For MASSPTA

Let's make April 15th more than just tax day.
Let's seize the opportunity to stand for our public schools!
Come to  Stand for Children's Day on the Hill on April 15 to tell lawmakers that you think the best investment of your tax dollars is to support public education.

With Massachusetts facing a $1.3 billion budget deficit, telling lawmakers that education is a priority is more important than ever! Join with hundreds of citizens from across the state as we converge on the State House to call for relief, reform, and innovation in public education.

Click here to register today!   Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Registering online only takes a minute - sign up today to secure your space.

P.S. Already Registered?  Invite a friend!  Forward this email to friends and family and encourage

Remembering the 1937 Texas School Explosion: Announcing the Healthy Kids Healthy Schools Heroes Award 2008

From The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
www.commercialfreechildhood .org

Thongs for 10-year-olds that say "eye candy."  Shirts with slogans like "Who needs brains when you have these?" and "Do I make you look fat?"  Ads touting group sex to sell clothing to teens and preteens.  When it comes to sexualizing children, Abercrombie &  Fitch is among the worst corporate offenders.

That's why it's so egregious that Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, is planning to rename its emergency room The Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center in exchange for a $10 million donation.  These naming rights will entwine an institution of healing with a company whose advertising is notorious for undermining children's wellbeing and will promote the exploitive Abercrombie brand to children in a hospital setting.

Please tell Children's Hospital in Columbus:  Don't sell naming rights to Abercrombie &  Fitch: http://salsa.democracyinaction .org/o/621/t/5401/campaign.jsp ?campaign_KEY=23662

Research links sexualization and objectification with some of the most pressing and common health problems for girls including depression and poor sexual health.  It is also distressing that a children's hospital would promote a company that features impossibly thin and idealized body types in its advertising when 10 million girls and young women in the United States are struggling with an eating disorder.

We understand that it is common for public health institutions to seek gifts from the business community. We are not asking that the hospital return the money.  But gifts that  include a quid pro quo like naming rights cross the line from philanthropy to advertising.  Given that this company has built its brand by sexualizing and objectifying children, no public health institution should be advertising Abercrombie & Fitch.

Yesterday, CCFC sent a letter signed by many of the country's leading advocates for children's health (insert link) to the hospital urging them to rescind the naming rights.  Our letter has generated national attention with stories in the Associated Press and New York Times.

Now we need your help.  Please tell Nationwide Children's Hospital not to sell naming rights to Abercrombie & Fitch and forward this message to family and friends: http://salsa.democracyinaction .org/o/621/t/5401/campaign.jsp ?campaign_KEY=23662

CCFC's letter to Nationwide Children's Hospital and its 100 signatories can be found at http://commercialfreechildhood .org/actions/childrenshospital letter.pdf.

For a brief history of Abercrombie's controversies and exploitation of children, please visit http://commercialfreechildhood .org/actions/af.htm.

Do You Have a "Horror Story" About a Student Getting Kicked Out of School?

Are you a student, a parent of a student, or do you know a student who has been excluded from school for reasons that seem harsh, unfair, or irrational?

 

The Education Law Task Force ("ELTF"), a group of legal services and education advocates for low-income students from around the state, is interested in learning more about how and why kids get disciplined in Massachusetts schools under so-called "zero tolerance" policies. We believe the popular idea that students are thrown out of school only when they behave violently or do dangerous things like bring a gun to school is generally wrong. Instead, students are all too often excluded because of behavior that does not threaten school safety. Discipline is also often connected to the school's failure to give students what they need, particularly those who are entitled to special education.

 

We want to examine this belief, and are looking for stories that could be used to advocate in a number of ways. We hope that advocates and others connected to students, or students and their parents, who have suffered overly harsh and unfair discipline will share what they know (no personal identifying information will be shared outside the ELTF without permission). Please call or email, or ask the person with the story to contact:

 

Dara Lenoff at South Coastal Counties Legal Services in Brockton  dlenoff@sccls.org  508-482-2773 x-29 or 800-244-8393

Nora Saint Martin at SCCLS in New Bedford nsaintmartin@sccls.org  508-979-7150 x-18 or 800-929.9721 a Spanish speaker

Sandra Carter at the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee  scarter@mhlac.org  617-338-2345 x-24, 800-342-9092

Kristin Wesolaski at Massachusetts Advocates for Children  kwesolaski@massadvocates.org  617-357-8431 x-243) a Spanish speaker

Alan Rom at the Legal Assistance Corp. of Central Mass.  arom@laccm.org  508-425-2805 a Spanish speaker.

Please share this request with other interested persons, groups, and local organizations.

Thank you.

Boston Globe, March 4, 2008
Verizon must pay tax on public way poles, wires

By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/03/04/verizon_must_pay_tax_on_public_way_poles_wires/

 

MassPTA has been working with Citizens for Public Schools and other organizations to bring in more revenue to support education funding by asking the legislature to pass the Municipal Partnership Act and closing tax loopholes. Taxing telephone poles was part of the Governor's Municipal Partnership Act - the legislature did not pass this portion of the act, but it appears that the Appelate Tax Board and the judiciary have taken the initiative. Please note that this is likely to be appealed, but could still result in increased revenue in FY 09.  

American Academy of Pediatrics reports on Global Climate Change and
Children's Health

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released two documents on
global climate change and children's health in late 2007.  AAP
represents 60,000 pediatricians and its technical reports provide
background information tp support AAP policy while policy statements
provide organizational principles to improve the health of all children.

The technical report on global climate change and children's health is
available at
http://aappolicy.aappublicatio ns.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics ;120/5/e1359.pdf

The policy statement is available at
http://www.aap.org/pressroom /GlobalPS.pdf

Close Corporate Tax Loopholes: Raise Revenue to Invest in Our State

Wednesday, March 5th

Hearing 10:00 am State House Room B-2

Testify in support of closing corporate tax loopholes to restore fairness to our tax code and raise revenue to invest in our state.

Forum 11:30 am State House Room B-1

Community organizations, labor unions, business people and legislators will be joining together to urge that funds generated from closing corporate tax loopholes be invested in our state to improve our schools, develop our infrastructure, and fund universal health care.

For more information, please call or email:

Debbie: 508-982-3108 or dfastino@aol.com, or

Erin: 508-579-2723 or erin@n2nma.org, or

Rebekah: 617-227-9635 x12 or gewirtz@naswma.org

MassPTA leaders Ruth Kaplan, Ellie Goldberg, Kim Hunt and MaryAnn Stewart join PTA president Jan Harp Domene with Senator Ted Kennedy.  For more photos from the National Legislatiive Conference in Wash DC go to Gallery.