The current proposals to close East side schools provides an inequitable solution to the budget problem with unintended consequences. Closing neighborhood schools has been shown to increase truancy and negatively affect the academics of students from low SES and with learning disabilities. In addition, neighborhoods where schools are closed see an average decrease of 13% on home values (which then further affects the funding of local schools). Using ARPA funds to give the district more time to work with the community to come up with a better solution that doesn't involve closing schools is an important step in the process of creating a solid and inclusive school district in Lawrence.

Andira Ture is a Cape Verdean mother and activist whose 11-year-old son attends James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury. In two separate incidents on school grounds this past year, students sexually harassed and assaulted her son. The Timilty School and other schools in the Boston Public School (BPS) system have a history of sexual misconduct and a culture of disregard for sexual assault that goes beyond Ture’s son’s experience. Former dean of students at the Timilty School was arrested for statutory rape of a student in 2020, and a former teacher at the Timilty School pleaded guilty this December to raping a 12-year-old student starting in 1996. The Timilty is closing this year, but we know this issue is bigger than just one school: we need sex education and counselors NOW! We are asking parents, students, and teachers to join us in demanding better of BPS! Read an interview with Andira Ture here:https://www.liberationnews.org/11-year-old-sexually-assaulted-at-school-mother-fights-for-justice-how-am-i-gonna-trust-them-to-teach-my-son/

Mountain bike trails provide opportunities for kids and adults to be active while also appreciating the outdoors. Thoughtfully planned and mindfully built trails that are designed to be safe and have minimal impact on the environment will be a great asset to the community. Mountain biking is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. It is a sport that many people within the community already engage in, but do not have access to within the community. Besides the benefits of mountain biking, having trails in DeForest will allow people the opportunity to get engaged with the building and preservation of these trails. Likely leading to participants appreciating these spaces and advocating for their preservation in the future. Other Benefits: 1. Participants are encouraged to practice leave-no-trace principles which can be applied in a variety of natural settings. Leave-no-trace means you take out what you take in, stay on established trails, and generally have as little impact as possible on the area while using the trails. 2. Mountain bike trails offer additional access to areas designated as being recreational spaces (parks and open spaces). 3. Mountain biking is a healthy activity both physically and mentally as it allows participants to both exercise their bodies and minds by riding challenging trails. 4. Mountain biking in natural areas affords participants the opportunity to appreciate and value these spaces, becoming individuals who preserve and protect these spaces. 5. Mountain bike trail building and maintenance offers people an opportunity to come together to learn how to care for these spaces.

Our Teays Valley community is dependent upon the decisions made by our school district. Ohio Covid cases are at an all time high and with new variants like Omicron emerging we need to put efforts into decreasing spread and protecting our kids and the vulnerable among us. Masking at the beginning when winter break is over and school returns is the perfect time to mitigate the surge of Covid cases that we all know and have been warned by experts is going to happen. Reported pediatric Covid-related cases have tripled, vulnerable students are not able to attend in person learning due to the lack of protocol by the district, family members are being infected and hospitalized and children will end up returning to remote learning if school infection rates are not controlled. No Covid protocol in Teays Valley can only lead to what the experts who wrote the letter to the district are warning about; kids getting sick, increased spread, hospitals at capacity and communities suffering. That is NOT helping our children have a "normal" school experience, it is hurting them and everyone around them. Masking is a small effort with an impact. It is the least we should expect from our schools.

1- Prior to July 8th all travelers were required to test in order to bypass a 10-day quarantine. While this did not prevent COVID19 from entering Hawai'i, it did help slow the amount of cases entering the state. We need to bring back required travel testing for both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers NOW. Most travelers arriving are not tested and while vaccinated people may have less severe disease it is now obvious that they could very likely be carriers. 2- Government officials have touted “personal responsibility” as the way to contain the spread of COVID, but they have not provided our community with the tools and information necessary to protect ourselves in the best way possible. One of the best mitigation measures and self-protection tools is the use of a high quality mask. We are asking the counties and the state to provide a supply of high quality masks (N95, KN95, KF94) to students and staff at every public school, and to emphasize the importance of their use. 3- Many members of our community have health concerns and need to have access to the highest level of protection. For many people, catching COVID poses a significant risk of death or permanent disability to themselves or a household member. We ask that the state and county governments adopt policies of encouraging teleworking whenever feasible, and encourage private employers to do so as well. We also ask the Board of Education to adopt a policy that no parent will be harassed, penalized or punished if they feel they need to keep their child home to reduce the risk that the child will catch COVID and bring it home to their household.

The current surge in Covid-19 around the country, and in Michigan in particular, make a surge inevitable at MSU. The physical and mental health of the MSU students, faculty, and staff must not be put at unnecessary risk, and a shift to online classes is needed to prevent another disaster within our community.

Recently PPS and the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) have gone into bargaining. The PAT is proposing a new class schedule that includes a "flex" day to allow educators more time to plan and students more time to do school work. Portland Public Schools has shot down the offer. Student leaders across the district demand PPS to rethink this terrible decision and not backtrack our students. The pandemic has drastically affected our learning — classroom stamina has been depleted, leading to students falling behind and leaving teachers drastically overworked. Our education system is improperly prepared for in-person learning due to the lack of foresight by the District and the legacy of lost learning over this past year. The District did not provide teachers with enough time to plan or prepare for re-introducing students back to school. We PPS students call on the District to work with the PAT to give the flex time we desperately need and workload relief to all our teachers. Please sign in support of our students and teachers.

Removing Fox News and it’s affiliates would greatly improve the mental health, slow the spread of misinformation and disinformation and decrease the radicalization of our armed force members and Federal employees.. The disastrous effect this propaganda has on the morale of our men and women must not be minimized

We need our schools fully funded, our students’ welfare promoted, and our educators’ workplace needs addressed. In this season of giving, support our students by giving educators the working conditions and compensation they deserve. Wishing you and your loved ones happy holidays and a joyous New Year from your friends at MCEA!

Students are the workforce. Our education system directly feeds into our businesses and our community. Educators are NEEDED, and need to feel appreciated and not undermined. Parents need to know what is going on in the school system, they need to feel comfortable with the education system their kids are learning in.

Millions of Americans will be thrown back into loan repayment even though we face the persistent impact of the pandemic, growing inflation, and so much more. Before the pandemic struck, people struggled to navigate the broken student loan system wreaking havoc on the financial lives of families across the country. Restarting payments will be a financial disaster, but the President has the power to stop it. Continuing the pause on federal student loan payments is an important investment in Americans' financial lives. It gives people the financial freedom to pay rent or purchase homes, afford healthcare or medicine, start small businesses, and support their families. Without the burden of student debt, Americans weathered the pandemic, and many are thriving. We have added our name to this petition to send President Biden a simple message: DO NOT resume student loan payments.

Books, and especially books with controversial, unpopular and/or unconventional protagonists, are common targets for censorship. This strategy to control thought runs counter to our culture's deeply-held beliefs in the importance of freedom of expression. We strongly support each parent's right and obligation to engage fully in their child's education. However, that right does not extend to dampening the opportunities for new ideas or exploration of cultures, lives, and lifestyles, both villainous and virtuous, in the past, present and future, for other children in our system's schools. Through reading, these imaginary journeys promote empathy, understanding, inspiration and curiosity, all essential traits for healthy adults and a thriving democracy. We applaud our Fairfax County Public School's conclusion that the books in question are "valuable in their potential to reach marginalized youth who may struggle to find relatable literary characters who reflect their personal journeys." We note that, contrary to the public assertions that propelled action by FCPS, no depiction of pedophilia was found by either school committee formed to investigate the allegations that the books were not suitable. It is important that everyone who believes in the the value of diverse ideas, intellectual freedom and curiosity, and the contribution books make to a healthy democracy, reject the notion that censuring books is a pathway to a better future. Please join us in supporting our Fairfax County Public School Board.