In an effort to foster a “healthy environment for learning,” the state of New York has implemented a ban on phones in schools. While the intention behind this policy is commendable—reducing distractions, promoting focus, and encouraging interpersonal engagement—the execution overlooks the evolving role of technology in education and the realities of modern student life. Rather than cultivating a healthier learning environment, the ban risks creating one that is outdated, inequitable, and less responsive to students’ needs. A more effective approach would be to integrate phones into the educational framework with clear boundaries and purposeful use. The central argument for banning phones is that they distract students from learning. However, distraction is not a function of the device itself—it’s a behavioral challenge that requires guidance, not prohibition. In fact, when used intentionally, phones can deepen engagement. Apps like Kahoot!, Quizlet, and Google Classroom transform passive learning into interactive experiences. Students can research topics in real time, collaborate on shared documents, and access multimedia resources that cater to diverse learning styles. By banning phones, schools eliminate a tool that—when properly managed—can make learning more dynamic and personalized. In today’s world, phones are not just educational tools—they’re essential for safety and communication. Emergencies, whether personal or school-wide, demand immediate access to loved ones and information. Denying students this access can be ethically problematic, especially in a state that has experienced school lockdowns and weather-related crises. Moreover, phones offer autonomy: students can manage their schedules, track assignments, and communicate responsibly. Teaching students how to use phones wisely is far more empowering than removing them altogether. The phone ban disproportionately affects students from underserved communities. For many, a smartphone is their only reliable access to the internet. Homework, research, and college applications often require digital access that schools cannot always provide. Additionally, students with disabilities benefit from assistive technologies embedded in phones—speech-to-text, screen readers, and calming apps that support emotional regulation. Banning phones removes these supports and widens the equity gap, undermining the very mission of public education. Rather than shielding students from technology, schools should prepare them to navigate it responsibly. Digital literacy is a core competency in the 21st century. Students will use phones in college, the workplace, and daily life. By banning them, schools miss the chance to teach self-regulation, ethical online behavior, and critical thinking in digital spaces. A healthy learning environment is not one devoid of technology—it’s one where technology is used with intention, reflection, and accountability. Phones are creative tools. Students can film short documentaries, record podcasts, design graphics, and collaborate on projects—all from a device in their pocket. These activities foster critical thinking, storytelling, and teamwork. In a world where content creation is a viable career path, schools should encourage students to explore these skills. The ban stifles innovation and limits the ways students can express themselves and connect with others. The goal of creating a healthy learning environment is noble, but banning phones is a blunt instrument for a nuanced challenge. Instead of exclusion, New York schools should adopt structured policies that promote responsible use, digital literacy, and equitable access. Phones, when integrated thoughtfully, can enhance learning, support safety, and prepare students for the realities of modern life. The healthiest learning environment is not one that avoids technology. It is one that teaches students how to thrive within it.

Why This Matters Now Rep. Mills’ conduct—if left unaddressed—threatens the integrity of public office and the safety of individuals. The severity and multiplicity of the allegations: • Involve potential criminal misconduct (revenge porn, assault, extortion). • Suggest possible conflicts of interest or misuse of power for personal gain. • Undermine public trust in both Congress and Florida’s representation. We, the undersigned, demand:  1. A full and expedited ethics investigation into both criminal and financial allegations. 2. Mills’ resignation or removal from any official committee roles during the investigation.

Please join in showing your support for: • Truth, facts, and science. • Scientific integrity. • Life-saving vaccines that have saved millions of lives and mRNA technology that helps fight cancer. • Ethical and responsible public health leadership. • U.S. leadership in global health innovation and preparedness. 

 Commitment to protecting Floridians' rights and natural resources is vital. This issue is about more than just parking—it’s about preserving the public's access to Florida’s beaches, a core part of our identity, economy, and freedom. 

  ✊🏽 WHY THIS MATTERS If someone can be sentenced to life plus 25yrs for a case with: • Dismissed charges and refiled with a reused probable cause affidavit that was not only from another county but had been dismissed and reused with no new evidence.  • Juror only understood 20% of English • No actual insurance fraud, No claim number for a claim and No Money received!! • Injustice in This Case Undermines the Law Itself If “Stand Your Ground” does not apply to Prentice Ponds — a man protecting himself in his own home — who does it apply to? • Allowed a judge to sentence him despite a conflict of interest — she and the freelance investigator worked under the same umbrella company. • The same judge that refused to accept pictures of the man with the items Prentice was accused of stealing. This isn’t just about one man. This is about whether Oklahoma law protects all of its citizens — or only some. Wrongful convictions steal lives, erode trust in the legal system, and perpetuate cycles of injustice—particularly in Black communities. Prentice Ponds’ case is a glaring example of what happens when bias, misconduct, and indifference are allowed to override truth. If Oklahoma wants to claim a fair justice system, it must admit its errors, clear Prentice Ponds’ name, and free him with honor—not pity. We demand justice, truth, and accountability. Free Prentice Ponds. Exonerate him now. None of us are safe!! Prentice’s story is not about loopholes — it’s about abuse of power and erasure of truth. His past does not justify his future being stolen. We will not wait decades for the courts to “maybe” get it right. Freedom must come now. 

              This Petition Is Not Against Art—It's for Justice: We believe in the importance of telling Black stories. However, justice requires that when profit is made from the historical and contemporary pain of a people, that people must also materially benefit. It is time to turn cultural awareness into structural action. Sign this petition if you believe that companies profiting off of Black American struggles should contribute directly to the communities whose lives, history, and culture they portray.

The moment is now for We The People to demand Congress to remove the dangerous despot in the White House.  We The People need to demand an emergency recall election and the permanent and historical removal of Donald J. Trump from the office of Presidency, and the immediate removal of all his judicial and other appointments,  EOs and signed laws. 

 Mid-decade redistricting in Texas is an undemocratic power grab that bypasses the standard 10-year process meant to reflect population changes. It opens the door to extreme gerrymandering, silencing the voices of communities—especially communities of color, rural communities, communities vulnerable to major storms, the working class—and disrupting fair representation. Texans must speak up to protect their right to choose their representatives, not representatives hand picking their voters, and hold lawmakers accountable to real community needs, not political gain. 

With the election of Stephen Colbert as US Senator from South Carolina we will not only eliminate Trump sycophant, Lindsey Graham, from federal office but help to flip the Senate to Democratic control.

Andrew Cuomo is a disgraced former governor. He has a reputation of a bullying and abusive temperament, and a history of numerous credible allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior. He has long sided with corporate interests and “punched down” and “punched left” to block progressive change. He ran his primary campaign with backing from Trump supporters. No wonder he was resoundingly defeated in the primary when New York City Democratic voters delivered a landslide victory to Zohran Mamdani, a dynamic and compelling state assembly member who is offering a powerful new approach to politics. Mamdani has attracted new voters, built a broad coalition, and championed an important agenda to make NYC more affordable. Mamdani’s campaign should be a model for Democrats around the country. And Democratic leaders across New York should be rallying around him in advance of his general election race. Instead, a number of prominent Democrats are withholding their endorsement, news outlets are fearmongering around Mamdani, and big corporate backers—many of whom share Trump’s agenda—have been promising to fund an opponent. Andrew Cuomo has decided to run in the general election as an independent with a coalition of billionaire backers, Trump donors, and fearmongers.Cuomo may decide to be a sore loser after the primary, but Democrats deserve better. Democratic voters deserve party leaders to back the candidate the voters chose. Cuomo’s presence confuses the race, amplifies fearmongering and disinformation, and gives an opportunity for some of the worst actors in New York and American politics to try to shape the NYC election. We don’t need greedy billionaires, corporate shills, and Trump apologists trying to choose the next mayor. All Democratic leaders need to unite—and Cuomo needs to drop out.

Colorado Springs must take urgent steps to respond to the rise in masked law enforcement, ICE overreach, and the targeting of immigrants and political dissenters, including students and lawful residents. In a February 5th raid of four apartments in Denver and Aurora, ICE destroyed a tenant’s door, ripping the locks off the door handle, entered without a warrant, shot rubber bullets at tenants in their pursuit — terrorizing the entire neighborhood.  ICE is striking fear in the community to justify mass arrests and using local police and the DEA to give cover to a federal deportation agenda. On March 17th, Jeanette Vizguerra—recognized by Time Magazine in 2017 as one of the world's 100 most influential people and known for having no criminal record—was working at a Target store in Denver. As she stepped outside for her first break, she was detained. Vizguerra's vocal advocacy for immigrant rights made her a target, and her experience underscores how those who speak out for justice can face intimidation and efforts to silence them. On June 27th, 32-year-old U.S. citizen, Andrea Velez, was confronted and forcibly taken by armed, masked individuals in Los Angeles. Her family, fearing a kidnapping, contacted the police—only to discover that the men involved were federal immigration agents. These secretive detentions erode public trust and silence dissent.  Every person—citizen or not—deserves to know who is detaining them, and why. The rise of secret policing and disappearances is not just a federal issue; it’s a local emergency. Our city should be a place of safety, not surveillance and fear. 

This isn’t radical. It’s the bare minimum. We can’t keep piecemealing child safety and pretending “parental rights” always mean protection. The U.S. claims to champion human rights abroad—yet here at home, we allow religion and ideology to silence abuse victims. “The United States is the only country in the UN that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child—and likely never will, due to entrenched opposition around national sovereignty and so-called “parental rights.”” Far-right groups like Moms for Liberty are pushing for total parental control over education while ignoring the fact that children are being abused under their watch. Expanding “parental rights” without guardrails is not protection—it’s complicity. Think of Jonestown. Waco. Ruby Franke. The Turpins. The Duggars. Warren Jeffs. I was one of those kids. We must confront a hard truth: “Freedom of religion” has too often meant freedom to harm—and freedom from accountability. Court decisions like Wisconsin v. Yoder have left generations of children vulnerable by placing religious and parental rights above basic safety. While religious freedom is vital, it must have common-sense boundaries—especially when it comes to protecting children. It’s time to face this issue head-on and establish clear legal limits that put child safety first. Child safety must come first. Always. Kids deserve to know how to protect themselves. We can’t fight abuse if we keep it hidden. Sign now to demand Congress pass the Every Child Safe Act.  Share this petition. Use #EveryChildSafeAct to break the silence and protect kids nationwide. We have the power to create a country where every child is protected, educated, and free from abuse. Let’s make that real. "Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime." - Herbert Ward