By Michael Beeli
Staff Writer
Recently, discontented students have been turning to petitions in order to voice their opinions about administration and their discontent at Mira Costa High School. The right of students to express themselves through petitions is an integral right of students that is essential in order to create a more effective and balanced learning environment.
The use of petitions by students is one way in which students can be proactive, the most important aspect to ensure proper communication between students and school administration. Students who vocalize their opinions ensure the administration is at least aware of any discrepancies they may have, and set the stage for constructive dialogue.
MBUTA President Shawn Chen stressed the importance of student petitions for the preservation of student activism and engagement. Regardless of the effect of petitions, they are an integral part of student involvement and thus are incredibly important and are essential for proper student expression.
According to Chen, petitions are a vital way for students to express themselves and are crucial for ensuring constructive communication between the administration and students. However, current standards of communication between students themselves and school administration is not sufficient. Proper communication between the student body and the administration is absolutely essential for the school system to run properly and needs to be improved.
Principal Ben Dale said that school administration supports students’ right to petition as a form of expression and that administration will review any petition brought to them. Therefore it’s essential that students feel comfortable creating petitions when they have concerns regarding what is happening at Costa.
According to Dale; however, student petitions have no legal or administrative framework and thus are largely irrelevant as a whole to action of the administration. In order to make the process more effective there should be a specific process for the creation and consideration of petitions facilitated by Costa staff.
Petitions are an incredibly important way for students to maintain a voice when dealing with school issues. According the US Constitution, the right for all citizens to express themselves is constitutionally-assured and their role in communication between students and administration is integral to the effective operation in any school.
According to Senior Reilly Auville, petitions help to bring important causes together and create discussion between the student body and the administration on key issues. Petitions are one of the few ways in which students have the right to expression in their school and to their administration. The ability to petition, consequently, needs to be retained by students as an important aspect of communication.
Senior Lauren McKenna created a petition in protest of a specific aspect of the office hours schedule. The petition claimed students a 5th or 6th period weren’t informed that their school day would extend past 4th period until the first day with office hours scheduling, in Mid-September. The petition collected over 150 signatures, and was significant in creating a unified statement of students.
The petition cited students’ commitments made prior to when they were informed and thus were disrupted by the policy. Students wishing to leave before PM office hours need a parent or legal guardian to sign them out at the attendance office, regardless of the age of said students. Although the petition brought about no changes, it was still significant in detailing discontent of students regarding the issue.
A similar petition emerged from students after the non reelection of former French Teacher Mr. Hirsh. Although the petition did not change the administration’s decision it was central in voicing student opinions on a sensitive issue. Without student activism, the district would be largely unaware of discontent with the decision and most likely would not have taken action despite pleas of students.
Despite the importance of petitions, there are still many ways in which the process could be improved. The student body and administration should work together to create a set of requirements and a specific process for the discussion of petitions in order to increase efficiency, but students should still continue to voice their opinions in petitions in order to ensure they retain the right to self-expression in school.
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