The United States harbors an enduring legacy of anti-Asian racism, from the murderous violence of the so-called "Yellow Peril" in the 19th and 20th centuries to the surge in hate crimes committed against Asian Americans in the wake of COVID-19. The continued use of "oriental" in the profession of East Asian Medicine in the US perpetuates this injustice. In 2016, the term was removed from all US federal regulations through a bill authored by New York State Representatives Grace Meng (D) and Hakeem Jeffries (D). It received unanimous, bipartisan congressional support and was signed into law by President Obama. The bill also struck the terms “Negro,” “Eskimo,” and “Spanish surname” (to honor Latinx folks), which are the associates of "oriental." Our profession is dangerously out of step with what progress has been made outside our community. We will fail in our institutional anti-racism efforts before they begin if we persist in using this racist, obsolete term.

Children are at higher risk for contracting the illness as well as every staff member in the school system leading to more and more illness and possible death with exposure of the virus and bringing home that exposure to each persons family. If one person is infected and they are in that classroom, now all the students in that classroom are exposed, as well as the teacher. If that student goes to another classroom or nurses office, now those students and those faculty members have been exposed and it will just keep spreading. Then our now exposed children come home to their family, that family member goes to work and now has exposed every person at their job. It is safer for our children to be home using a virtual classroom. They aren’t being exposed to any of the illness being home.

A policy proposal was recently published that calls for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to address racism through anti-racist reforms. You can read the full proposal here: https://www.slideshare.net/TimothyBerry8/an-anti-racist-west-point In response to this proposal, West Point’s Inspector General (IG) has started a “comprehensive review of all matters involving race at the Academy.” However, the results of this review are not publicly available. Additionally, many of the actions recommended in the proposal can be acted upon without waiting for the results of this investigation. We request that West Point: 1. Publicly acknowledge that the Academy faces challenges with racism that harms Cadets, that this does not align with Academy values, and that it will adopt changes to eliminate racism. 2. Immediately adopt the actions not under the IG purview. 3. Publicly share the IG report and ensure its recommendations are instituted by the end of 2020. If you agree that West Point must swiftly begin to take action in building towards an anti-racist West Point, you can express your support by signing this petition.

Parents, in times such as these, we become the voice of reason for our children. We are their protectors; the individuals they rely on to prioritize their education, health, and well-being. With the rise of COVID-19 in Florida and the Pensacola area recently being placed into the top 10 epicenters for contracting the disease, our children with health issues, such as the immunocompromised and asthmatics, need us to be their voices more than ever before. The options the Santa Rosa County School system have put in place are not structured to create an environment to educate our children due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rather, they highlight education options which were already in place prior to the breakout of the virus. This has caused thousands of families in the district to choose between their children’s mental health, physical health, and education—a decision a parent should never be asked to make. Thus, this petition has been created to highlight the lack of reasonable options for Santa Rosa County Children and the their parents and to urge the district not to make decisions based off of a survey created in the middle of the summer with out-of-date statistics, but to rework the way the 2020-2021 year will be managed based on current concerns by the district’s families and teachers. The Santa Rosa County School district has given three options; Full-Time Brick and Mortar Schooling with COVID-19 restrictions (which does not include the prioritization of masks), online schooling though Santa Rosa Online (which does not connect students to their brick and mortar teachers, rather, provides different teachers through a more rigorous program that admittedly is not designed for students who need more assistance), and homeschooling. Other school districts have shown that there are, indeed, more options available besides the three that Santa Rosa School District has offered parents. Two that we would like to bring up to the district are below: 1) Distance Learning: Allowing children to learn from home exclusively with the teacher’s assistance from the brick and mortar school they would have originally attended. This will allow students with IEP’s and/or health issues to learn safely from home while getting the education they deserve, the comfort of a face they recognize, and an environment that will not risk their health. 2) Hybrid Learning: Allowing students through logistical planning to spend certain days at their brick and mortar school while splitting the other half of their week into distance learning. This will allow teachers to better control the environment of their classrooms with smaller class sizes, but also allow children and teachers to have face-to-face contact with their students. This would greatly reduce the spread but allow students to have a sense of normalcy—necessary for a child’s mental health. Parents, through this petition, are asking to be heard to discuss other options, such as those listed above. Together, we can create an environment where we do not have to choose between our children’s mental and physical health and education. We owe it to the children of Santa Rosa County.

On campuses across the country—Maryland, Ohio State, Clemson, LSU, Kansas State, and more—dozens of student-athletes are testing positive for coronavirus as they begin training for Fall sports. It's becoming clear that in order to protect students and staff, Fall sports must be postponed. More and more college conferences and schools are postponing all Fall sports, and the NCAA needs to provide leadership to protect their students during this pandemic, instead of letting money drive their decision. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) generated $867 million in 2019, but it can't put profits ahead of the safety of their student-athletes. The major conferences that make up the NCAA are making plans to get football players and other student-athletes back on the field to make sure money from its lucrative television and marketing deals isn't lost. This is dangerous to the players who will have to come in close contact with their teammates and opponents at a time when American professional sports are struggling to start-up. Two teams from Major League Soccer had to drop out due to COVID outbreaks among players and paid professional players are deciding to opt-out of NBA and MLB seasons because of concern for catching the coronavirus. The National Junior College Athletic Association is expected to move its Fall sports to the Spring this week, and last week, The Ivy League canceled Fall sports. Colleges like Morehouse have done the same, canceling Fall sports to protect their students. It's clear that postponing Fall sports is the only responsible decision to make. As the U.S. continues to grapple with a pandemic that doesn't respect city or state borders, the NCAA needs to do what's right and make sure college athletes aren't put at risk so that NCAA and their partners can make millions. SOURCES: "National Junior College Athletic Association expected to move football season to spring," July 12, 2020, ESPN espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29452386/national-junior-college-athletic-association-expected-move-football-season-spring "Ivy League Places All Sports on Hold Until January," July 8, 2020, The New York Times nytimes.com/2020/07/08/sports/ncaafootball/ivy-league-fall-sports-football-coronavirus.html

This modification now requires in-person class attendance to remain in the United States and continue in academic programs. These modifications are illogical as universities are providing online instruction in response to the medical reality of airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus. The Trump administration’s use of international students to force universities to provide in-person classes is cruel, reckless, and shortsighted. International students should not have to suffer the uncertainty of their educational future and residence within the U.S., due to a politically-motivated gambit centered upon economic goals that support President Trump’s re-election. International students enrich the learning experiences of fellow students with their intellect, the sharing of personal experiences, and the richness of varied viewpoints. They live and work in our communities helping local economies thrive, and they often return to their countries using the skills and knowledge they have gained to improve the lives of those around them. Through the relationships and professional networks they build, international students are a force for global diplomacy

This decision puts students, teachers, and families at risk and will threaten the health, safety, and quality of education for the Texas education sector. We must push TEA to reverse this decision.

For years the university has ignored the voices of students from their satellite campuses when they continuously ask for more funding and financial support. For years the university has ignored the voices of their out-of-state students - even those who would qualify for significant financial assistance if they were Michigan residents - and international students. For years Ann Arbor students have been uninformed of the hardships of the Flint and Dearborn students, thus unintentionally enabling the regents to continue silencing their voices and disregarding their requests. Today and together we stand - the bodies of previous and current students merge into one in hopes of a better tomorrow as we face sickness and an economic recession. Leaders and best, let’s set an example for other universities in this country by listening to those who represent our purpose as an institution of higher learning - the students. Let us rise from hardships together, helping one another. We are all affected by COVID-19 in various manners, and can utilize our empathy and understanding for a better future with upcoming generations, our now leaders and best. These are monumental times, where we are asking for a better world that we can actually build and fulfill. Let’s work together and cultivate genuine inclusivity, so that all students can confidently and proudly say “Go Blue!” when it’s their time to graduate.

There is no way to keep students, teachers, staff, bus drivers and cafeteria workers safe if they report to school buildings. Until there is 100% assurance that children will not bring COVID-19 home from school, no school buildings should reopen in Florida. Remote instruction is feasible, and in cases where parents cannot handle instruction a tutoring program should be established to ensure that kids can keep learning. This can be accomplished state-wide or district by district. If families do not have computers or internet access, these resources should be provided by the Florida Department of Education, by federal funding, or by community foundations. Reevaluate this position in January 2021 and/or after an effective COVID-19 vaccine has been developed and tested and is widely available.

Maria Pereira “Still” Must Go was created by the people of Bridgeport Connecticut along with the support of Bridgeport Public Schools, parents, and community leaders because of Maria Pereira’s continuously belligerent behavior directed towards colleagues, parents, BOE members and anyone not in agreement with her bullying tactics. She is in violation of the Robert's Rules of Law in her disruptive behaviors that consist of shouting, name-calling, intimidation, and unprofessional language. Her history of violence, her criminal record, and threats of lawsuits towards the mayor and anyone who doesn't agree with her has the 21,000 children of Bridgeport held hostage. Her lack of integrity and character are poor examples in which anyone in her seat should be held to a higher standard. Her history of voting to endanger the welfare of Bridgeport students and community makes her unfit to be a councilwoman any longer. Her inability to work civilly with the current community has caused boycotting. Furthermore, her insensitive comments have caused racial tensions in our city to flare at an alarming rate. Her moral turpitude insinuating that people of color holding political offices cannot bring in good financial standing to our city is outright egregious and will not be tolerated. Maria Pereira must go; this is not a request but rather a demand! We the community, parents, and children of Bridgeport Public Schools want her resignation!

COVID19 numbers on the mainland are higher than they have ever been so we need access to much more accurate and reliable testing to safely welcome tourists back to Hawaii without a quarantine requirement. Also school starts August 4th and welcoming tourism at the same time is dangerous to teachers and students. We don't yet know what the effect of opening schools will be.

Kevin Pierson is vital to the Residence Life and Housing Community. Not only does he perform the duties expected of him, he also goes above and beyond. Kevin Pierson is one of the only police officers that is not biased against students based on their demogrpahics. He has changed the lives of countless students and faculty members, and terminating his employment with The University of Akron Police Department will be a deterrant to the UA Community.