For the citizens of Mississippi. This is to get loved ones out of horrible prisons and back into society. When these men and women get out, they will get jobs and start paying taxes. We can get our prison systems in order and up to code. We can get our loved ones back in our lives every day and not just four hours one day a week. We can get guards that care and are not overworked or just needing a job. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance.

For many COVID-19 is a life threatening illness. Given the current situation with coronavirus I think FCPS should do the right thing and close the schools for a few weeks. It is clear from the numbers in the rest of the world that if we shut things down now we have a much better chance of containing the virus. I know that we have several snow days already built in to the school year. We can use them now and help stop the spread of the virus. I could keep my own children home but it’s not going to help unless everyone keeps their children home. Below are links to a few articles I’ve found defending this idea: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-cancel-everything/607675/ And https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca If we take things seriously and “quarantine” now we can prevent this virus from overwhelming our medical system like it seems to have done in Northern Italy. But we need our leadership to guide us. I promise I will defend you when other parents complain that closing the schools is an over reaction. Believe me when I say I don’t look forward to spending weeks at home with my children (even though I love them very much!)

This is a health hazard for many students in DVC. The first case of corona virus has been announced in the Contra Costa County, where Diablo Valley College’s Pleasant Hill campus is located.

Higher education creates better paying jobs. Better paying jobs creates a better tax base. How much income tax is generated by a minimum wage paying job, compared to the income tax of an undergraduate degree pay scale? Do I need to go to the sales taxes paid by the two different incomes? Didn't think so. What started as "Trickle up" economics has turned into "Flooding up" economics. History has shown how income inequality turns out. It hasn't been pretty. We are heading, "full steam ahead" in that direction. 1929, 2008 are the years I am pointing to. The quick recovery of 2008 won't happen again. The Federal Government can't afford to bail out numerous industries again. I feel that the current state of affairs in our society are a reflection this imbalance. The political polarization. The mass shootings. The current horrific crimes being committed are a direct reflection of the terrible conditions we are experiencing. Horrific conditions are creating horrific reactions. People are struggling to eat, can't get health care because: 1) wages haven't kept up with the real cost of living. 2) We are out of options to make up the difference. When wages first began to shrink, (1978) "incomes" went from individual to "household". Mom and dad worked. Then they worked more hours. When that didn't maintain a comfortable lifestyle, (1990’s), borrowing filled the gap. We witnessed how that turned out, the 2008 recession. The middle class needs to be able to pay for things, not borrow to get them. Jobs are created when people buy things, (after all, someone has to make the things, deliver and sell them), that is how economics works. Henry Ford figured this out over 100 years ago! I am looking to my leaders to take some action. Be brave and do the right things for the right reasons. If the status quo is not changed, we are all going to be left behind. The people at the top, (the very rich), will continue to get further out of reach and more powerful. I don't think my fellow middle-class citizens are capable of continuing down the current path. The mass shootings for example, started in schools, (easy targets), then to theaters and malls, (bigger easy targets). These shootings haven’t changed what caused them. The next group will probably be politicians. Lack of gun laws is not the problem, more gun laws is not the answer. Lack of financial security is the problem, and all that goes with it. Please stop doing what we are doing, so we stop getting what we are getting. Let’s put a stop to the current state of affairs. Everything I have written here, is a glimpse of what I have observed. Unfortunately, I don’t have many solutions to offer, sorry. Political discussions with my contemporaries don’t happen. Everyone’s feelings get hurt, they stomp off, end of discussion. They are emulating what our leaders are doing. The dialogue needs to be started, so options are thought of and the best options given a chance to work. Please, let’s begin talking.

I am a community activist within the Talladega Community. I have been communicating with parents and those who are concerned about our school system, but because for the last 3 months the Talladega Board of Education has displayed lack of leadership. They have been the topic in the local new paper, The Daily Home. We have parents that attended board meetings expressing their concerns about The Talladega Board and the Superintendent being accused of "racism". Nevertheless, we now have a parent who has a taping of the superintendent talking about black teachers and members of the Talladega School System Board.

Public record shows that Rep. Baker's intent is to defund and privatize our public schools. Public record shows Rep. Baker has received substantial monies from special interest groups, compromising his ability to represent all Missourians. Public record shows that Rep. Baker has no respect for the sanctity of the First Amendment one of our country's most cherished freedoms.

“There are two animals that walk the earth that don’t swim by instinct, and therefore must be taught; Chimpanzees and Humans” (Bonnie Tsui, 2020 “Why We Swim”) “Swimming is Unlike any other Subject; It is a Life-Saving Skill” Drownings are the number one killer of children under age 5. Worse, for every drowning victim, there are four near-drownings. That is, when someone has been deprived of oxygen for a sufficient amount of time to cause brain damage. Drowning is preventable with swimming lessons and water safety instruction and safer places to swim. Studies have shown that when a community has a public pool, drownings decrease. Swimming used to be as popular as going to the movies; there were huge magnificent municipal pools in many places. They had the Fleishecker Pool and Sutro Baths in San Francisco. The Fleishecker could accommodate 10,000 swimmers and had sandy beaches and lifeguards in rowboats. The tilework and statues were beautiful--museum quality. According to Jeff Wiltse, (Contested Waters--The Social History of Swimming Pools in America, 2007) these fancy municipal pools were for whites only; the black communities had more austere pools--but swimming was popular in both places and lessons were free. In 1947 when the Jim Crow laws expired, blacks could then go to the fancy pools. So many of the plain pools closed when blacks could go to the fancy pools, but they found themselves sometimes unwelcome and whites generally stayed away. Little by little the fabulous municipal pools shuttered. This was when people of means built backyard pools and started private clubs. Swimming stayed popular with anyone lucky enough to have access to a pool. Unfortunately, people that didn’t swim didn't prioritize teaching their children to swim and now we are on the third generation of some non swimmers--and it is really a class issue. But it plays out racially. In 2014 The Center for Disease Control (CDC) did their first ever report on the racial disparity in drownings. The results are alarming. People of color drown at much higher rates than whites. Latinos, Asians, and Blacks drown significantly more often than others.  Swimming pools are expensive to build and maintain, so unless people ask for one, they don’t get built and maintained. In Sacramento, CA where the average July temperature is 94 F, there are few inner city public pools, yet the suburbs are still building them.  Roseville built their aquapark in 1995, and they have two other municipal pools (67%white community).  North Natomas built a $43 million aqua park in 2019 -- 70% white neighborhood.  Elk Grove (45% white and 29% Asian) has three Aqua parks,   Davis has eight municipal pools and is building a $13.6 million aquatic center for 2023.  Because of the lack of access to municipal pools and swimming lessons, there is a huge racial disparity in accidental drownings. An 11 y/o black child is now 10X more likely to drown than a white. Swimming is unlike any other sport; it is a life-saving skill.

Bernie will fight for the working class and poor. He has been consistent for 40 years. Medicare For All, tuition free public college, Green New Deal, Get money out of politics, get us out of endless wars, Federal Jobs Guarantee, Expand Social Security, Immigration reform, Criminal Justice Reform

I feel like this is very important to the whole community. Wearing uniforms makes us feel plan and also very uncomfortable. Like for example in central, when we walk around with hoodies were hounded for them to get taken off. But if you don’t take it off that exact minute the admin will confiscate it. But see if we didn’t have to worry about uniform policy’s we wouldn’t have to worry about teacher calling admin to have student remove hoodies, Or students be given unreasonable consequences

It's important to capture the minds of preteens and teenagers coming into man or womanhood. I really feel that a high school education should provide a young person a real chance at success. It's so unfortunate that a lot of millennials don't want to contribute to society by earning their keep. But I don't put the blame completely on the youth. Do to broken homes, minds,spirits,and poor parenting skills and a failing education system. We have so many young people rushing to be nothing, or a ball player, rapper, or drug dealer. So I've took upon myself to start petitioning to bring back vocational high schools starting with the one I graduated from in 1992 . Wymore Tech gave us opportunity to learn various different skills that captured students interest. Also it brought about a certain pride an admiration about yourself. That made your education the most important thing in your life. Knowing once you graduate you will have a certified trade, for a better chance at employment opportunities. So i DaShan Magwood would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to care for the youth and sign my petition and take this journey with me. Thank You

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not support random drug testing in schools. We are encouraged to see the Google document shared by Principal Wright. We look forward to working together to fulfill and expand upon the present and future work listed. We ALL care about our children/students and we are on the same team. It is time we start working together as such.

As a veteran Missouri teacher, I understand Rep Bailey's intent is to defund and privatize our public schools.