This is a petition against the closing of Sipsey Jr. High School

Davidson College has very few formal resources available for individuals interested in pursuing law after graduation. As a member of the Pre-law Society e-mail list, I have been confronted with how unorganized the process is. Davidson students interested in attending law school after graduation should have more formal resources in the form of an organized Pre-Law program with an advisor similar to the Pre-Med program already on campus.

This petition is to protect our children and be a voice for others that "bullying" will not be tolerated. My daughter is a honor student and varsity cheerleader for this school, and has been for several years. Recently she was removed from the squad by her coach who accused her of being disrespectful. This came directly after the coach and I had a disagreement. No definitive proof was given by the coach or principal. After being singled out, and dismissed from the squad she has been made to feel belittled by her peers and a loss of self worth. Her grades have dropped and all of her spirit is drained. This coach has crushed her dreams and made her feel like she has done something terrible. I need help with this situation because the school and board of education is upholding this decision. Our children are our future and our coaches/teachers are suppose to be role models and there to encourage, not "bully"!

House Bill 2307 places severe restrictions on schools' ability to teach reproductive health. This bill would forbid schools from giving out ANY information on reproductive health (even hanging an abstinence poster) unless EVERY student that might see it has an "opt-in" consent form on record. It would increase staff time and costs to schools to fulfill state-ordered mandates. It would place undue burdens and put implied threats on our trusted teachers and school nurses. Worst of all, it would place our young people at even greater risk for teen pregnancy and STD's. When "opt-in" mandates are in place, by far, the students most affected and denied appropriate education are the students who are already facing difficult home lives. HB 2307 is a massive overreach, seizing decisions from local school districts and replacing them with state mandates that are completely against credible research. This bill will be harmful to both students and schools alike and should be rejected by legislators of both parties. Parents already may "opt-out" of reproductive education for their children. "Opt-in" mandates are unnecessary and harmful. To view this bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2307_01_0000.pdf

In 2007, Congress passed landmark legislation providing relief for graduates suffering under mountains of student debt who are willing to work for the greater good. This program provides mutual benefits to individuals and society as a whole. This petition was started to remind lawmakers of the commitment they made to students who pursued education and training focused on helping others through organizations like non-profit hospitals, schools, and charities.

Petition Background Considerable research confirms the relationship between school start times and sleep deprivation, student performance, truancy, and absenteeism, as well as depression, mood swings, impulse control, tobacco and alcohol use, impaired cognitive function and decision-making, obesity, stimulant abuse, automobile accidents, and suicide. Mounting evidence about the biology of adolescent sleep, and about the impact of later start times, shows that starting school before 8 a.m. not only undermines academic achievement but also endangers health and safety. Because logistical and financial issues prevent local school systems from establishing safe and educationally defensible hours, however, legislation mandating start times consistent with student health and educational well being is essential. Many high schools today start school in the 7 o'clock hour, a practice started several decades ago to save money by recycling school bus runs. Now considerable research confirms that these school start times are inconsistent with sleep needs of teenagers and young adults and are seriously undermining school performance as well as children's health and welfare. Because politics, money, and other logistical issues inevitably keep most school systems from changing start times, we need a national minimum start time for all public schools to make it easier for communities to do what's best for the safety, health, and learning of all children of every age when they set local schedules. The most recent research in 2014 - by Wahlstrom, K. et al. titled “Examining the Impact of Later School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study,” from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, - suggests that optimum student performance and safety would be achieved by starting school at 830am or later. We applaud those schools that are able to make such a change.

The most valuable- our children always get the short end of the stick due to poorly delegated funds. We the people- the tax payers, should have way more say in how our hard earned tax dollars are spent. Public schools being left to scrape the bottom of the bucket has to end and now. Currently the public school two of my children reside at shall lose 2 very valuable teacher aides- this March 25. A kindergarten class with at least 26 thriving students shall soon suffer since 1 teacher can only go so far. Same goes for 2 other classrooms. Aprox 75 students shall lose out on having the valuable teacher aids present. The two teacher aids help out 3 different classrooms each school day. They are vital. This is partly due to way too much red tape and politics mixed up in our public school system. The USA is on a roll with knocking down the long standing walls of obstruction. Seattle is at the forefront with this with same sex marriage being legalized and marijuana to say the least. We have a stellar football team and many other thriving organizations all within the Emerald City. Yet, our children suffer. This is absurd. So this message goes out to each and every citizen in the USA. It's time to start paying attention and tribute to our children and their education. We must all join together, problem solve and stop complicating what should be so simple- Our children should come first! We must all voice to the politicians that we are all tired of begging for money year after year for something so vital. It's not right and it has to stop now. Hard working parents can't continue to be asked to chip in constantly to keep our schools in healthy operation. I'm talking about the pure necessities. Proper funding for the teaching staff and their aids. There are not even enough aids as it is. For example- last year a 2nd grade teacher had 3 girls and the rest all boys. Just one woman teaching on a daily basis. This is not fair to the kids or the teacher. Our teachers are special people and we must take better care of them. As of now Arbor Heights Elementary needs to come up with $5900 by March 25 or the children lose two very wonderful teacher aids. This effects mostly young busy Kindergartners. They need more than just one adult. So please sign this petition and help us create change- even if you do not have children. You were once a child yourself. Didn't you deserve a healthy and rewarding education? The USA can afford to do much better for our children. If you happen to be able to help us get through the rest of the this year via a PTA contribution please contact Arbor Heights School. http://arborheightses.seattleschools.org Until we create serious change- it's still begging for money for our Public School systems. Thank you for your time. Peace

Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 18), the House Choice & Innovation Subcommittee will vote on HB 7099, a massive expansion of Florida's voucher system that could defund public schools and divert millions of taxpayer dollars to private institutions with little accountability. We want legislators to hear from you and everyone today in opposition to this proposal:

My husband and I are unable to refinance our mortgage or qualify for a home equity loan because if our Parent Plus loans. The monthly payments are now so high we are unable to make the payments. We are not allowed to pay what we can afford and the interest is accruing at an alarming rate. Even though we qualify for an Economic Hardship Deferment the interest continues to accrue. At this point, the monthly payment required is laughable.

My wife Nathalie and I were approached by a local mother, Brooke Scharfstein, and her daughter said "sometimes kids don't know who to play with in the playground" and we were torn up. As parents of three children who are in the Westport public school system, we are acutely aware of the modern challenges of being a kid these days. If we have an idea that is so basic, yet so inclusive in nature, how as parents can we NOT act on it? We read the Buddy Bench article in the Huffington Post last December, and like so many, we were touched by Christian's story. Let's bring his story and message to our community. (www.buddybench.org)

Schools are becoming educationally insolvent as well as fiscally insolvent.

Some instructors in the Cal Poly physics department utilize an inefficient automated 3rd party system to assign and collect homework and quizzes. This system is eroding the teaching standards expected of instructors at Cal Poly, and the students are suffering because of it. As the engineers and scientists of tomorrow we deserve higher standards of education than slack alternatives like "Mastering Physics."