Hello, everyone! I know that it’s been a while since my last petition update. To be completely honest, I have felt extremely discouraged about the state of the district, and drew back from the problem. However, a recent quote from Mother Teresa rejuvenated my spirits. She once said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” I know that speaking about problems that Mike Miles has created since becoming superintendent of DISD was a bold thing to do, but I never expected to be treated with such blatant disrespect. And as he continues to disregard our very real complaints, hardworking teachers continue to suffer or even leave the district in hopes of being treated with the dignity they deserve. Now more than ever, I feel determined to fight for not only the rights of teachers, but students as well. In order to take action, I will be speaking at the next board meeting on March 26th at the Ada L. Williams Auditorium. I encourage everyone who has signed this petition to attend. Anonymity behind a screen can only go so far, and the district has not, and will not, do anything about the issues we’ve brought to their attention without seeing a group of people that refuse to be silenced about their continuous lack of concern about students and teachers well-being. If you would like to speak at the board meeting, call (972) 925-3720 no later than 5 p.m. on the day before the meeting (March 25th) to sign up. **You can watch my own speech at 15:06 in this YouTube video as an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl88-ccuGiM&feature=youtu.be.) Your own speech must be no more than 3 minutes. The board meeting is held at the Dallas ISD administration building at 3700 Ross Ave, Dallas, Texas. It will begin at 6pm. Like I said in my previous update, I am not willing to back down from this injustice without our voices being heard. My fearless and persistent spirit is the aftermath of teachers, many of them from DISD, and many who have already left. The determination they have instilled in me is what is driving me forward in the countless uphill battles I have ahead of me, including this one. I would appreciate the support; there is strength in numbers. I cannot wait to meet every single one of you. Thank you again. Fearlessly, Lara Andree