardy now because nobody seems to care that they are about to lose their school district. We have something to say about that!

Why is the City willing to pay taxpayer dollars to settle a case of serious homophobic slander, and not hold the administrator responsible? He wrote that my partner and I used our pets as" lures" to seduce and infect the local boys with AIDS, so I (Michael) should be ousted from my apartment, and my foreign-born partner (Andre) deported. These malicious letters to my co-op management were copied to ICE, FBI, Precinct 36, IRS, and Homeland Security. The emotional terror this action inflicted upon us is difficult to describe. There are two forensics reports which tie Smolkin to the letters, (one in the office of the Manhattan DA), but the City refuses to act to remove Principal Smolkin.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently unveiled proposed updates for local school wellness policies. 
As part of that proposal, only foods and beverages that meet USDA’s new Smart Snacks nutrition standards could be marketed in schools. USDA is currently accepting comments on the proposal, but the comment period ends on April 28, less than a week away! Take action NOW and tell the USDA you support the proposal.