Petition Tag - parents

There are too many lies and corrupt courts in the world, the courts need to be open so we can see that justice is done properly like the criminal courts, as child abuse should been seen as criminal and not only judge but jury and then they would be a fair hearing part of our human rights as children are taken away from loving familys and this causes more abuse to children.

John Bowbly child psychologist stated it will do more harm than good if a child and mother is separated, research shows children in care are more likely to end up criminals themselves and ASBO.

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Parental Alienation Syndrome vs. Parental Alienation:
Which Diagnosis Should Evaluators Use in Child-Custody Disputes? when a child has been taken into foster care, should Social Services be allowed to use a Victim of PAS evidence against them.

To help you decide please visit my Website PAS by Social Services http://pasbss.webs.com

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This petition is for the parents who play an active and vital role in their child or children’s lives. Unfortunately, for unmarried parents, the laws currently in place in Arkansas and states like it presumably assign one parent to be a “custodial parent” and the other as a “noncustodial parent”, without making a reasonable assessment to determining whether this is the best decision to make in regards to the child or children.

Therefore, this injustice causes an inequality for parents who are present in their child or children’s live by way of multiple levels of support. The laws possibly do this because traditionally one parent is the breadwinner while the other raises the child or children, but times change, and with the change of times comes a need for change of laws. Not all laws from yesteryear are applicable to today and the future, and that is why this petition urges lawmakers to revise statues such as “Arkansas Code of 1987 Title 9: Family Law (Subtitle 2: Domestic Relations).” to reflect the 21st century. If both parents play an equal role, then both parents should have equal parenting rights protected by the law, which leads this discussion to the concept of shared parenting.

Shared parenting refers to a collective agreement in child custody in which the care of the children is equal or substantially shared between the biological parents. More and more parents today are moving away from the traditional custody agreements that consist of a “custodial parent” and “noncustodial parent”. Instead, they are opting for shared parenting. In a shared (or joint) parenting agreement, both parents have almost equal physical custodial time with their children. Moreover, both parents are responsible for making the important decisions in their child's life. Shared parenting is a valiant attempt by both parents to be involved in their child's life for the benefit of the child. Shared parenting heavily involves both parents and does not mean that one parent has the kids almost all of the time with occasional visits to the other parent. This type of parenting is one of the best ways for unmarried parents to work together in the best interest of their child or children, especially when both parents are truly active in their child or children’s lives. Having both parents in a child’s life as true equals is in the best interest of the child. Out with the “Custodial/Noncustodial” and in with “Equal, Fair, and Balanced Parenting”. Shared parenting is more effective than ¾ parenting from one parent and ¼ parenting from the other and vice-versa. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule when one parent is inactive or significantly less active in a child’s life.

Shared parenting is great if both parents do it! Although, there has been a dark past of have the experience of one parent not being in their lives as much as they should or at times not being in their lives period. Those individuals most definitely do not need or deserve same rights as a true parent who is there day in and day out and actively present in their child’s life. Individuals who are not mature enough to be responsible parents make it difficult for those who are. This cause some of them fight back through use of the court system, but can end up being futile because the burden of proving that the other parent is “unfit” is left up to them to substantiate although the point of “fit” or “unfit” is not necessarily an issue. A hardworking parent who has a major part in their child’s life should not have to resort to such madness only to possibly secure their rights as a parent.

The law should be in the best interest of the child, and having both parents in a child’s life as true equals when both play pivotal roles in the child’s life is in the best interest of the child.

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Child abusers get such small sentences in the UK and their victims along with their parents/carers get no or minimal support. This needs to change.

Please help us make a stand and change the law so that abusers get longer sentences and victims get more help along with their families on how to cope post abuse.

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As parents of Children with Disabilities we are already struggling with the limited provision and support provided through Government Agencies/Local Authority.

Therefore we are organising a campaign to not only stop the cuts, but to ask for additional provisions from the Government.

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I am a fellow Gaian and have been since 03. I have noticed that as years go by Gaia has been getting more avaricious and unreasonable, since 05 when I was hacked (5) times in a week and made so many reports I could write a book my friends and I decided to put our foot down.

Gaia says they are safe, fun, and will get back to you within 7 days after reporting well folks it’s a bunch of crap reason being:

1) In the past year I've seen more sexual predators on Gaia Online than any other anime/ child site in ever, my friend was talking to a girl for a few weeks and found out she wasn't 15 she was a 47 year old man with a bad record (Wow my kind of friend NOT). 15% of Gaians that claim they are teens are actually adults who are looking for kids for god sakes people Gaia online is turning into a Se/x candy land for grown men.

2) I have been hacked so much on Gaia and they never did anything or replied to me for that matter, my friends have been hacked and banned for no reason sometimes fake reasons. Gaia says they are fair but they are not even close...if they want our money so badly why do they ban citizens who pay 100's of dollars on cards every month? There is no reason that's why let me say something that will put you into shock.

I called Gaia to talk to Craig the owner of Gaia Online because I was banned for scamming (which is false) AFTER I put 150$ worth of cash cards onto my account the night before and I was worth over 7mil and now I'm worth 600k go figure right well I called and called and every single time I got some low life volenteer from god knows where " wtf you say" yes that's right since 05 I've spent over 1,210$ on cash cards I have in a box in that box is 100$ worth of cards that I will never get back.

Gaia says you can use credit cards, take surveys, money orders in the mail WTF that’s not kid friendly at all parents your nuts if you didn't read that part.

{If you have been hacked}

"During the investigation, our staff will attempt to return your gold and items to you to the best of their ability, but it may take them some time to get back to you. Filing multiple hacking reports is not necessary."

“Also, if you do not have access to the account that was hacked, or if the account was banned due to the hacker's actions, you will need to file the report from an account that you currently have access to.”

“We understand your eagerness to get your account back. If you've filed a report about your account, it is in our database awaiting review. It may take a while for our staff to reach your particular report in the queue, but rest assured that they are working as quickly as they can.” (Bull)

3) Kids are weak and when they see the words "Credit card" "Money by mail" "Buy cash cards on your cell phone" KIDS WILL EAT IT UP parents aren't reading this the fact that Gaia asks for your credit card number and leave that in the open for kids is irresponsible "PARENTS please read everything on the bottom on the site where the contact us and the rules and guidelines is before letting your little girl or boy sign up" this is very important and Gaia just doesn’t care about US just OUR MONEY their greedy.

4) Gaia is Boooooooriiiiiing the games are the same as always, the items cost more than my playstation 3 I mean come are 5mil for an item that has 3 things in it that’s lame and no one will buy it and those 40mil items HOW IN THE FUDGE IS ANYONE SUPPOSE TO REACH THAT NUMBER?! You would need 47 accounts. Their events are dumb as well and I bet that money for Katrina, and the oil spill is going to new computers for them or a car their a scam open your eyes kids, the towns are boring as well they need to add new places.

5) OH did you ever notice this "Gambino casino" that’s gambling no matter what way you spin the wheel which is illegal we are using fake money but it's still money 40% of that money comes from our cash cards which we pay with REAL money.

6) I've noticed some parents join Gaia to watch over their kids and stuff (Cootos parents cootos) even at that parents are blind to see the secrets Gaia has they scam, they hack gaians and THEN ban them, the people who work with Gaia don't even get paid they get paid with fake gold "Yep this will pay my bills I'll send a money order by buying gold chocolate coins and sending them to my landlord Give me a BREAK"

Yes I am angry but not as a Gaian but as a person I've seen too many people being Fugged over and Gaia says yes we will get to it well after 3 weeks wouldn't you get the point that they don't care. In the last 3 years over (NOT KIDDING) 23,847 People have left Gaia because of the above reasons that’s the size of my city that’s just pathetic.

Gaia needs to listen to the Gaian community EVEN though it's fake we are not fake we are people with opinions, intelligent minds and great ideas that would make people come back to Gaia but until Gaia gets their act together in the next 2-5 years they will lose people then be closed down.

7) You can make as many accounts as you want but Hackers only target the one with Gold, and Luxury items “Dear Craig the big head if Gaia is safe why do more than 500 kids get their accounts hacked in less than 5 months multiple times?" "Well Gaia user because WE DON'T CARE HAHAHA we just want you to buy our cards so I can trade my trash compactor for a SUV" -_- Yeah can you imagine if he was president I'd move to Japan immediately.

Hackers are huge on Gaia it's like a island filled with sexy women, sadly and disturbingly we are the sexy women and they are the island pirates basically we are screwed don't dress like a noob it's meaningless they will just find you by looking at your store if you have items they will take them.

8) I know 37% of you are in disagreement with me and that's fine but there are more Gaia haters than Gaia lovers 12% are afraid to get banned for speaking their minds and 5% have said something and no one cared or told them to shut up or got their post spammed to hell, it's sad how Gaia has turned great kids into greedy little hellions and most of them don't even notice they are acting that way.

PARENTS please help save our children and your siblings children from being pulled into a web of lies, bowl of crap, se/x hungry predators and credit card scandals you all work hard to make your kid happy and safe but I don't think you wanna wake up one morning go to Wal-Mart scan your card and the cashier says "I'm sorry Ma'am/Sir but your credit card has bounced and cannot be used" OH OUCH!!! That’s a stinger we aren't Paris Hilton and we can't just ask daddy for more money to buy Chihuahuas.

Those of you who agree thank you so much I'm so glad I'm not alone this WILL be a new REVOLUTION FOR KIDS. I know parents would be devastated to see their child meet up with one of these predators or have one outside your house and your girl or boy goes missing and never seen again.

Thank you I will take this to Gaia and have others sign as well anonymously.

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Recent developments within the college have indicated that the future of the Full Day Care Provision based at Longford Street is under threat of closure.

The setting operates primarily for the children of parents who attend classes in the college. The setting is registered for children 2 yrs to under 5 years. Currently practically the children attending have E.A.L. English as an Additional Language) and are from a diverse racial and cultural background and so of course the same goes for our parents and the children’ families. The staff mirror the diversity of our local community and in total have 15 different languages spoken between them.

This Full Day Care setting is on a highly regarded Quality Assurance programme with Camden Early Years Development. Camden Early Years is keen to propose the WKC Full Day Care setting as an example of Good Practice and Excellence on a new Quality Provision Register due to be launched. As part of the college’s duty to promote Every Child Matters and Every Parent Matters outcomes, providing such high quality care for the children of students is contributing to enhancing the parent and child’s life opportunities and Lifelong Learning.

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By now, we have all heard the distressing news of Rowland Elementary School being added to the list of possible school closings, due to a $115 million deficit in the DeKalb County School System.

At this time we are asking our Rowland community to come together to save Rowland. The community depends on this school to be there for the parents and our main focus-the children. For the past 43 years Rowland has provided quality education to our students, teachers that go beyond the point of duty, resource programs for parents, quality care and training for our special needs children cultural events to join for our Rowland family and the community together, among many other services our school has to offer.

We cannot allow for this to happen to our children and even future attendees of this area. Please join us in fighting for Rowland. Our children are worth this fight; your child’s education journey starts here. Everyday here at Rowland we are laying the foundation for intelligence, dependability, honesty, citizenship, independence, self-esteem, and so many character and educational traits they will need not just for learning, but for life.

We as parents are not happy with closing down Rowland because of many different reasons. To name a few, where will our children be forced to attend school, how close will the new school be, are we as parents comfortable with the distance the children will have to ride the bus to school? Also, what will happen to our physical school building if left unattended? What will the community become of then?

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Florida's Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) Program was approved in 2002 by voters, it began in 2005 and has served our children well by preparing them for school, it also helps the parents of these 4 year olds by allowing them to enter the workforce or to go to school.

It has created jobs and helped the economy. Now the Florida Legislature wants to slash funding for the program and increase the class sizes. This will hurt our children's education and go against the wishes of Florida's voters. Let's protect our children and their education.

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PARENTAL ALIENATION AWARENESS DAY - April 25, 2010

WHEREAS: Parental alienation is often found in high conflict separations, divorces and custody disputes,
and takes advantage of the dependency and responsibility of a child; and

WHEREAS: Parental alienation deprives a child of their right to a loving relationship with both parents,
and interfers with a child’s mental & emotional development; and

WHEREAS: Parental alienation can be mild or to the extreme, conscious or unconscious, and can
manipulate and undermine a parent’s role in a child’s life; and

WHEREAS: Parental alienation behaviors such as denigrating the target parent, interfering with communication and visitation, confiding inappropriate adult information with a child; such as the details of the marriage breakdown, court proceedings and financial matters are considered harmful to the child’s mental wellbeing; and

WHEREAS: Medical professionals agree the problem of parental alienation exists and can cause mental and emotional harm to a child; and can affect them as adults with tragic consequences; and

WHEREAS; With awareness, we can educate parents to act in their child’s best interest, and gain education, understanding, and knowledge to prevent the abuse of the innocent victims involved in high conflict separations.

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We the people of the community request a traffic light be installed at the intersection of Hwy 29 and 9 1/2 mile road located in North Pensacola. A traffic light is desperatley needed at the intersection of Hwy 29 and 9 1/2 mile rd. There have been numerous accidents with three of them causing fatalities in the past 4 months.

Members of Northside Apostolic rd located at the intersection fear for their life or that an accident may occur each night they head to church. Parents fear an accident may occur when arriving at this intersection on the way to taking their children to and from Pine Meadow Elementary School which is located close to the intersection as well.

Please help us as concerned people of the community to get a traffic light at this intersection before another fatality occurs.

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The City of Ottawa and it's Counsellors, as well as the OC Transpo Safety Committee are going to re-visit the issue of strollers on city busses. They want to ban the use of all strollers, except Umbrella strollers on busses. A parent with a child or children would have to fold their stroller, hold their child and bags and belongings.

They have already turned this issue down once in November of 2009 and are now going back and re-visiting it.

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As a place of family entertainment, Chuck E. Cheese is often crowded, filled with tons of families on any given day. On the weekends, that capacity increases significantly. It is hard to keep a strong eye on the children in our party with such clutter, but the bigger problem lies in areas where our children cant help but be unseen. The Tunnel areas....These tunnels are often loads of fun and adventure as they lead down to what is usually the ultimate indoor slide, however, these tunnels are impossible for parents to observe their children. With this sight unseen, it is hard to prevent things from happening to our children while navigating to the slides.

On December 4, 2009, at the Glen Burnie location in Governor's plaza, my 4 year old son was sexually assaulted by two little girls, ages 8 and 9. In these tunnels, they kept him trapped, where they victimized and manipulated him. I couldn't stop what was happening when i couldn't see it happening. I learned of what happened when he finally got out of those tunnels to tell me of what happened.

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http://www.cotlife2000.com/

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The decline in Hawaii’s economy and state tax revenues have necessitated corresponding cuts to public programs. There are plenty of unnecessary government programs available to cut.

However, instead of cutting the Department of Education (DoE)’s singularly over‐large central bureaucracy as appropriate, the DoE and the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA), have determined to meet the DoE budget reduction mandate by, in part, furloughing public school teachers for 17 days each year.

The government option has failed and the burden is being thrown onto students, frontline teachers and families. In addition to bearing job losses while having to pay the already increasing taxes that the Hawaii legislature is pursuing, Hawaii families now have to bear the additional financial burden of providing child care or suitable private instruction for their children on the furlough days. Plus, our teachers are out of work for 17 days.

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Recently my 8 year old daughter who was supposed to stay in an afterschool childcare program, was accidentally put on the school bus to ride home. Upon arriving home to an empty house, her bus driver let her off of the bus and left her untill 5:30 in the afternoon. The transportation department claims that they are only responcible for preschoolers and kindtergardeners. I as a parent am outraged at the fact that is is ok for our school system who are responcible for our children, to just be allowed to drop elementary aged school children off regaurdless of age or supervision.
TRANSPORTATION 06.22

Bus Drivers' Responsibilities

All bus drivers shall meet the qualifications of and be in compliance with the responsibilities noted in Kentucky Administrative Regulations.

Walkthrough at End of Run

Bus drivers shall conduct a walkthrough of their buses at the end of each run to ensure that all students have disembarked at their designated stops.

Disciplinary Action

Bus drivers who fail to observe/perform their responsibilities shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

References:
1 702 KAR 005:080; 702 KAR 005:150
KRS 189.370
KRS 189.375
KRS 189.380
KRS 189.450
KRS 189.540
KRS 189.550
KRS 281A.175
KRS 281A.205
Adopted/Amended: 08/15/2000
Order #: lXTRANSPORTATION 06.33
Regular Bus Stops

Discharge of Pupils

The bus driver shall discharge pupils at their regularly scheduled stops only, except with written authorization from the Principal to discharge a pupil at another location.1 Preschool students shall be transported in accordance with applicable regulations.2
The Principal shall have a written authorization from a child's parents before permitting discharge at a location other than the regular stop.

Exception

The driver may discharge a pupil for disciplinary reasons in accordance with Policy 06.34 of this manual and with 702 KAR 005:080.1

References:
1 702 KAR 005:080
2 702 KAR 005:150
KRS 158.110
KRS 189.370
KRS 189.375
KRS 189.540
Adopted/Amended: 09/12/1991
Order #: X

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Grandparents' rights are a far too often ignored law that needs addressed. These rights have completely taken away parents' natural god given and constitutional rights as parents. In 2000, Troxel vs. Granville the supreme court ruled grandparents rights unconstitutional. These rights have destroyed families and children.

Pennsylvania courts are quick to take the side of a grandparent, while avoiding a fit parents objection, and rights. A grandparent does not have the title of parent, unless the situation warrants it, by the death of the parents, or the abuse of a child. This is a horrific and sad law that we as parents are tired of. Grandparents should visit their grandkids without stipulation, and without the courts. And should respect the parents wishes for their own children.

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At this moment at Centrelink, the youth allowance for 18-21 year olds who are going to study, have to work 18 months full time prior to study to be eligible for youth allowance, or their parents have to earn 32,000 or less. With the current economic crisis, there are hardly any jobs out there, especially part time or casual jobs for students.

How are students meant to pay for books, stationary, bus tickets, livelihood? Just because they live with their parents, does not mean they may not pay board/food and it definitely does not mean that the parents give them an, "allowance" each week. If you have ever been persecuted by this issue, please sign this petition. I will be taking it to my local MP at Reynell, also forwarding it to Julia Gillard, Minister for Education and if need be, I will lobby it to the media.

This legislation needs to change and we need YOUR help!

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From most kids houses there’s no where to ride. But, These Game wardens are posting everything and fining us. For what?! Riding? We aren’t hurting anything. And they wonder why people are calling cops on us for riding roads. You tell me where is there to ride where it’s not posted? I’m pretty sure a kid doesn’t want to pay ANOTHER fine.

One place, the rock dump which isn’t that big and we still have people yelling for the dust. So what is the problem with us on trails? We aren’t hurting anything we aren’t tearing down trees or making new trails. We are just riding. They are fining us for riding? But, they aren’t catching the people down at the PARK doing drugs, And they wonder why kids do drugs in our town. What else is there to do? There’s a park two actually. But who wants to sit at a park?

The basketball courts are all cracked and all dipped in. Plus you can only stay till eight or you get a fine! And what else is there? We don’t have one arcade. Not one Public Pool. We have BARS instead. That’s so fun. NOT! We can walk around town but what’s fun about that. Drugs all around you? That about all that is in our small town. There is nothing for the kids to do. Ride? But there’s a problem about that but they just blow off the kids with drugs. That doesn’t make sense. This town doesn’t! So we the kids and adults are going to get riding back because we don’t want to do drugs and our parents don’t want us to, we would rather ride!!

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For the past 10 yrs, the Chinese Communist Party have murdered parents, teachers, young and old for their practice and faith in Falun Gong. Children are pushed out of schools, and left to take care of themselves when and if their parents and even grandparents are taken to jail for slave labor and torture treatments inside China today. To find out more, please go to sohnetwork.com, faluninfo.net

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Please send a copy of this on your letter head if available to your local Senator and Congressman and delete this sentence. 1/2

AMBERTRAX
REAUTHORIZATION PETITION

A blind spot exists in law enforcements ability to protect our school children / grandchildren from registered sex offenders, whose void is about to get much bigger unless confronted, assigned our symbiotic mandates and a federal oversight program and support is passed into law.

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After seven (7) years of providing before and aftercare transportaion for school age children residing in Wading River attending Riverhead Schools (Riley Ave) the Superintendent deemed the location of Kiddie Academy Wading River as out of District by 1 1/2 blocks.

The District failed to notify either parents who attended Kiddie Academy or Kiddie Academy of their decision until a new neighbor went to register their child for September busing with the district. We feel the district has not given us ample time to appeal to the district voters, nor the education commissioner to petition for this decision. The district still has not formally notified any parent whose child is affected. We wish to appeal to the district and the board for a hold on their to decision for the school year 2009/2010 to allow for such an appeal and or alternative care and or work schedule.

There is no monetary expense for the district to bus these children to this location as they have to pass the location to provided busing to their homes.

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We are a group of parents who have come together to establish an Educate Together national school in the Tallaght/Citywest area of South-West Dublin, Ireland.

In the majority of state-funded schools in Ireland, the Patron is a religious leader or clergyman. As Patron, Educate Together guarantees equality of access and esteem to children irrespective of their social, cultural or religious backgrounds. The schools are also parent-initiated, usually being established by parents who want this unique ethos available in their locality. As a result, there is a high level of parental participation in the operation of the schools.

We wish to provide an option for our children to receive their primary education in such a school. In our area, we want to have a school that is multi-denominational,
co-educational, child centered and democratically run. A school that adequately reflects the growing multi-denominational nature of the Tallaght/Citywest area.

However, we were recently informed that the Department of Education and Science would not be recognizing a new school in the area in 2009. We feel this is unfair to the large number of parents who have indicated that the Educate Together ethos is their preferred option for their children. If you agree, please sign our petition.

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The "child protection policy undermines parents rights". It infringes on, Life liberty and security of a person! Parent’s right to be free from the psychological harm, caused by the apprehension of a child especially when
a decision to deprive natural parent's, of their children was particularly due to serious consequence, of the states conduct!

Make Ministry for Children and Families accountable! Deprivation is one of the Most distressing of all Human emotions, what is equally distressing is
when parent's have been wrongfully deprived of their children!

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http://www.eagleforum.org/column/2005/jan05/05-01-12.html

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Cambrian School District is currently planning on implementing a program called RTL using the ExCEL model (Excellence:A Commitment to Every Learner): within Sartorette beginning Fall 2009 meeting the requirements of the law for the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

The district has already decided upon the ExCEL model which will mimic those currently in place for Fammatre and Bagby without considering our individual student requirements.

We are requesting a postponment of implementing such a program until parents and teachers are comfortable with the changes this will force upon each and every student within our school.

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About 1 in 150 children has been diagnosed with autism, based on a 2002 study done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This can be rephrased as being a rate of 6.6 per 1,000 children. This outdated census is based on results conducted in only 14 out of the 50 states in the United States of America. Nor does this study include the most populous states such as California, Texas or Florida. Clearly the study is limited and the numbers reflect only the tip of a monumental and critical iceberg. There is little interest or regard for a problem that needs to be solved.

One problem is that children are being diagnosed too late, a good amount of time after they have already started school. Autism is hard to detect in its early stages, and its symptoms are not obvious until its victims have reached school-age. That is when there is a distinguishable difference between the child and its companions as well as the rate of learning and progress. Many studies prove that autism can be diagnosed by age 1. That is true. However, that is if parents take their children to doctors and specialists for evaluation. If there are no symptoms and no ways to look for early signs, about three-fourths of children will begin to appear to have the condition at age 9 years. This is according to a report in the June issue of archives of General Psychiatry. This means that before the child reaches the age of nine, he/she will be shuffled through his/her early years of school and then fall far behind other students upon diagnosis.

Another problem is that after these children have been diagnosed, they are placed in cramped environments labeled “Special Education”. Overcrowded classrooms and scarce teachers for the growing population of autistic students is one obvious aspect. These classes consist of teachers who work with a wide variety of disabled students from learning disabilities to speech or language impairments, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, multiple disabilities, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, visual impairments, autism, combined deafness and blindness, and traumatic brain injury. These classes are not much better in providing aid, the only difference is that the students with disabilities are removed from “normal” society and grouped together where teachers will attempt to educate the wide variety of disabilities similarly. According to executive director Kim Sweet of Advocates for Children of New York, only “a small number of special education teachers work with students with severe cases of mental retardation or autism, primarily teaching them life skills and basic literacy.”

A fourth problem is pointed out in an article by Thurlow, Sinclair and Johnson. Published in the Publication of National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, it states that “the dropout rate for students with disabilities is approximately twice that of general education students (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996)… and have been identified as being among the lowest performing students on current high-stakes tests… These scores have consequences for schools and often for students. Increasingly, high-stakes tests have significant consequences for students—they determine whether they are promoted from one grade to the next, or graduate from high school with a standard diploma (Thurlow & Johnson, 2000). Students who experience failure or who see little chance of passing these tests may decide not to stay in school—because either they will not be promoted or they will not graduate with a standard diploma… Accountability without the necessary opportunities and support for youth with disabilities to achieve high standards may increase the rate at which they drop out of school and fail to successfully complete school.”

In today’s state, helping students develop emotionally, feel comfortable in social situations, and be aware of socially acceptable behavior is not enough “general education” to equip them for the real world. The effects of general certifications versus advanced certifications to teach in private schools for autism are vastly different. The difference is that private schools receive enough funding (from parents) to effectively train students while public schools only have enough to get by. One example of an effective private school is the McCarton School. By the end of 2007, five of the 23 children in the school will be mainstreamed back into their districts into regular classes. Private schools use many tools that public schools can’t afford to use which include: intensive speech therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration, etc. to “teach the children to function in their community and in their homes—in the places they actually live”, according to Feldman who is an instructor at the McCarton School holding a PhD. in psychology. The key is that their teachers have specialized training- something that many schools lack.

Does it make any sense at all that in a society where the rate of autism is steadily rising year after year, our school budgets continue to be cut more and more year after year? That is like withdrawing from a deposit in the bank while obliviously expecting to never run out even without making more deposits and at the same being shocked that the interest rate of return in our savings is decreasing. The more you put in, the greater the interest rate of return that our society will have. Children are the future. To take money from the future, is to set the nation up for doom. What kind of nation will it be in 20 years from today or even 30 years, when high school drop-outs are our voters and politicians while special needs adults join the growing number of homeless people? It will be a nation void of stable citizens producing stable incomes to support the social security system. Eventually, the system will crumble from the burden.

If governments need further proof that this crisis is real, let them look no further. Let them observe the increasing rate at which private schools are opening to make up for the obvious lack and inefficiency in public schools. Dr. Cecilia McCarton, Professor of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine founded the McCarton Center for Developmental Pediatrics in 1998. She founded the McCarton School based on the increasing number of parents searching hopelessly for a cure, for treatment, for improvement, a sign or anything to relieve. “The numbers of autistic children we began to see in our Center suddenly became an avalanche. We would be giving therapy to these children and there would be no schools for them, no places for them to go to after age five. Autism overtook us,” she writes.

Let governments observe the flooding of public schools with autism and the inability of small private schools to keep up with demand. Additional solutions for inadequate education involve the increase of funding so that the range of influence and therapy can expand and provide more benefit from the use of IEP’s rather than requiring the use of such plans and not providing tools to carry them out. Public schools can be slowly turned into similar replicas of private school systems.

A small but growing number of districts are modeled after private schools with their personalized environments and highly qualified teachers. Health coverage is often brought up as an alternative to private schools, except health coverage does everything but that…cover. The responsibility is left to the schools.

Today, under P.L.102-119, all schools must offer special educational services and, unfortunately, the government ensures that only the bare minimum is done.Public education is not broken, we just spend too little on our schools and waste too much on less important issues.

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The West Milford Parks and Recreation Pre-School has been educating the young children of our township for over 25 years. However, the students, teachers and parents alike are worried that this will be their last year in their beloved school.

The West Milford Parks and Recreation Pre-School is a small, family oriented school that promotes not only the highest education available, but also a family friendly atmosphere for our children and their parents. Our children spend their days with devoted and loving teachers. These teachers have collectively dedicated over 50 years to educating our young children. Our teachers deserve job security and our children deserve the best that we can provide for them.

So, the families of students past, present and future have banded together to let the Township of West Milford know that we will not allow this to happen to our school. If the program must be moved to a new location, it must be one that is appropriate for our young children. One with opportunities for safe and structured play, both indoors and out.

Please sign this petition in order to keep the West Milford Parks and Recreation Pre-School open. Our children deserve the best academic and social education possible and that is found at the West Milford Parks and Recreation Pre-School.

Petition Prepared by:
Melissa Pritchett

Petition Circulated by:
Tracey Clark

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The Sydney Southwest Area Health Service is planning to cut crucial services from their Early Childhood Centre Program.

One of the main changes includes the ceasing of the Tuesday morning drop-in service in the Balmain Early Childhood Centre (and no doubt other centres as well). This change will come into effect in mid-December and this decision was implemented without any consultation with the community at large.

The drop-in service has provided regular and accessible help to many parents in an informal setting and has also provided an important supportive forum for many parents to meet other parents.

It is essential for many parents to help care for their young children because babies needs are often immediate and cannot wait until planned appointments which are only available weeks in advance.

Many parents in Balmain are from interstate, overseas or country areas and are separated from their support networks. They rely heavily on formal services for support.

More changes - such as ceasing information forums like 'Introducing Solids' - are planned and something needs to be done to show the SSWAHS that these services are vital for the health and well being of our babies and parents and to ensure that no more services are taken away.

Please help us protect the mental and physical health of our babies and parents in Balmain and other suburbs within the Sydney South West Area and sign this petition to have our Early Childhood Services re-instated and to ensure that future changes to the Early Childhood Program be thoroughly debated by the community.

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Currently, at least in Florida, non biological parents have no rights to their children.

In today's day and age we cannot still hold the preconception of the conventional definition of a parent. That definition being that the title of father or mother is assigned solely by the contributors of the child's genes.

There are many situations today when a male will impregnate a girl and then disappear. This girl then goes on with her life and hopefully keeps and has the child. There are also many situations where that mother will meet someone during pregnancy or shortly after that not only becomes a mate and a support for her but bonds and because the parent for that child.

In many of these situations the mother and her suitor might decide that he would be the child's dad and place him on the child's birth certificate and he would in every way raise that child.

Of course in such - the father bonds to that child. What I'm seeking to change is that mans rights if something were to happen that he is separated from the child's mother. He is as much, if not more, of a father than the biological father and in some cases the biological mother and that child sees him as his daddy. In the current system the man has no choice but to have his child, that he has raised, supported and most importantly has loved from before day one, completely taken out of his life and he is powerless to stop it. This must change.

The Dad who has spent his time, finances and most importantly his heart with that child should not have the child removed from him completely any more than the biological parent should. In as much the child loses in this system as well because that child has spent his life recognizes this person as his daddy - all to have him taken away.

I myself was raised by my uncle and Aunt because my biological parents were unfit at the time due to alcohol and drug habits. My DNA contributors are my biological mother and father, however, my aunt and uncle are my Mom and Dad.

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