THIS PETITION IS FOR THE STUDENTS OF GHS. IF YOU ARE AN ADULT OR A COMMUITY MEMBER WANTING TO SUPPORT, ANOTHER COMMUNITY WIDE PETITION WILL BE PUT OUT IN A WEEK OR SO PLEASE LEAVE THIS ONE FOR STUDENTS SO WE CAN GET ACCURATE NUMBERS.

My name is Elizabeth Westbrook. As the co-founder of the Gresham Student Union and a senior at Gresham High school, I believe that you the students signing this petition has the potential to significantly improve safety here at GHS currently, but for generations to come. Our school has turned into an unsafe environment where students are not protected enough, best exemplified by the recent arrest of a student with a firearm. We believe this surge in violence and harm at GHS is solely because of the school's leadership, specifically our school's principal, Erika Whitlock. So, we are calling for 4 different changes in this petition. 

1. The removal of Erika Whitlock from the position of principal at GHS.
2. Review of district discipline/safety protocols 
3. Increased mental health support
4. Immediate review of the school board + their participation in making GHS safer these past years. 

Whitlock's administration has failed to uphold safety protocols, leaving teachers and students safety vulnerable. They have failed to inform students, parents and teachers adequately enough all while pushing things under the rug to uphold a reputation. More importantly, they have failed to foster the environment that everyone thinks GHS has, a safe environment made to learn and grow. Instead of owning up to the faults of admin on both September 20th and October 9th, they have decided to say they believe they did everything RIGHT on both of those days. Here is what they did wrong on BOTH days:

• (9/20) Failed to inform students and staff of possible danger on campus all while knowing for 3 hours about said weapon.
• (9/20) Put out multiple different timelines of one incident that do not match up with other timelines given out by the police, making us lose all credibility. 
• (9/20) Claims to have called the district about what to do BEFORE calling the police.
• (9/20) Allowed suspected student to attend a school wide assembly with the loaded weapon in his bag before attempting to secure the student. 
• (10/9) When in a secure, they allowed students to enter and leave the building at their own free will, while also not searching students who were entering during the secure.
• (10/9) Put us into a secure over "rumors", but could not put us into a lock down on 9/20 over a student having a gun. 
• Much much more foul play.

Join us and demand a new principal, one who will show care and concern, one who can make the choices that will save our lives, one who thinks about what their own kids would need every time they instill a change to our school. 

Our mission, however, doesn't stop at demanding Ms. Whitlock's removal. We believe there is an urgent need for a thorough review of the school's safety measures, ensuring that protocols are effectively put into practice. On October 9th, we were put into a secure and as everyone knows, nobody is allowed to enter or leave during a secure. But, Erika decided that this didn't matter and even encouraged students who didn't have a 6th and 7th period to leave premises all while allowing students to come onto premises, requiring no search of their person. 

Furthermore, we must amplify the call for increased mental health support in our schools. Education institutions play a vital role in detecting early signs of mental health issues among students. While the GHS admin says they could not have prevented September 20th, they could have. There was a report filed against the same student more than three days prior to the incident regarding his behavior that he was displaying, with no response from admin until the actual incident took place. While our lives were put at risk, his life is changed forever because a lack of early interventions.

Lastly, we are tired of negligence from the entire district. We have brought these concerns before the GBSD school board more than once with no real impacts or changes being made to the environment around us. If our school board is there to enact school policy, then why can they not do that in said instances? In many incidents, they have even applauded the way the GHS handled these situations. We demand an immediate review of the school board, including superintendent James Hui and deputy superintendent John Koch (previous principal of GHS in 2010-2016), as they have been the ones alongside admin, applauding them and helping them cover up their faults. 

This is about securing a safer, healthier learning environment, where students can focus on their growth and development, rather than worrying about their safety. Please join us in signing this petition to demand the removal of Gresham High School's principal and advocate for a safer, well informed school enviroment. Your voice is where change STARTS.