Hello, petitioners. My name is Elijah Lauer and I am a class of 2021 student at Pioneer High school. I would like to bring a matter that myself and many other students felt was concerning to your attention. Recently, there has been a tweet circling around on social media from the principal of Pioneer High school, Sandra Reese. The tweet in question being a response to something Donald Trump had said about building a wall. I originally brought this matter to a teacher at Pioneer who dismissed my concerns by insisting that Mrs. Reese was aiming to be sarcastic in the tweet, regardless of the intent behind her actions many of our students and parents found the tweet inappropriate, offensive, and made in poor taste. While I was not the one to have uncovered this comment, I did take the opportunity to talk to my peers about their personal experiences with Mrs.Reese. I was shocked to find that a large number of current students and alumni have had issues with our principle, this discovery has led for many students to sign a petition in which to have her removed from our school. Finding it important to make this situation known to all families of Pioneer High, I took to Facebook where I talked about this situation and shared the stories I have been given permission to share. I was met with some backlash from people on Facebook who claimed my intention was to slander Mrs. Reese’s name and get her fired for my own personal vendetta; I would like to note that this is absolutely not my intention. Despite the criticism I was met with I have continued my fight because the people who have poor things to say about my choice are not people who have to deal with these issues first-hand. Us students do. I hope you can understand our point of view, as students. 

It is my belief that school is a place where my peers and I can feel safe and comfortable to talk about our feelings with the people looking after us. The harsh reality is that time and time again it has been made clear that mental illnesses are not being handled properly at the hands of our principal. Although I have a small amount of stories from students there are still an absurd number of students who are scared to come forward about their experiences. It hurts that something nearly every kid in our school struggles with is not being taken seriously, especially when the consequences can be so high. In regards to the stories about racial slurs, I am aware of instances where the “N word” is used for educational purposes via books, history, and such. However, when it comes to reading song lyrics in a situation that is not classified as educational there is a wave of backlash from students who have been targets of racial prejudice and insults as well as students who are able to sympathize with the aforementioned. It is not difficult to censor oneself simply by not saying anything or by replacing the “N word” with the “N word.” It is especially important that someone of such high ranking in a school environment is practicing the same values that are being taught to us students, her disregard of that has become a big concern for many. 

Our voices are so often silenced by teachers and staff, but it is time that we speak out without fear of what reactions we may be met with. Pioneer High School is home to an incredibly diverse group of students, this behavior is absolutely unacceptable and we will make it known that we will not stand for it. When handling this situation please keep that in mind; thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say and for considering the points I’ve made.