Tennessee Voters will be required this year (2012) to have a government issued photo ID in order to vote. This will cause a serious impediment for many people and disenfranchise them, particularly the elderly, the disabled, rural and low income voters, not to mention people of color and college students of other states re presidential elections. This amounts to a poll tax, having had to show a proterty deed in order to vote.

Every American student (except for 3% with serious handicaps or other issues) is supposed to be achieving on grade level every year, climbing in lockstep up an ever more challenging ladder. This flies in the face of research showing that children start off in different places academically and grows at different rates. Source: Claudia Wallis, TIME Magazine, Sunday, June 8, 2008 "No Child Left Behind: Doomed To Fail?"

Do not promote students repeatedly when they fail to master basic grade-level math skills.

While the earlier petition regarding student loans was a good start, it actually ends up costing us more in the long run. I have an idea that will infuse money into the goverment and ease the burden of those with current loans.

In terms of state supported colleges, all students who are giving a sports scholarship must hold a 3.00 GPA or lose the scholarship. If we the taxpayer are supporting these students then they should be held accountable to graduate with at least a 3.0. It has been said that sports scholarships are the only way a poor student can afford higher education. What about the poor student that scores high on the SAT's . Perhaps they are being held back because someone can catch a football or hit a baseball but not graduate.

California's Public Educational System, Kindergarten through College and University has been cut to the bone. Overcrowded classrooms, textbook shortages, teacher and professor layoffs, and reduced or eliminated college class sections have made it impossible for millions of talented students to graduate. University of California students' tuition fees have been raised by 20 percent, California State University students' tuition fees have been raised by 27 percent, and California Community College students' tuition fees have been raised by 80 percent for the 2011/2012 academic year, and these students face the probability of severe midyear tuition fee increases in the Spring 2012 semester. California's K-12 System is suffering with overcrowded classrooms, instructional material shortages, and teacher layoffs. Californians must act now to save our once renowned Educational System. Education is the foundation of a strong economy. California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger enjoyed tuition free education at UC Berkeley and Santa Monica College respectively. In the 1960s and 1970s, California's Educational System was the envy of the world. During this time, public higher education was tuition free as mandated by Governor Pat Brown's Master Plan for Higher Education, and California's economy grew to the 5th largest in the world. Today, California's economy has fallen to 8th position in the world because of a lack of investment in education and technology. China recently invented the world's fastest computer server and produces the largest number of solar panels, while South Korea produces the best electric car batteries using cutting-edge technologies. California's K-12 spending per pupil has dropped to 43rd out of 50 states. College and University graduates are saddled with huge debts. If California is to successfully compete with countries such as China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and India, California's Educational System must be adequately funded, offering more classes and programs in cutting-edge technology, skilled manufacturing, alternative energy, the humanities, and the arts. Unbelievably, California has failed to employ a widely used revenue source that can address this crisis in our education. This revenue source is employed by every major oil producing state, except California. This untapped source of revenue is a severance tax on oil and natural gas extracted in California. Since California is the nation's 3rd largest producer of oil, after Texas and Alaska, a 15% oil and natural gas severance tax (midway between that of Texas and Alaska) would raise over $3 billion each year, at 2011 oil prices. This has not been a partisan issue in other states. For example, Governor Sarah Palin, with a Republican legislature, raised Alaska's oil severance tax to 25%, bringing in billions of dollars. Texas' and Alaska's gasoline prices were not affected by their oil severance taxes, and in March 2011, their price per gallon of gasoline was lower than California's. This type of oil and natural gas severance tax is the economic standard in every major oil and natural gas producing state and nation around the world. Closing the California Oil and Natural Gas Severance Tax loophole will help fully fund California's public education once again, making California competitive in the global economy and ensuring a bright future for this generation and succeeding generations of Californians. http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2011/110648.aspx http://www.rescueeducationcalifornia.org/

16-25 Railcard holders get 1/3 off most rail fares, however there is a minimum fare of £12 during weekdays. We want to change it!

Athens City Schools announced that they are closing Chauncey Elementary at the end of the school year. Thier reasons is for budgets cuts. I am encouraging all of the Chauncey alumni or anyone else that does not want to see this school close to sign this petition.

Recent cuts to the Pell Grant program hurt Communist College students, non-traditional students as well as poor and minority students. We need educated Americans in order to rebuild America after the economics disasters of the last few years. Restore Pell Grants to student attending not-for-profit schools.

A child with autism that cannot speak, like my 14 year old child, was recently raped by a paraprofessional, working for the Boston public school system, while alone with the student in a quit room. With all the advances in brain science I would hope that the professionals in the field of Special Educatiion can do better than physically restraining a child with an intellectual disability, or using a closet, box, boiler room or any other seperated space to address difficult behavior. Violence begets violence, no matter how you rationalize it.

Children with Cystic Fibrosis are required to take supplemental pancreatic enzymes before meals. These enzymes allow the student to digest food properly. Currently, the law states, each student must go to the nurse’s office, each day. The nurse than administers the medication to the student. This is a time consuming process, which takes forces the student to leave class early or miss part of the lunch hour. This inhibits the student’s ability to either learn or have adequate time to finish lunch. This is also becoming problematic, due to budget cuts in the schools. Some schools are eliminating full-time nurses, which would make it impossible for students to take their medication each day. Some schools have passed laws that allow students to carry medication such as over over-the-counter pain relief medications. The main impetus for the current restrictions is to insure the safety of the students by keeping controlled substances (such as prescription medications) out of the hallways and classrooms of the school. However, the danger of someone taking un-prescribed pancreatic enzymes is negligible. We believe students who have Cystic Fibrosis and require pancreatic enzymes before meals, with a Doctor’s note, should be able to carry and administer their own medication. If the student demonstrates understanding and compliance with the prescribed dosage, before the school nurse, the student should be free to carry and administer the medication. If you agree, please sign this petition and contact your lawmakers both state and federal, so David’s Law will become law as soon as possible. If you have any questions or want to help the cause, please contact David Wagner’s Cystic Fibrosis Hotline at 612-282-1211

The San Diego Board of Education cut 50 counselors from the ranks last year and they are looking to balance the budget by cutting 80 more which would eliminate all counseling support to the elementary schools. Please let them know that our children need counseling services.