To the Paterson Public Schools Principals, Superintendent, Board of Education and Freeholders.

As students of Paterson Public High Schools during the pandemic we have been experiencing issues. First of all, students are heavily exhausted with the amount of time and effort we have to put in. In Paterson Pubic High Schools, many students are employed or have other household responsibilities while attending school virtually and sit in front of a computer screen for hours with the overload of assignments. Many students complain of not being able to keep up with work or even have time to themselves. During this pandemic we are struggling more than we have struggled before the pandemic. Nothing has been made easier, except more and more rules are put upon us which exhaust us to the point many students don’t even have to energy to continue.

Students are also not comfortable turning on their cameras, it’s a personal invasion of privacy and many aren’t in a comfortable environment to turn on their cameras and display their surroundings.

There have also been concerns of Covid-19 which make attending school in person unsafe. Many students have been going virtual for that reason and with the constant addition of rules it isn’t fair.

With this petition, Paterson Public School High School students ask to keep our privacy in mind and give us the choice to turn our cameras on or off. Governor Murphy has mentioned that cases have been rising and with the stress of family members having the risk to get Covid-19, students also have the weight on their shoulders from these overbearing strict guidelines. We ask again that Paterson Public Schools keep our privacy in mind and give us the choice to turn our cameras on or off.

Thank you.