Education - ForceChange

Don’t Allow South Dakota To Include Bible Study In Public Schools

South Dakota has voted to allow bible study to become a part of public school education. This is a biased initiative and is not necessary to show students the morals and values this country was founded on. Letting this study become a regular part of education is only a ploy to encourage the entire country to accept Christianity.

Reform American Prison System To Reform Prisoners

In America, the penitentiary system is based upon meaningless retribution rather than prisoner reformation, leading to half of all incarcerated Americans being repeat offenders. To break this cycle, we must rehabilitate criminals by teaching them what they did was wrong, how it has affected the victims and their loved ones, and what they can do to fit in with society.

LGBT People Cannot Be Erased From Our History Books

The an anti-gay religious group is preparing to challenge a law that requires California schools to teach students about LGBT people. This extremist religious group must be told that LGBT people are a part of our history and cannot be erased from history books.

Let Teachers Do Their Jobs: Parents Should Not Be Allowed To Devise Alternative Curricula

New Hampshire recently passed a law that gives parents the right to oppose any course material they consider objectionable, forcing teachers to develop lesson plans for individual students. This not only places a huge burden on teachers and school districts, it denies students the opportunity for a comprehensive and quality schooling program. The new legislation must be repealed in order to protect the fundamental values of education and the teachers responsible for it.

California State University Must Cap Presidential Pay

The California State University Board of Trustees must place a cap of presidential salaries. They instead want to use an unfair policy to determine new, higher salaries based on comparisons to universities that are much more financially capable, and allow the consequences to fall onto students who are already paying more and more each year. Let’s tell the trustees to repeal this decision in the name of fairness to California State University students who deserve the chance to afford a degree.

Push for Homework-Free Holidays and Weekends

Homework overload is the cause of many adverse effects in today’s youth, including fatigue, loss of relationship growth with family and friends, and a decline in physical health. Tell the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee to enforce homework free holidays and weekends in order to reduce anxiety among students and to help them better prepare for a healthy academic and professional future.

Don’t Allow the Tennessee Tea Party to Remove Pieces of History From School Textbooks

The Tea Party of Tennessee would like to see any mention of slavery and genocide removed from school textbooks. This censorship of history is not right and must be stopped before it grows.

Stand With Chilean Students Demanding Free Education

Education in Chile is too expensive for many people so students in Chile have been demanding free public education from their government. Not only has the government refused to meet their demands, but they are arresting and tear gassing protesters. Show your support for the Chilean students and demand free access to public education.

Stop California Policies That Hurt Struggling Community College Students

Amidst the financial crisis in California, the state is looking to cut community college costs and increase completion rates. However, the proposed changes will end up denying access to community college for students who need it most. These dramatically unfair policies will help financially well-off students and hinder graduation for part-time, lower-income and adult students. These unfair policies can not be permitted.

Stop Arizona Republicans From Letting Children Go Hungry

Arizona Republicans are looking to take away quite possibly the only meal that poor children in that state receive each day. Do not allow Arizona schools to opt out of this meal program which provides for children in one of the top five hungriest states in the nation.

Missouri Introduces Bill To Terrorize Immigrant Community

Missouri introduced a new anti-immigrant bill targeting students. The bill aims to instill fear in immigrant communities by requiring verification of students’ immigration status. This bill is another attempt to scapegoat immigrants and play to a xenophobic sentiment. Education should not be used as a political weapon against any human, regardless of immigration status.

Don’t Place Electronic Bracelets on Students to Monitor Heart Rates, Exercise and Sleep Habits

A New York school is planning to place electronic bracelets on students to monitor heart rates, sleeping patterns and exercise regimens. This plan is an invasion of privacy and should be stopped in its tracks.

Stop Bullying In Schools by Requiring Anti-Bullying Programs

Bullying in school is a serious problem that can have devastating consequences for children and adolescents. Anti-bullying programs are inexpensive and bring awareness, as well as resolution, to the problem of bullying in schools. Let’s tell the U.S. Department of Education that they must develop a policy that requires every school district to develop an anti-bullying program to combat the emotional and physical abuse to which bullied kids are subjected.

Kaplan University Exploits the ‘Pain’ and ‘Fears’ of Low-Income Students for Recruitment Purposes

Kaplan University is exploiting poor people to increase enrollment. They contend there’s nothing wrong with preying on the ‘hopes’ and ‘fears’ of low-income individuals. In a flier created for training purposes they urge recruiters to uncover the ‘true pain and fear’ of their prospective students. Tell Kaplan that such methods are shameless and must be stopped.

Urge Doll Maker, Mattel, to Green-light Production of a Beautiful and Bald Barbie

For Beckie Sypin’s young daughter, cancer was not what she feared most—it was losing her hair. Barbie has, for years now, been the best friend of many young girls and now women are urging Mattel to make a Barbie doll that is specific to the needs of these young girls and ensure that she too is ‘Beautiful and Bald.’

Fire Teacher Who Placed Autistic Student in a Bag as Punishment

A nine-year-old autistic boy was put in a bag as punishment for acting out in school. An employee at the school actively and repeatedly used this tactic to punish and control the actions of children with autism, as an ill-advised attempt at ‘therapy.’ Demand that the teacher involved be dismissed and barred from working with special needs students ever again.

Lengthening the School Day is the Wrong Fix to the Wrong Problem

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel suggests that a seven and a half hour school day is needed to prepare students for college and the adult workforce. However, this is a flawed theory that fails to take into account the many other, more fundamental problems facing our schools today. Lengthening the school day is the wrong fix to the wrong problem.

Stop Arizona From Banning Mexican American Studies

An Arizona law targets a Tucson Unified School District program that teaches Mexican American ethnic studies. Now the state superintendent of schools will begin cutting state funding if the school does not end its ethnic studies program. Demand that this bigoted attempt to skew history be stopped and allow ethnic studies to be taught at Arizona public schools.

Tell Gov. Brown that California’s Schools are Not a Bargaining Chip

California State Governor Jerry Brown plans to cut $4.8 billion from public school funding if voters do not pass his tax increases being placed on the November ballot. California’s educational system is already crippled from cuts in previous years, and the automatic trigger cuts implemented at the start of the year have already damaged the home to school transportation system. Rather than forcing voters to agree to another tax increase, Gov. Brown should require businesses to pay their fair share.

Stop For-Profit Colleges from Taking Federal Funds and Leaving Students Drowning in Debt

Private for-profit colleges are creating ample amounts of student debt and eating up federal financial aid money. They are recruiting students with the promise of a better future through convenient online courses or night classes, but their graduates often cannot find jobs. The Department of Education needs to draft a stricter plan to regulate federal loan subsidies for-profit schools, because the current plan is too lenient and watered down.

Don’t Allow School Nurses To Become Another Budget Cut Causality

School nurses aren’t necessary… until you need one, which can be any time for a student with asthma, epilepsy, or any other medical condition or accident for that matter. But, only 45% of schools can afford to have a full-time nurse on duty due to budget cuts. Full time nurses should be mandatory in order to ensure the health and wellness of public school students.

Say No to Forced Prayer Rallies in Public School

A recent YouTube video shows a prayer rally at New Heights Middle School in Chesterfield County, South Carolina that brazenly defies the separation of church and state. At the rally the students were told: ‘A relationship with Jesus is what you need more than anything else.’ Tell the Chesterfield County School District that such open violations of the law are not welcome in our public schools.

Schools Shouldn’t Force Teens to Come Out to Their Parents

In a middle school in Utah, a student was forced by his teachers into coming out to his parents. Coming out is the unique decision of the person doing it and although the boy’s parents were supportive in this case, it is not hard to imagine how much worse the situation would have become if they were not. Tell the Alpine School District to continue to fight bullying, but to make sure to respect students’ privacy at the same time.

Tell PA Governor Tom Corbett to Repeal Education Cuts

Budget cuts have harmed PA students’ pursuit of education at every level, from grad school to elementary school. Tell Governor Corbett to find other ways to balance the budget.

Tell Louisiana to Support School Lunch Reform

Obesity is a life threatening problem facing one third of the children in Louisiana and 63% of Louisiana adults, yet the state allows public schools to provide meals high in fat and sodium to their children each day. Please ask the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to take a stand against childhood obesity and demand healthy school meals.

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