TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ABC UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD: 

WHEREAS, We, the undersigned interested parties as residents, voters, members, students, and/or alumni, located within the areas encompassed by the ABC Unified School District (“District”), and desiring that students, faculty, and community members of Gretchen Whitney High School (“Whitney”) have equal access to athletic facilities do hereby request this School Board and its Members (“Board”) take NOTICE that the undersigned formally request this Board implement the following action: 

Construction of a new athletic facility/gymnasium on Whitney campus with full and exclusive access to Whitney students and faculty;
Amend the current policy on access to the gym to allow full access to facilities by Whitney students and faculty exclusively until a new gymnasium is built and opened.  

PETITION FOR A NEW FACILITY  AND AMENDED ACCESS TO GYM AT WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL

I. INTRODUCTION

 The Board should consider this petition because Whitney has long been described as the pride of the District. Whitney has earned numerous academic distinctions and is currently ranked as the number one public high school in California according to U.S. News and World Report's “Best High Schools National Ranking,” and consistently ranks in the top three according to this publication. Whitney’s success draws many homebuyers to the District who desire to enroll their children at a prestigious middle and high school.

However, the academic success of Whitney students comes at a cost–high stress. Where most schools in the district provide balanced opportunities for both academic and athletic endeavors, the current District policies have pigeon-holed Whitney students and deprived them of the opportunity to excel athletically. The current restrictions and limitations can have negative effects on the mental well-being of these gifted students as well as hinder their college prospects. 

The following outlines the undersigned’s requests. 

II. PETITIONS

Construction of a new athletic facility/gymnasium on Whitney campus

Here, the undersigned petition this Board empanel a committee to formally inquire into the feasibility of constructing a new gym/athletic facility on Whitney campus. Since access to the current gym is limited due to a shared agreement with the community at large, Whitney students should have a dedicated athletic facility. This is not uncommon within the District as other schools enjoy dedicated athletic facilities for the exclusive use of its students. [Specifically, Cerritos High School, Gahr High School, and Artesia High School all have athletic facilities/gyms which are not shared spaces with the community at large.]

Also, this Board has a fiduciary duty to ensure: 

This Board Should Amend the Current Policy on Access to the Current Gym

Here, the undersigned petition that this Board effect a policy change to increase access for Whitney students and faculty to the gym/facility currently on Whitney’s campus due to changed circumstances since the Board’s adoption of the current policy. The present restraints on access to the gym placed on Whitney’s students hinder utilization of the facilities in a convenient and effective manner. 

The limited time constraints in the agreement between the Board and the City of Cerritos force all students generally, and more specifically students in athletic programs, to share the facilities and rush through activities.  Additionally, these students are forced to relinquish access to the public at large under this Board’s policy. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these long-standing issues.

AMENDMENT REQUESTED: 

This Board’s policy regarding access to the gym/athletic facility currently located on the campus of Whitney High School will be amended to read as follows: 

“This gym will be for the exclusive use by Whitney High School students and faculty until the new gym/athletic facility is built & fully completed.”

As such, we petition this Board to amend the current policy on access to the gym/athletic facility currently on Whitney Campus to the requested amendment. 

III. CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, we, the undersigned, respectfully petition this Board: (A) To construct a new athletic facility/gymnasium for Whitney High School; (B) Amend the existing policy on access to the current gym/athletic facility on Whitney’s campus until a gym granting exclusive rights to Whitney students is opened.