Q&A for How to Start a School Petition

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Question

What if the principal throws away my petition?

Community Answer

Always make sure you make copies or take pictures of the petition. If they ignore your petition, that means it's time to protest.

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Question

What if the school denies my petition? Can I sue the school, or is there another way?

Community Answer

It depends on your petition, but no, you cannot sue your school for denying your petition. The best thing to do is to continue to raise awareness and drum up support. You can write an opinion piece for your school newspaper. Ask for a meeting with your school administrators to determine why they've denied your petition.

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Question

How do I get people to sign my school petition?

Community Answer

Make sure you make your reasons for the petition clear and explain those reasons passionately. Don't get hung up with people who disagree -- move on to the next person and don't waste your time trying to get one person's signature.

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Question

Do I need to get permission to start a petition in my school and have other students sign it?

Community Answer

There may not be an official rule that states that you need to get permission, but it's a good idea to do so, as your request is more likely to be taken seriously if you've already run it by the administration first. Talk to your principal.

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Question

There's a teacher at my school, who's horrible. He makes sexist remarks and does not teach his PE class. How do I get him fired if my class already has a petition with many people?

Community Answer

There are some good tips in Fire a Teacher . The fact that you have a number of people who can collectively bring concerns to the principal will work in your favor.

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Question

Which is easier for school, a petition or a fundraiser?

Community Answer

How about both? You can raise money and get people to sign your petition at the same time!

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Question

If I am in high school, can middle schoolers sign the petition?

Community Answer

If the rule also affects middle schoolers, than middle schoolers could also sign the petition.

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Question

I have done this multiple times before, and my principal just says that I can't make a petition and throws it away. What do I do?

Community Answer

Go higher up the food chain. Go to the superintendent, then the school board, then the district, etc. Keep going until the petition becomes taken seriously.

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Question

Do I need to ask anyone before I start a school petition?

Brandon Sylvester

Community Answer

Check with your school administration. There is normally no rule against starting a petition, but asking may save you from getting in trouble.

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Question

How many signatures do I need to get on my petition to the school board?

Community Answer

There might be specific rules about this, so you can try asking your principal about it or contacting the school board directly. Generally speaking, you should get as many as you possibly can. The more signatures you get, the more likely it is that your petition will be taken seriously.

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Question

I really want to do a petition, but I'm scared I'll get in serious trouble. What should I do?

Community Answer

It's unlikely you'd get in trouble, as long as you were respectful about it, but if you want to be on the safe side, ask permission from the administration first.

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Question

I want to make a petition for having a free "chill" period where students can sleep, study or just talk as an elective. What would I need to do?

Community Answer

If you wanted to do that, then you would need to give good reasons and make sure you have lots of students and teachers persuaded and signing the petition. If the principal rejects it, continue and get more people to make sure that they know things are serious.

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Question

How many signatures do I need for a school petition?

Community Answer

The more signatures you have the more serious they will take you. Depending on school size, you will need at least one third of the school's signatures to be taken seriously.

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Question

Can I make a petition to get the coach back who was fired without being given a reason?

Community Answer

You can make a petition for just about anything. However, there was likely a reason for the coach's firing that wasn't divulged to protect the coach's privacy.

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Question

How do I start a petition to build a new school in an area?

Community Answer

You would need to make a good petition (perhaps enlisting the aid of an attorney), get a lot of signatures from people in the area who agree, and take it to the mayor or whoever is in charge of your county, district, etc.

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