The Yearbook at John W. North High School in Riverside, California, has decided to cancel Senior Quotes for the Class of 2021. For seniors who have lost every last bit of their senior year, this just adds to the list.

The journey to this cancellation has not been short. The Yearbook first tried to implement a $5 charge to have a quote in the yearbook. Their reasoning was to deter students who would submit inappropriate quotes. The Student Government at North High School (United Student League) rejected this, as charging seniors $5 does not follow the F.A.I.R. (Financially affordable, Accessible, Inclusive, Relatable) acronym that they strive to achieve. 

Listed below are a few reasons why it is felt that Seniors should not have to pay for Senior Quotes:

Seniors should not have to pay for senior quotes for a plethora of reasons. The first reason that seniors should not have to pay for senior quotes is because it is another "slap in the face" for the Class of 2021. All throughout high school, students think about what their senior quote will be, and that is now being taken away from us. Our class has had every single event and activity stripped away from us because of COVID, this just adds to the list.

The second reason that seniors should not be charged for senior quotes is because it is not inclusive to all students on our campus. Prior to COVID, some students and their families on our campus were low-income, already struggling to make ends meet. During these hard times, this problem has been increased as the pandemic continues. Charging students anything extra increases the amount of students who are disenfranchised due to financial reasons. 

The third reason why seniors should not have to pay for senior quotes is due to the fact Yearbook is not charging seniors for the money (this comes directly from the Yearbook). They are charging money to deter students who would submit "inappropriate" quotes. They are now deterring many students, including those who would not submit anything "inappropriate". If charging money is "not about the money," then there should be no reason to charge students, again, during the financial hard times.

Another reason why Yearbook decided to cancel Senior Quotes is due to their concern of liability and lack of resources to screen for inappropriate quotes. To assist in this process, and allow Seniors to have a Senior Quote, the students of USL, staff, and the principal have offered assistance to screen quotes.

Even though Yearbook stated that they were not charging because they want/need the money, the Student Government and the School offered funds to pay for every senior to have a quote.

Both offers were rejected by Yearbook, and their final decision is to cancel Senior Quotes entirely. This decision was made without any polling of the students at North High School. The goal of this petition is to voice the opinions of the students as a whole, and not just a select few.

I, and on behalf of those who sign this petition, am asking for Yearbook to reconsider, or have Riverside Unified School District step in and correct the situation.

This petition serves all students and future students at John W. North High School, as the cancellation of Senior Quotes for the Class of 2021 sets precedent for the future graduating classes to have their Senior Quotes cancelled as well.

*This is a petition created by a student, for the students.*