The thought of my 5 year old grandson having to be exposed to guns by armed guards and / or teachers every school day and at every school he attends scares the hell out of me. At the NRA press conference, their solution to the Newtown, CT massacre on Dec 14, 2012 is to suggest putting armed guards in every school in the United States. This has to be the most expensive solution to the problem of gun violence and keeping our children safe to impose on our local governments, schools and citizens. Obviously, the NRA did not bother to suggest the means to be used to pay these armed guards. I propose that the US Congress, State governments and/or local governments impose an excise tax on every registered gun and owner of $1000 per annum to pay for all these armed guards in every school and other public places.

The NRA has made life hell in the United States. I, and many other expatriots are living abroad. I will return when the insanity is over.

Anyone including companies, especially the wealthy can show their love of America,patriotism,and progressiveness by contributing to the student debt crisis that will leave every student with a debt of $10,000 or less.

My daughter Ashtyn attends a public elementary school, where good behavior is rewarded with candy and pop. Daily, children ages 5 and up are given skittles, m & m's, tootsie rolls, and suckers for expected behaviors like walking quietly, turning in homework, or listening to the teacher.

Stop the interest on student loans...I took out a loan for my son, for 2 years or more i made payments the principal never went down..when i question why ..is because the payment i send was according to SALLIE MAE FOR INTEREST ONLY..this is not right..

Physical education has long been a part of the standard American school curriculum. Why not mental health? Why not educate children from a young age about their mind and feelings, how they work, and how to manage them? We must break the stigma against maintaining our mental health or asking for help in this area if we need it. What good is a healthy body without a healthy mind?

This petition is in response to the massive slaughter of 28 innocent children and teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, December 14, 2012. I am petitioning the government to install bullet proof windows and doors in all public schools.

School lunch menus fail to offer a meat-free option to students. It is unfair to force our children to eat dead animals if they wish NOT to do so. My daughter's lunch menu offers 'lunch A' and 'lunch B', both of which always have MEAT in them. We are vegetarians who don't drink cow's milk, therefor, my daughter comes home hungry, not having eaten almost every day. More than just cow's milk should be offered to drink! Even the salads have meat! This is unacceptable. My children don't want to eat dead animals, nor should they have to. If there are two options, one should be MEAT-FREE!

Senate Bill 59 allows concealed weapons to be carried in our schools and places of worship. All it requires to obtain is extra training. We do not need this law! It's a potential risk without a real reason as to why we should free this up

The recent tragic shooting that occurred in a school.

The residents of Sandy Hook deserve privacy. Their fear and grief should be private and the news media does not demonstrate decency or respect in these situations. You can simply report "The children and teachers of Sandy Hook returned to school today. Our hearts are with them." If you need drama you can have panels of experts or adults who have faced this situation explain what they must be going through. If you show pictures or news footage or interviews of kids on their first day/week back we will boycott your show and network. Decency needs to return to mainstream media.

High School should be reformed so that it helps students find what they are truly interested in. Currently, schools focus too much on preparing their students to take standardized tests. High school becomes an unrelenting routine of studying subjects in which you have no interest and dealing with peers with whom you have little in common, all the while experiencing the stresses of puberty. To relieve these tensions, I propose that students be allowed to set the pace at which they complete the high school curriculum, perhaps extending it over a fifth year. Students should be able to explore a range of subjects, pursue extracurricular activities, take some free time, and discover their true interests and passions. Also, they should be able to go to school just to attend classes without being stuck there for the entire school day.