~~~Español abajo At the beginning of the school year there was an agreement to close schools if the positivity rate reached a certain number. There is no limit now and we are the highest positivity rate since the pandemic started. This is a public health emergency for everyone: 1. Students being back in schools will continue to spread the virus contrary to Covid-19 prevention measures 2. U-46 is the second largest school district in the state of Illinois which translates into a super spreader situation if students go back to schools 3. Cleaning staff, bus drivers, support staff, teachers, nurses, their families and communities beyond Elgin are also being put at risk 4. We can wait a bit longer now that there is a vaccine and come back to school safely 5. This is at the tail end of the holiday season where people spent time in groups 6. The money being spent on complying with safety measures could be spent on remote socio-emotional support for students 7. Community members of color have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19 8. Students and staff are individually responsible to self-certify. This did not go well back when the schools were hybrid. The safety measures are not being followed leading to safety concerns 9. Families have not been asked for input since August, 2020 Al comienzo del año escolar se acordó cerrar las escuelas si la tasa de positividad alcanzaba cierto número. Ahora no hay límite y tenemos la tasa de positividad más alta desde que comenzó la pandemia. Este es una emergencia de salud pública para todos: 1. Los estudiantes que regresen a la escuela continuarán propagando el virus en contra de las medidas de prevención contra el Covid-19 2. U-46 es el segundo distrito escolar más grande del estado de Illinois, lo que se traduce en una situación de gran difusión de Covid-19 si los estudiantes regresan a las escuelas 3. Pone en riesgo al personal de limpieza, los conductores de autobuses, el personal de apoyo, los maestros, las enfermeras, sus familias y comunidades mas allá de la ciudad de Elgin también corren peligro 4. Podemos esperar un poco más ahora que hay una vacuna y regresar a la escuela sanos y salvos 5. Estamos al final de la temporada navideña, donde las personas pasaron tiempo en grupos 6. El dinero que se gasta en el cumplimiento de las medidas de salud y seguridad podría destinarse al apoyo socio-emocional a distancia para los estudiantes 7. Los miembros de la comunidad afroamericana y latina se han visto afectados de manera desproporcionada por Covid-19 8. Los estudiantes y el personal son responsables individualmente de autocertificarse. Esto no fue un procedimiento exitoso cuando las escuelas estaban en el plan híbrido de aprendizaje. No se siguen las medidas de seguridad, lo que genera problemas de salud 9. A las familias no se les ha pedido su opinión desde agosto de 2020

Thousands of residents work from home (regardless of Covid). Our children are learning from home. Elderly, impaired, and infants are home all day trying to rest. It has become impossible to concentrate on any given day of the week as leaf blowers are used every day at all hours of the day! We have also ceased to hear birds for much of the day, animals run in fear, kids cease playing outside, you can't even walk your dog any longer without being blasted with NOISE & POLLUTION!

Students are already beyond stressed with remote learning and adding more screen time is doing nothing for them. The people in charge don’t know the reality. All this will causing is a decline in mental health for all students.

This is a show that brings happiness to people’s life. We learn so much from the show and it needs to be back up!!!!

[We are no longer seeking signers for this petition based on the Biden Administration's announcement that it will implement most of the requested policies.] Protests in Cuba on July 11th and subsequent trials dramatized the cost of President Biden and Vice President Harris failure to fulfill their campaign pledge to "promptly reverse the failed Trump policies that have inflicted harm on the Cuban people". Substantial majorities of Americans support repairing the Trump Administration's symbolic and substantive damage to our freedom as well as to our national political and economic interest. Sadly the Biden-Harris Administration has allowed the shadow of Trump to dominate US policy on Cuba more than one year after replacing him. It is unconscionable to continue to deny Cuban Americans the ability to provide desperately needed remittances to their families and to ignore the Constitutional right of all Americans to travel. Prompt action is essential so independent visitors and specialized travel agencies can create trips that renew support for Cuba's private sector in the winter of 2022. Cruise lines, tour operators, airlines, universities, cultural exchanges, agricultural producers and businesses require confirmed policy change in order to resume jobs providing engagement in the 2022 season. Organizer: Fund for Reconciliation and Development, Cuba/US People to People Partnership [Every time we add another 1,000 signers, we update a published list organized by zip code. It can be seen here https://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2021/12/signers-of-cuba-petition.html For an update on the situation after the July 11 and failed November 15 protests, visit https://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2021/08/evolving-personal-thoughts-about-cubas.html For ideas of additional personal action, go here https://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2021/01/biden-harris-petition-follow-up.html ]

We understand that herd immunity via vaccination will take months to achieve. Without the steps outlined above many more lives will be lost and many others will become ill, perhaps chronically, per the models. This hurts people, and in the long run, is also expensive across many systems. We have seen what happens when countries work to eliminate COVID. New York State may have more difficulty than a country would, but we can see that the current level of mitigation is not enough. We have seen responses from leaders like Adern, Battulga and Merkel. While they have all struggled with COVID returning, the defining feature of their response is their unwillingness to lose lives. A positive side effect is that their economies have been impacted positively by this approach. COVID Zero NY should be our aspiration. Being better than other states is not enough. It is imperative that our goals be higher because this is impacting our lives, our health, and our livelihoods. We must act, immediately. The WHO’s Dr. Mike Ryan’s statement from March is as relevant today as it was then: “Perfection is the enemy of the good when it comes to emergency management. Speed trumps perfection, and the problem in society we have at the moment is everyone is afraid of making a mistake - everyone is afraid of the consequence of error. But the greatest error is not to move. The greatest error is to be paralyzed by the fear of failure.” Respectfully submitted, Dec 22, 2020 — Sample of Information Utilized Substantial majorities (6 in 10, or more) of Americans support all seven restrictive measures. www.thecovidstates.org THE COVID STATES PROJECT: A 50-STATE COVID-19 SURVEY REPORT #25: PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR MEASURES AIMED AT CURBING COVID-19 USA, November 2020 COVID Zero: https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/after-eliminating-covid-19-new-zealand-pm-says-flattening-curve-wasnt-enough/ Economy and COVID: https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/a-false-choice-how-the-coronavirus-married-public-health-the-economy.php?s=09 Lack of transparency undermining response: https://www.wired.com/story/a-lack-of-transparency-is-undermining-pandemic-policy/ Updated COVID risk: https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/ Closing schools, bars, workplaces, public events reduces R to safe levels https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30785-4/fulltext Additional school information: https://twitter.com/DrZoeHyde/status/1336612124835995648?s=20 Aerosols: https://time.com/5883081/covid-19-transmitted-aerosols/

I am a student in the USA and because of the current Coronavirus pandemic, many schools have been forced to shut down. I am not saying in any way I disagree with the schools shutting down, as I, in particular, think it is the safest option. But that isn't what I'm arguing. As the winter goes on, it is sure to snow at some point. And when it snows on a school day snow days happen. The couple of days that children get a little amount of time to just relax unexpectedly. The strain that school puts on children every day is huge and has only increased during the pandemic. I think these days should just be those unexpected things that children look forward to no matter the state in the outside world.

56.4 million children and their families have been suffering without in-person school for almost a year. The fastest way to end that suffering is to get teachers vaccinated quickly. Teachers are essential workers and giving them high priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in phase 1B is the only way to ensure that all of our schools can reopen safely and quickly. The loss of in-person school has already impacted the mental health and growth of this generation of students. Most American kids are showing some signs of mental health problems and millions are significantly behind in academic and social development. Other kids face significant hunger and food insecurity due to the loss of school meals. Parents also rely on teachers and schools to provide child care when they need to work during the day. Without this resource, families have been forced to reduce their work hours or leave their jobs, losing income they need to pay their bills. Students need to return to school as fast as possible, but we cannot achieve that goal without making sure that teachers and support staff are given the protection they need to return to the classroom.

Proctorio and other online proctoring tools have a history of racial bias and violating students’ privacy. Writing for the MIT Technology Review, a librarian at UC Denver shared the following story: “A Black woman at my university once told me that whenever she used Proctorio's test proctoring software, it always prompted her to shine more light on her face. The software couldn’t validate her identity and she was denied access to tests so often that she had to go to her professor to make other arrangements. Her white peers never had this problem.” As has been amplified by the racial justice uprisings, and addressed by the City of Portland’s Director of Equity and Human Rights Dr. Markisha Smith: “Being antiracist means understanding through the use of root cause analysis that the history of surveillance in this country is rooted in slavery, with the earliest examples of controlling the movement of enslaved people being the ‘slave pass’. Being antiracist means ensuring the safety of BIPOC communities first.” Automated proctoring is also a direct and abhorrent violation of our children’s privacy. Proctorio and other companies get access to personal data from our children, including their personal computers, private rooms in their homes, and other data. It is unacceptable that our children must surrender their civil rights, especially while attending a public institution, to complete their education.

The threat of Covid19 is real. It has killed far too many and creates lasting health effects for more. 1.) Children can’t be expected to maintain sufficient social distancing to keep this pandemic from spreading. They are social creatures. Allowing them back in a physical school setting will cause a new spike in cases. Teachers and staff cannot be expected to carry the responsibility of ensuring everyone is following social distancing guidelines, while teaching and worrying about their own health. Every staff member or student could carry the virus home, even if they are asymptomatic. 2.) Social isolation is very hard. It is wearing on all of us. However, continued spread also means continued isolation. Not to mention the lasting effects of Covid, which will limit one’s ability to go about normal activities the remainder of their lives. This can be a hard teachable moment in life. Talk to your children, have an open dialogue of what this pandemic means and that keeping them healthy is a priority. 3.) Mental health is absolutely a concern; however, it should ALWAYS be a concern. Now is a time parents/guardians must take time to connect with their children and become more in tune with their children's feelings. Help their children work on strategies and coping mechanisms needed for the curveballs life throws at us. Schools cannot be expected to also fix the mental health of our nation. 4.) The economic impact on families is real and it’s difficult, whether schools are open or not. Covid has rippling effects on everyone. However, it is not a school's job to save the economy. It is a school's job to teach our children, which is being done virtually. To put teachers and students health at risk because families need a babysitter is unreasonable and not grounds for schools to open during a very active pandemic. 5.) Deforest has gone above and beyond what most districts have, in means of educating our children. They have been consistent and provided all the resources needed. As in life, there are days adults are adrift in the workplace, just like there are days students are not focused in a school setting. Education interruption will occur if schools open and then need to close repeatedly due to infection spread. And if one becomes gravely ill, there will be an even larger interruption. 6.) Parent's concern for lack of physical activity is also not a reason to open schools. This is a time for parents to be creative. If you don't want them in front of the screen take it away! Have them go outside, go for a walk, play a family game, teach them how to cook, ride a bike, go sledding – get outside or be active indoors if the weather doesn’t cooperate. 7.) Deforest should not be pressured to open. The staff is doing a great job educating students. Teachers have poured their hearts into educating the students they miss dearly, all while under the stress and scrutiny of everyone. We should be supporting our schools and educators, not making them feel unappreciated for their dedication. 8.) Understand that if students go back to in person learning, they will be sitting in a chair, with a mask on all day, working from the same computer they do at home. They will not be together at lunch, they will not be playing or interacting with their friends or even able to collaborate any differently than they do now. This is not in anyone’s best interest, it’s is the exact opposite. At home students can get up and move around, talk to friends on the phone at lunch and even get outside. The threat of Covid19 is real. It has killed far too many and created lasting health effects for even more. Let’s not be the reason more lives are lost or altered. Let’s be the reason we all survive and can return to normal sooner rather than later. Please sign this petition to keep the Deforest schools virtual until it is safe to return. Our kids and teachers deserve it!

It is important understand that the students of Bloomfield college have worked hard and should be allowed the choice of a Pass or Fail grade for the Fall 2020 semester because of the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on Bloomfield College.

It is important for the well being of our students, staff & families to have the administrators remain in their positions. The Board members do not understand the job descriptions of these employees. They are looking at the bottom line number & are worrying too much about the possibility of town taxes going up.