Stop bullying. I have been affected by bullying before, I have been depressed, I have cut because of it, I have been sent to the hospital, and I don't wanna see other kids go through what I'm going through, or worse. I want bullying to stop.

My son Joshua has been the target of bullying by the same two children at Pilot Middle School for some time now, Two weeks ago my some came home with bruises where one of these boys caught him in the bathroom and repeatedly punched him, I have been to the school many times and nonthing has changed along with no punishment. I was in a meeting with the principal when my son was in the bathroom, he used his cell phone to record one of these incidents with another child being the target, he came to the office as I was leaving and told me what had just happened, Mrs. Sawyers the principal watched and listened to video knew the children involved there was no punishment handed down to the bully. On the following Tuesday she informed us if she punished the kids involved she would have to suspend my son for recording it. Since this incident I have been made aware that there are other children being bullied by these kids but they are scared to come forward because they know nonthing will get done......PLEASE HELP GET MORE AWARENESS AT THIS SCHOOL AND SPEAK UP THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO TOLERATE BULLYING IN ANY SCHOOL NOT JUST THIS ONE

As a former Camden resident who dreams to see the city of Camden restored, I am using all of the resources that are at my disposal to positively influence this community via the platform of education. They will say, "This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited." Ezekiel 36:35

As an active parent with children in K-8 public schools, I am outraged by the damage that has been done at the hands of the Regents Chairwoman Tisch and Commissioner King, people who have virtually no experience with public education either as educators or as parents of children in the public school system. The Common Core implementation dreamed up by the Chairwoman and Commissioner has destroyed interest in learning by children who have been identified as children both gifted and with special educational needs. The Chairperson and Commissioner need to be held accountable for the damage they have caused. As parents of the children who have been harmed by their incompetence, we deserve to have our voices heard in the removal process and have an active voice in selecting their replacements.

Dallas ISD School Board members will meet to vote on a proposal to turn two closed-down schools in Oak Cliff and South Dallas (Julia C. Frazier Elementary and N. W. Harllee Elementary) into early childhood education centers. This would be a big win for Dallas ISD parents living in these neighborhoods, but as of right now, there aren’t enough votes on the school board to pass it!

According to OK.gov, on average in America, nearly 12,000 people die every year in DUI-related accidents, and 900,000 are arrested each year for DUI/DWI.  In 2012, there were 4,291 alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes in Oklahoma, which represents 6.1% of the total reported crashes.  Among these alcohol-related crashes, there were 261 fatalities, which is a 7% increase from 2011, as well as 2,892 persons injured in these crashes.  Although these are broad numbers, they are still the facts of the dangers of drunk driving.  To narrow this down and make it a little more specific and relevant to who our petition is targeting, we will provide you with a few more numbers: 56 of these fatalities were persons between the ages of 16 and 25, and 44 of those 56 fatalities were intoxicated drivers.  Derived from the total number of crashes, 1,303 were caused by intoxicated drivers within this 16-25 year age range.  In the grand scheme of things, these numbers are fairly high for this age range. The facts are all here.  Accidents, injuries, and casualties do occur because of drunk driving.  This issue is a concern for the students, the university, and the community and something should be done to alleviate this problem as soon as possible.  By starting this petition out locally, we are hoping to have the support of the student body and the community, then branch out and have the support of the state, and maybe even eventually, the support of the nation.

TRiO is important to those it impacts directly and indirectly. This petition is for everyone who realizes how much TRiO means to the success of students in Washington State.

New York State Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities (NYSAA) has, since its inception, failed to support students with severe disabilities in approaching their individualized educational goals, and has always been an inaccurate reflection of how our schools provide meaningful, functional education for students with severe disabilities. This year, in connection with the increased pressure for schools to align with the Common Core Curriculum, NYSAA has made a number of changes to the assessment and administration process. These changes have resulted in an assessment that is even less functional, and often downright inappropriate, offensive, and even discriminatory against students who have severe disabilities. The assessment is incredibly labor-intensive, and takes as much as 80% of classtime and preparation time between the months of October and February. As a teacher of students with severe disabilities, I have witnessed first-hand the continued, and increased marginalization of this community due to this inappropriate assessment. I urge you to listen to our teachers and families, and focus the attention of our state and national leaders on this issue. The goal of this petition is to raise awareness about this issue on a local, state, and national level, and to bring a discussion to the state and national levels about how we can begin to plan systemic change. This petition does not offer a singular solution or alternative to this assessment program, but rather suggests that it is time for us to recognize the inappropriateness and ineffectiveness of this program, and to demand discussion about how it will be changed. New York State is not alone is dealing with these issues, which vary from state to state, and are the product of a trend resulting from increased focus on a nationally aligned Core Curriculum and increased pressure on states to assess teacher effectiveness. It is the view of the creator of this petition that assessment of students with severe disabilities should be aligned with Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals, and changes should be made in the way we evaluate the IEP process, and provide quality controls to ensure quality IEPs which are currently not in place. Furthermore, teacher effectiveness should be assessed based on how well teachers create functional goals and adaptations that provide meaningful opportunities to access general curricular areas, as well as compensatory skills areas that are essential for these students. In order to make systemic change, we must first recognize a systemic problem, and then bring our consensus to the state and national levels for a real discussion.

Schools need to be accountable for the actions of students who bully other students in the schools. We are losing to many kids lives over this epidemic. The time to do something.. IS NOW!!! Thank you!!

Schools have been mandated to use the Common Core Learning Standards. They are not required to use EngageNY for curriculum. They are allowed to develop their own curriculum as long as they align it with Common Core.

Cami Anderson, the Christie-appointed Superintendent of Newark Public Schools, is escalating her attack on OUR public schools. This time she is attempting to further destabilize schools and neighborhoods by destroying the relationships between students and our teachers - dedicated teachers that we rely on to help build a strong foundation for our future. Cami is requesting permission from state Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf to use a “waiver or equivalency” to fire hundreds of education workers with no consideration for seniority or tenure. Yes, this shreds the basic rights of union workers, but in the teaching profession it also hurts students like us who rely on stable relationships with experienced and professional school staff. Research proves that high turnover rates in schools hurt students, especially the children of working class families who are already economically disadvantaged. And let us be clear, Anderson’s One Newark plan and her attack on Newark’s public schools disproportionately targets low-income, working-class communities and communities of color. Anderson desperately needs this waiver to remove tenured teachers so she can fill a $100 million budget shortfall over the next three years that SHE CREATED by hiring hundreds of inexperienced TFA teachers to push older, higher paid teachers out of their schools, and by promoting the expansion of charter schools that funnel money out of traditional public schools. She figures that if she can get rid of the highest paid education workers – who earned that higher pay through years of dedicated work on behalf of our fellow students, then she can fill much of that budget gap, AND eliminate unionized workers at the same time. Her Christie-appointed colleague, Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf, is expected to approve her request…just days before he leaves his post on March 5th. How convenient. As students in Newark Public Schools, our teachers influence and support extends far beyond what is in text books. Our teachers and school staff have spent countless hours of their lives advising, teaching, and simply talking with us during our lunchtimes, after school, at sporting events, plays, concerts, college days, and MANY other school related activities. The proof of their work is clearly evident in all of the data. Newark Public Schools met the standards for gaining local control from the nearly two-decade long occupation set by the state QSAC rubric, a measure established by the state to protect their control over our schools. After meeting those standards the state moved the goal post in order to maintain control and prevent Newark’s communities from having a voice in our schools. It is clear that Christie’s control over our schools is not out of concern for academic achievement or student success – it is an attack on Newark’s working-class communities and an effort to turn public money and public necessities into private profit. Anderson has a vision for Newark’s schools. Privatize the system, socialize the costs, and subject students to inexperienced Teach For America (TFA) teachers working for poverty wages under dictatorial conditions. This is not fair to dedicated teachers who have given decades of their lives to Newark’s students. This is not fair to us - the students - who rely on their training, knowledge and experience as teachers and educators to help us build the foundations we need in our lives to be successful. This is not fair to Newark’s communities, to our city or to our future. Kristin Towcaniuk & Jelani Walker Newark Students Union & NJ Communities United Members

Less than half of California's kids are enrolled in preschool. That's a huge problem, because by her 5th birthday, 90% of a child's brain is developed. So when she steps into a classroom for the first time as a kindergartner, she is already 10 steps behind her peers who went to preschool - and she may never catch up. Prek graduates are better prepared for academic and lifetime success, while at-risk youth who don't go prek are 25% more likely to drop out of high school and 70% more likely to commit a crime and become incarcerated. The decision is up to Gov. Brown - will California invest in high-quality early education for every child or will California perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline?