This petition to allow students at Annex Prepatory Academy to wear leggings during the upcoming Gradventure universal trip is gaining support. Currently, the dress code policy does not allow students to wear tight or loose clothing, which can be uncomfortable in temperatures reaching 90 degrees. Denim or cargo pants can be heavier than cotton leggings, leading to suffocation or heat exhaustion. Students argue that leggings are made of comfortable cooling materials and are ideal for long walks under the scorching sun. Moreover, leggings are sportswear that allows students to run around an amusement park like Universal without any hindrance. If necessary, shirts can be worn long enough to cover any inappropriate areas. The policy is deemed unfair and unreasonable, as students from other schools are allowed to wear leggings on similar field trips. So please be considerate, take into account our concerns, and hopefully take action and make an exception for this exciting trip.

We must urge the Department to strengthen its Title IX rule so that transgender, nonbinary, and intersex (people born with natural variations in sex-linked characteristics) youth can access the full benefits of an education, including by playing school sports as they are. Defending this right is crucial for these students’ well-being and ability to learn without discrimination. Transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students have been playing sports with their peers for many years and with zero problems! In fact, barring trans women and girls from playing with other women and girls harms all women and girls because it can allow anyone to accuse any student athlete of not “really” being a woman or a girl. Many times, this leads to “sex testing,” which includes horrific and invasive practices like genital inspections or hormonal tests for students to “prove” their gender. The Department should explicitly state that requiring sex testing of student athletes violates Title IX because such testing causes significant harm to affected students and is never necessary to advance an important educational objective. Sex testing invades students' privacy, is often enforced arbitrarily based on prejudice, and sends deeply stigmatizing and damaging messages to all youth that are completely inconsistent with a supportive educational environment. Discriminating against and demonizing some students because of who they are or how they look directly violates Title IX. Add your name as part of the public comment period (“Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Athletics Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance,” 88 Fed. Reg. 22860, Docket ID ED-2022-OCR-0143). Urge the Department to finalize and strengthen the Department’s Title IX rule to provide strong, clear protections for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students to participate fully in sports consistent with their gender identity.

Athletes should be given the same opportunity to compete at the highest level of their ability, especially when all are required to compete in a qualification round. If athletes are vying for the same available spots, no competitive advantage should be awarded to any athlete.

SB2593 would not improve community safety, it would disproportionately harm marginalized and vulnerable people and destroy Texas families. In the interest of justice and community safety, the undersigned Texans call on the Texas House of Representatives and the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence in particular to BLOCK SB2593 from advancing toward law.

From May 19 to 21, the G7 Summit will be held in Hiroshima — the same city the United States devastated with a nuclear bomb during World War II. The resulting human suffering and death are a lasting reminder of the terrible consequences of nuclear weapons, underscoring EXACTLY why the world needs urgent action to prevent a similar tragedy. It’s CRUCIAL we work to revitalize and strengthen the pro-peace, pro-disarmament majority NOW — before a doomsday scenario unfolds. As the only nation to have ever used nuclear weapons in conflict, the United States has a unique responsibility to lead the international community toward a safer and more secure future. Here’s the thing: the President agrees. From the campaign trail to the Oval Office, President Biden has been unequivocal that a nuclear war can NEVER be won. He’s staffed his administration with officials who agree. And we’ve seen him prioritize disarmament AND diplomacy. All we need to do is to create more space and we have a real shot of getting this done — can you join us to tell President Biden to usher in a new era of arms control now?

President Biden said, “I sincerely hope that the writers’ strike in Hollywood gets resolved—and the writers are given the fair deal they deserve—as soon as possible. This is an iconic, meaningful American industry. And we need the writers, and all the workers, and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation.” Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony, acting under the umbrella of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), are refusing to treat writers with dignity and respect. In a letter to its members, the Writers Guild of America’s Negotiating Committee wrote that “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a "day rate" in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession.” The impact of the companies' greed is not just causing harm to these workers, it is limiting the stories that come from the communities we need to hear from most. As the industry’s business model becomes unsustainable for emerging writers there will potentially be fewer stories penned by historically marginalized communities. The lack of representation impacts us all —and it’s especially jarring given right-wing attacks on sharing diverse stories in classrooms and libraries. It also just means the range of TV shows we get to see will be worse. It's pretty clear that writers and creators should be fairly compensated to ensure creative talent of all backgrounds can contribute to the quality content we all love. The Writers Guild of America simply wants a fair contract. Please add your name to support these writers and the millions of people their work impacts every day.

Trump’s first interview after losing the 2020 election was with NYU Trustee and Fox host Maria Bartiromo. Before the interview even took place Bartiromo ran the questions by The White House. During it, she set Trump up to spread conspiracies by noting, “you’ve said many times that this election was rigged, that there was much fraud. And the facts are on your side. Let’s start there.” She also told millions of people, “This is disgusting! And we cannot allow America’s election to be corrupted,” during her interview. Maria Bartiromo was a key pipeline for Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani to spread conspiracy theories against Democrats and voting integrity. She also helped disgraced propagandist Sidney Powell spread the false idea that there were “voting irregularities.” Bartiromo was going to be called as a witness in the defamation case Dominion voting systems brought against Fox News before it was settled for $787 million. Furthermore, Bartiromo’s actions were so unethical that she is named as a defendant in voting election technology company Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation case against Fox News because she was part of a “conspiracy to spread disinformation.” An appellate court declined to toss out the Smartmatic lawsuit, writing that Smartmatic “alleges in detailed fashion that in their coverage and commentary, Fox News, Dobbs, and Bartiromo effectively endorsed and participated in the statements with reckless disregard for, or serious doubts about, whether the assertions or implications that plaintiffs had participated in election fraud had any basis in truth or were supported by any reliable evidence.” This should be simple for NYU. Bartiromo’s abuse of her power goes against the NYU Code of Ethical Conduct so the university should cut ties with Bartiromo. The Board of Trustees is expected to provide reliable guidance to the university, and as a documented liar on an issue as important as the federal elections, Maria Bartiromo has no business being associated with NYU.

Studies have shown that the presence of armed guards actually increases the death rate in active shooter situations. In 197 instances of gun violence at U.S. schools since 1999, SROs intervened successfully in only three instances. Sadly, most Black and brown students report that they feel significantly less safe when SROs are present in schools. "SROs intensify the use of suspensions, expulsions, police referrals, and arrests of students … effects (which) are consistently over two times larger for Black students than White students". Instead of helping students feel safe, SROs reinforce oppressive systems of racism and inequity. The Memorandum Of Understanding between the KCSD and The Police Department says: “Under state law, the SRO shall not serve as a school disciplinarian, as an enforcer of school regulations, or in place of school-based mental health providers, and the SRO shall not use police powers to address traditional school discipline issues.” Despite the contract, the SROs in the schools are routinely involved in disciplining the children - criminalizing them at a young age. This is in direct violation of The Kingston School District Code of Conduct (Policy #5300) which mandates restorative practices toward Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. Restorative Justice, which the district claims to promote, is the journey toward well-being and wholeness that victims, offenders, and community members can experience. Restorative Justice practices have been proven to reduce recidivism by nearly half and increase victim satisfaction significantly when compared to more fear-based, punitive disciplinary procedures. References: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2776515 https://www.c4rj.org/what-is-restorative-justice/success-data https://www.edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai21-476.pdf https://education.uconn.edu/2020/10/27/the-prevalence-and-the-price-of-police-in-schools/#

İt is important because the earth is dying. Everyone is throwing trash on the earth. I need all the help I can get. We need to convince our councilwoman to place Recycle bins in playgrounds. Please sign and share this petition so we can make our voice heard!

Republicans have been preventing her from speaking for the days now. The Montana Republicans are playing from the exact playbook as Tennessee Republicans weeks ago: when their backs are against the wall, instead of choosing to effectively govern to the will of the people, they'll try to take our voice and our rights entirely. We cannot let this happen. People showed up to elect Rep Zephyr in 2022, and since the GOP are preventing her from speaking, they’re effectively silencing the will and voices of her constituents. Show your solidarity and tell the Montana GOP to #LetHerSpeak Photo Credit: NBC News

It seems like every day, new details come out about Justice Thomas’s relationship with Harlan Crow – a Republican megadonor who has lavished hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and luxury vacations on Justice Thomas. The American people deserve a Supreme Court we can trust – because our highest court should meet the highest ethical standards. But right now, I’m worried we might miss a crucial opportunity to make that a reality. You see, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin was asked this weekend why he hadn’t yet invited Justice Clarence Thomas to testify under oath at an upcoming Senate hearing on Supreme Court ethics. Senator Durbin replied: “I think I know what would happen to that invitation. It would be ignored.” That’s simply not good enough. If the Senate is going to get to the bottom of what’s happening here, we can’t let Justice Thomas dodge these questions any longer.

Наша мова - наш голас: зробім так, каб беларускую мову пачулі! Пішу, каб звярнуць увагу на праблему беларускай мовы, на якой сёння не размаўляе большасць беларускага насельніцтва ў паўсядзённым жыцці, а ЮНЭСКА аднесла яе да спісу "Уразлівых" (альбо тых, што знаходзяцца пад пагрозай) некалькі гадоў таму. Нягледзячы на ​​сваю гістарычную і культурную значнасць, мова сутыкалася і сутыкаецца з праблемамі з-за дамінавання рускай мовы ў рэгіёне. Беларуская мова адыгрывала важную ролю ў Вялікім Княстве Літоўскім, якое было адной з найбуйнейшых і магутных дзяржаў Еўропы сярэднявечча і ранняга Новага часу. На сваім росквіце Вялікае Княства Літоўскае ахоплівала вялікую тэрыторыю, якая ўключала частку сучасных Літвы, Беларусі, Украіны, Латвіі, Эстоніі і Расіі. Адным з найважнейшых юрыдычных дакументаў Вялікага Княства Літоўскага, напісаных на старабеларускай мове, быў Трэці Статут, які ўяўляў сабой прававы кодэкс, які дзейнічаў у Вялікім Княстве з сярэдзіны XVI да канца XVIII стагоддзя і ахопліваў шырокі спектр прававых пытанняў і садзейнічаў стварэнню прававой базы Вялікага Княства Літоўскага. Ці можаце вы паверыць, што зараз мова знаходзіцца пад пагрозай знікнення? Але гэта сапраўды так. Сёння як ніколі важна падтрымліваць і даць магчымасць беларускаму народу размаўляць на роднай мове: Я лічу, што развіццё мовы неабходна для захавання мовы для будучых пакаленняў, калі мы не здолеем яе захаваць сёння - мы не здолеем выратаваць Нацыю заўтра. Апошнім часам назіраецца гістарычны ўсплёск жадання беларусаў размаўляць на роднай мове і глыбей вывучаць яе. І я бачу магчымасць падтрымаць беларусаў у гэтым пачынанні. Як носьбіт мовы, каторая знаходзіцца пад пагрозай знікнення, прашу падтрымаць мяне ў прасоўванні гэтага допісу, каб яго ўбачыла як мага больш людзей. Our language - our voice: let's make the Belarusian language heard! Belarusian language is currently not spoken in the day-to-day life of the majority of the Belarusian population, and the spoken language has been assigned to 'Vulnerable' by UNESCO a few years ago. Despite its historical and cultural significance, the language has faced and is still facing challenges due to the dominance of Russian in the region. The Belarusian language played an important role in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was one of the largest and most powerful states in Europe during the medieval and early modern period. At its height, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania encompassed a large territory that included parts of modern-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Russia. One of the most important legal documents in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania written in Old Belarusian was the Third Statute of Lithuania, which was a legal code that governed the Grand Duchy from the mid-16th to the late 18th century, that covered a wide range of legal issues and helped to establish the legal framework of the Grand Duchy. Can you believe that now the language is at risk of extinction? Yes, it is. Nowadays, it's as important as ever to support & empower the Belarusian Nation to speak our Native language: I believe, the development of the language is essential for preserving the language for future generations, if we fail to save it today - we will fail to save the Nation tomorrow. Recently, we can observe a historical spike in the willingness of Belarusians to speak Native and learn our native language deeper. And I see the opportunity how to support the Belarusians in this endeavor. As a speaker of the endangered language, I want to ask you to support me in promoting this post, so that as many people as possible could see it.