Note: This petition was not written with AI. Image credits go to The Texas Tribune.

My ELA teacher in 5th grade taught me most of my literacy knowledge. She used her own slides, her own videos, real photographs taken and real educational information. Lovely teacher, really. My 6th grade teacher sadly accomplished no such thing. The only new thing I learned from her was the existence of juxtaposition; even then it was I who researched it to learn more.  Both of them had a degree in English, so why, you may ask, was there such a difference? HISD's takeover by the TEA's extension changed the curriculum completely. At first, it was mild and nearly unnoticeable changes, but then, they started grading our STAAR tests with AI. This sparked our controversy, as it was a move to cut the budget the superintendent has been accused of exploiting, and we have no certainty this AI is capable of grading essays and ECRs. But the tumbleweed doesn't stop rolling. Now, we have NWEA tests run by AI evaluators and our curriculum has become fully AI generated with a few editors who apparently have done nothing. That is the difference. No matter which AI checker I put our HISD curriculum slides into, it always comes out as a fully AI generated script. And HISD lectures us about deep fakes and AI misuse, when their AI does not even know how to make a pineapple look real, which is something I don't see logic for. Autocorrect and such I have learned to accept and are reasonable even by former standards, but generative AI? 176,000 students are being negatively impacted by this irresponsibility. HISD may state they are doing better on tests, but that's because these tests are modified to suit their curriculum. It teaches us nothing. Each year is a repeat of the last and we will not be ready for a school beyond this sort of "mentorship." The NWEA tests cover nothing the schools teach us, because 7th graders are still learning the addition of integers they did when they were 10. If things stay the same, at this rate, we will not learn a thing. Did I mention that the AI also constantly makes mistakes, and with the alarming rate students see, there is even more that educators struggle to filter out? Just yesterday it proclaimed that toasting bread, an obvious Maillard reaction, was a physical change. Search it up. Apparently this AI can't.  I'm sure some of you who read this have children or young relatives. Can you truly stand the idea of children squashed into a framework where they're fed poison and lies? Now is our time to learn. We must act now, before we forever become the victims of their indecency in life beyond childhood, before we become so inferior to others this foundation of ours becomes unable to support us later in life, the very thing that opposes the morality behind the presence of schools in the first place. If you don't believe me, look to our digital world. Please. We cannot grow without the transparency and accountability of light, and full dependency upon AI will only shade this world.

The Houston Chronicle demands answers for this ineffective learning method. Reddit users have posted countless complaints. Some people claim parents and staff protests are ignored and scandals are covered up through eliminating faculty who step out of line, as proven by Dallas News. The 4 billion bond was despised, proven by countless complaints. And the district didn't even flinch. My friend, whose parental figure holds a position in the school board and brings this acquaintance to meetings, has provided me with primary sources of what is happening to our district. A simple Google and one will find countless cracks and holes in their system. This is unacceptable. 

Mike Miles himself has said "There’s only one way to transform a large, urban district. You can’t do it overnight. You can’t do it whole scale, the whole district. It’s like building a plane while you’re flying a plane." In perhaps a twist of juxtapositon and irony, this may also mean that if we want to return HISD to a respectable society, we cannot bite off more than we can chew at a time. I will not force you, and it is alright to disagree with my views. I appreciate constructive criticism and this is simply my opinion. But if you could take a moment of your time to sign, share, or even just read this, it would be a step forward. 

A war is not fought in one battle. We cannot scream at Mike Miles and expect results. We must fight for it, one victory at a time. Teachers, you are being replaced with AI. The IT has been taken over with artificial assistance. Students, what knowledge have you gained? Parents, can't you see what we're learning now? So let us come together as one, rivals and friends, educators and parents, and show that we will not be ignored. 

They cannot force our choices into the frame with threats and punishment. Generative AI is one of the new "HISD's" main tactics to cut budget. Let's destroy it as a union. Let us support each other, protect each other from the opposition so that we have nothing to fear anymore. Let us put our petty differences aside, to strive for a world that benefits us all, starting with their Generative AI, so that one day we may rejoice in victory.