To maintain a basic constitutional right for all students of the United States. This is not limited to the Federal Government, but all state governments. Please start a petition in your state.

To maintain a basic constitutional right for all students of the United States. This is not limited to the Federal Government, but all state governments. Please start a petition in your state.

We must unite and move forward together.

Our children attend elementary NVUSD schools and, since the adoption of the new report cards, we have had extreme difficulty discerning how our kids are doing in class. Specifically, the report card offers us little understanding of what portion of the year’s materials have been taught in that trimester, what the class average is or what level of success is possible. The information we are looking for is the following: What are my child’s strengths? What does she/he need to improve on? Does my child show particular aptitude or ability in any particular area? How is she/he doing overall? Specifically we are objecting to the lack of progress reporting for current trimester and the lack of comments for clarification of the grades. The standards are too rolled up to explain specific information about the student so comments are needed. 1) Measurement against year-end goals is discouraging. Young students benefit from measuring progress toward short-term goals; it is unrealistic to expect any elementary-aged child to take the long view. 2)Measurement against year-end goals is too vague to be helpful. The view from year-end perspective doesn’t capture the bursts of learning or difficulty that occur on a week-to-week basis...everything just evens out to “approaching proficiency”, which doesn’t really tell parents or students anything useful. 3)The lack of comments puts the onus on parents to pursue clarification from teachers on what to work on, or to get more specific feedback. Some parents are better at this than others. When teachers added comments, reluctant parents didn’t have to overcome obstacles such as shyness, hesitation over language fluency, busy schedules, access to technology, unfamiliarity with school structures and procedures, or other impediments. 4) It is better for students and their learning outcomes if parents are provided these comments without having to ask for them. Our multiple emails and discussion with the administration have not resulted in any action thus far. Through many conversations with fellow parents we have realized that we are not alone and hope the district and school board will listen to the voices of many concerned and frustrated parents. All of our experiences with teachers and school-site administrators have remained extremely positive.

Commitment of YES Foundation to RVSD

The pressure to stop Trump's billionaire nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, from being confirmed is working. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, just announced that they will oppose DeVos' confirmation. That means that we’re just ONE senator short—and that DeVos could be the first Trump nominee to be rejected by the Senate. But we need to keep up the pressure now more than ever to sway one more Republican and to hold the position of all of the senators who have announced opposition to DeVos. Betsy DeVos—Donald Trump's out-of-touch billionaire pick for secretary of education—is far more interested in dismantling our schools than in investing in them, and in demonizing teachers rather than treating them as allies in educating our children. 1. She has zero experience in public education. Almost all previous education secretaries had career experience in the field of education where they learned the skills necessary to improve schools in our communities. Betsy DeVos has none. 2. She has made no mention of the student debt crisis. She is doesn't know how everyday people are impacted by student loan debt and continues to ignore the trillion dollar problem. In fact, "little is known about her views on federal higher education policy," and she has little to no experience working with families who struggle to afford the rising cost of college. 3. She made her career advocating for taxpayer dollars to be taken away from resource-starved public schools. In fact, she wants to funnel your money into the pockets of private and for-profit education companies through voucher systems and charter schools. Her attacks on public schools and support for privatized education disproportionately impacts people of color and LGBTQ students, meaning less equal opportunities for ALL students nationwide. If you support public education, investing in our local schools, and ending America’s student debt crisis, DEMAND the Senate vote “no” on Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary.

We, the parents and residents of Longmeadow, MA, support and recommend the submission of a Statement of Interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). Based on an independent review by JCJ Architecture, Glenbrook and Williams Middles Schools are beyond the ability of the town for routine repair and pose multiple health and safety risks to our children. The following list is only a fraction of the concerns that the review noted must be addressed: -security concerns due to an open configuration -no fire suppression -maintenance of fire alarms -inadequate HVAC and air quality -failing roofs -inadequate handicap access -asbestos containing materials -original plumbing We view these issues as severe safety concerns that require a commitment from the Select Board to approve a SOI to MSBA. The submission of the SOI is simply the beginning stages of a renovation project which is likely to take upwards of 10 years and thus has no impact on the priorities of the town with regard to the DPW project and the Senior Center.

As a teacher, I am stuck with a fifty thousand dollar loan. I did not qualify for any of the forgiveness programs, except for the ten years working as government employee. I still have six years to reach such date. Under Hillary I was not concerned, but I am under Trump. He will eliminate any forgiveness program that currently exist. Trump is already planning to get rid of Federal Students Loans and give it to the banks. Future generations of students might not be able to afford or qualify for a student loan because they will be operated by the banks. Teachers, Managers, Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Architects, Artists and anyone who took student’s loans, and is now making under fifty thousand dollars and/or has an exorbitant amount of student loan, is going to live in poverty for the rest of his/her life. Please, Mr. Obama protect us before you leave office.

1. The Superintendent’s plan will displace children. 2. The Superintendent’s plan continues a pattern of school closings that disproportionally happen in communities of color. 3. The Mattahunt has had 4 principals in the last 6 years and, at one point, 90% of its teachers were new, with about 40.5% being new, currently. 50 – 60% of the school population is Haitian, yet there are not enough resources to meet the language and cultural needs of English Language Learners. Additionally, 76% of the students are categorized as high needs. The community demands that more commitment and investment rooted in community involvement and input be given to the Mattahunt Elementary School community.

Over the past months, we have watched a campaign in which a candidate and his supporters issued insults, slurs, and outright threats against many of those who constitute our CUNY community: women, people of color, Jews, members of the LGBTQ community, those with disabilities, and in particular, Muslims and immigrants (more specifically, undocumented immigrants), who have been directly targeted by President-elect Trump’s policy proposals. The broader public discussion around the election has involved a number of gross and insulting generalizations about other members of our community, specifically “non-college educated voters” and “working- class voters,” to which we object in the strongest possible terms. We represent many different political positions, and our concern here is not to make a partisan statement about who should or should not have won the Presidential election. Our concern is to teach and support every member of our community to the best of our abilities. But we recognize that given the outcome of this election, many members of the CUNY community, especially those who belong to any of the groups that have been targeted during the campaign, may be feeling a mixture of emotions: fear, rage, anxiety, hopelessness, fury, vulnerability. Indeed, we fear that many of our students may have woken up the day after the election feeling directly, bodily threatened by the result.

I have noticed, going door to door during this election season, that too many people are getting their "news" from sources with no regard for the facts. Even in my own area, Brookhaven Town, there is a deep divide between the majority and the intellectuals who work at Brookhaven Lab or Stony Brook University. By getting to know kids in communities other than their own, the next generation of voters will be exposed to information and opinions outside their own familial and local biases.

To stop the Elkhart community school board's decision to merge the two high schools, Elkhart Memorial High School and Central High School. This should not be something the board votes on; it should be a public decision and the public should have the right to vote on it, not the school board. Ask the Mayor of Elkhart to allow the residents to vote on the issue. Remember to sign the online petition and also the paper petition that will be going around!