To whom it may concern,

I am writing this petition in support of Mr. Jay Bennish. It has come to my attention that Mr. Bennish was suspended from work and is being investigated under false pretenses. A lack of communication seems to have created this misunderstanding. The investigating party was also unwilling to have a simple conversation and sort things out, before taking the extreme measure that is now jeopardizing a person’s career. Bennish is a phenomenal teacher and a valuable advocate for students. He teaches numerous classes such as Human Geography and African American Studies and helps students develop the skills needed to succeed after high school. He has always been an honest, straightforward person, that won't beat around the bush. He’s respectful of people’s opinions but is also not afraid to ask the hard questions that most people would avoid. He is very passionate about educating people and a proud supporter of the black community. He took on the role as sponsor of the Black Student Alliance at Overland High School and provided a platform for minority students to stand on. He has poured endless time and resources into the development of this group. He is not able to personally seek support as the terms of suspension state that he is prohibited from talking to anyone at Overland. Many of the students, former and current, are also unaware of the true reason Mr. Bennish is absent from school and no positive action has been taken to correctly inform them. His support of the black community has been negatively misappropriated because of the color of his skin. This incident contains a lot of irony and hypocrisy. The people who prompted this investigation were unable to see past race and as a result they want Bennish to be replaced as the African African Studies teacher and removed as the sponsor of Black Student Alliance. They are using the very same pretenses towards a person that they are fighting to not have used against them. In other words, this group wants people to look past race when it comes to them, but are inadvertently forcing a man out of his profession because of just that, race. Teachers are also hesitant to get involved because their jobs could just as easily be on the line. However, there are several people who can speak on the extraordinary character of Mr. Bennish. The fact that he is not given a fighting chance to explain the situation or call upon people to stand in his corner is unfair.

Mr. Bennish is a huge pillar of support for me personally and is the reason that I chose my major in college. He sparked my interest in African American Studies and showed me the career paths that would become available to me. He also encouraged me to dream big and hold myself to a higher standard regardless of what the people around me are doing. He also gave me the chance to be co-president of BSA my senior year. This experience allowed me to polish my leadership skills, build my resume, and be apart of a cause I stand strongly for. There are countless more stories of how Bennish has inspired a student. I have accumulated just a few of these people who are willing to sign a petition in an effort to have Mr. Bennish reinstated. Please take our voices into consideration.