In February of 2016 you said “ The American people should have a voice in the selection of their new Supreme Court Justice.” We believe you should stuck to the same standard now

In the midst of a pandemic, Big Tech is trying to enrich itself and invade our children’s privacy through new and untested online proctoring services. By scanning our children’s faces, IDs, and even their bedrooms, these online proctoring companies promise to end cheating forever. The choice is clear: surveillance has no place in our children’s lives. The Department of Education must protect kids’ privacy by banning private online test proctoring companies from K-12 schools. Online proctoring companies do exactly what they advertise to do: they collect invasive amounts of sensitive, private information, use new and untested technology to determine a child’s integrity, and create a permanent record of their behavior in their servers. By fudging the line between security and privacy, these firms are turning classrooms into a privacy threat. My first interaction with an online proctoring service was when I tried to take an online exam this past spring quarter. Within minutes, it was clear to me that this software had no place in the classroom. First, it asked my name, and then for government ID, and then to scan my face and retinas. As if that wasn’t enough, a company I had never heard of asked me to photograph my room, and that’s when I knew that this isn’t security software -- it’s straight-up spyware. Students aren’t criminals, and we shouldn’t be treated as such. It’s obvious that these services are dangerous in a college setting, but imagine how much worse it would be if they penetrated K-12 schools. Children would be forced to share mountains of sensitive, personal information with no oversight as to how it will affect their futures, including: - Biometric data like facial images, retina scans, and fingerprints - Citizenship status - Gender identity and expression - Weight, health conditions, and mental and physical disabilities - Online browsing history, internet searches, and interactions This technology is invasive for students of all ages, but especially inappropriate for kids under 18. Parents and children will be at the mercy of shadowy firms to determine their academic integrity, generating profiles for every child using invasive amounts of private information. If enough students and parents fight back against this move towards mass surveillance of young children, we can hold these companies accountable and protect kids’ privacy. Tell Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education: no more mass surveillance of children. Ban private online test proctoring companies from K-12 schools.

Distance learning is hard enough, but for 9 million kids without reliable internet access, remote school is nearly impossible. AT&T, one of the largest internet providers in the U.S, had been offering low-cost, high-speed internet to families at $10/month - but the waiver expires September 30, just as the school year is ramping up.

Need strong leadership to effectively lead the Big 10 at a time when the present leadership is weak, inefficient and basically of no effect.

I believe the requested renaming would reflect well on the city in which my mother (Eleanor Strawbridge Mead Schlinger), I, and my two daughters (Eleanor’s granddaughters) were born and the school at which my grandfather (Rufus Mead) was principal when Mack Robinson and Jackie Robinson were students there.

In light of anti-blackness in this country and how other marginalized groups are currently oppressed, we cannot afford to stay silent on this matter.

The regulation change announced by ICE on July 6 is unnecessary, unfair, and dangerous for the students affected by it. It bars students from re-entering the US, or threatens with deportation those who already are here, if they are attending a university that is only offering online courses due to COVID-19. This restriction has multiple unacceptable aspects: 1. It is unnecessary. ICE's role is to protect the United States against people who wish to enter illegally or with malicious intent. Students with a valid student visa do NOT meet this definition. 2. It is impractical. As the impact of coronavirus changes rapidly in various states and counties, universities are likely to rapidly change their teaching mode, starting or stopping in-person teaching from time to time. The regulation would force students to stay away when the courses are all online, allow them to come back when the courses are in-person or hybrid, send them away again if there is a reversal, etc. 3. It is costly. Many of the affected foreign students do not have the financial means to pay for extra airplane tickets home during the times when the regulation would ban them from the U.S. 4. It is dangerous. Putting those students on long international flights during the pandemic is dangerous to their health. It could arguably cause the death of several of them. 5. It is unfair. Some of these students would be back home in hostile conditions, or in a place where Internet is non-existent or of poor quality, or in family lodgings that are inconvenient for distance learning. Therefore they would not be in a position to continue their studies. The U.S. has granted these students visas to study in this country. This contributes to the reputation of this country as the world leader in higher education and research. The regulation changed announced by ICE on July 6 defeats this purpose. It is onerous, unfair, impractical, and unnecessary. It couldn't be better written if the motivation was actually xenophobia rather than the purported goal of protecting the U.S., which it does not achieve. This regulation change must be rescinded.

Statues of mass murderers, Confederate traitors, slave owners, and white supremacists have marred our land for far too long. Thankfully, the time has finally come to remove these material celebrations of racist oppression, and patriots throughout the land have wisely and courageously taken the initiative to do so. However, one official has foolishly called for these rejected statues to find a new home in the small town of America he manages. This effort to create a mecca for racism must be stopped. We the people, Newton Falls residents and/or US citizens, firmly reject the illegal and ill-advised proclamation by a local unelected official to unilaterally declare our town a depository for statues of mass murderers, Confederate traitors, slave owners, and white supremacists. No celebration of systemic racism, genocide, or white supremacy has any place in America The Beautiful. We resolutely reject the proposed denigration of our fair town into a mecca for racists and their ilk, and declare this shameful proclamation null and void. We shall overcome.

Recently, a variety of concerning issues have come to light that are directly associated with social organizations in AU Greek Life. Accusations of sexual assault and the lack of inclusivity associated with Greek Life, among a variety of other incidents, have taken a toll on our student body, so we think AU would be a better place without them. If AU claims to be the inclusive, diverse, and just place it brands itself as, it will stand with us in taking this crucial step.

Imagine a scenario in which a domestic dispute occurred between you and a partner. Which professional would you feel more comfortable speaking with? Which professional do you feel would be more capable of providing you resources for next steps? An armed officer? Or a plains clothed, unarmed social worker? Sign this petition to enact social workers into non violent roles in the community. A calming, unarmed presence, aimed to reduce escalation can decrease brutality between police and citizens, and in addition, can save lives.

This is important because education is the foundation of society. If we're going to make real change in fighting racism, it needs to start in our public schools. This is important for all children, no matter their race. Children are open to learning from their beloved teachers. It's not enough for teachers not to be racist, they need to be anti-racist. They need to give in-depth lessons about America's shameful history and how systemic racism has lead to the current violence against black people we see today. Moreover, it's crucial that children see themselves in their teachers. More black and brown people need to be hired in Framingham schools to represent our diverse community but also to allow children to interact with a wide-range of backgrounds and experiences that those educators bring with them.

I am a teacher and believe that the key to reopening the economy is reopening schools and allowing parents to get back to work. Every state in our country is facing a budget deficit, thus we need the Federal Government to help make that gap. In order for states to reopen schools safely will require more money, not less to maintain smaller class sizes that allows for social distancing, to provide necessary PPE to students and staff, and to have health and counseling support that our students need. Most school district believe that they will need an additional 20-30% on top of their normal budgets to safely reopen. Without this Federal support it would be an impossibility to reopen our schools. Therefore, the gap between what schools are losing from state cuts and what they need to safely reopen is over $300 billion across the country. Thus, the Senate must act now!