TO: All Parental Action Committee Members

RE: Updated News

Request for Information

Request for Volunteers

FROM: Parental Action Committee (PAC)

First Steering Committee Staff

Greetings!

We held a tremendously successful rally at Lake Parker Park, Lakeland. Some reports indicated that we had up to 300 adults in attendance. Realistically, it was closer to 200. But still, much more than the 50 or so at the last meeting. Thanks Superintendent Reynolds for helping. This is the result of his idiotic threat to criminally charge parents who openly defy his edict.

We also learned that the Polk County School Board has sold the names and addresses of our children to promote uniform sales. This is probably the most irresponsible act a school board can make. There is no control of that data after it left the school board property. Our children are now subject to danger from pedophiles and other perverts. Thanks Reynolds and company!

Reynolds has brought the wrath of the citizens of Polk County down on his head as well as those of the entire school board. Reynolds will rue the day he promoted his insane policy. Public hearings since May 1996 have shown that the majority of the citizens in this county did not want mandatory uniforms. Uniform compliance data, collected by the school board, further indicated that the policy was unwanted. Reynolds will come to understand the concept of reaping and sowing. Most school board members will likewise learn this simple political truth.

The year round schools will be starting up on Tuesday. Many students were pulled aside to be possibly ridiculed by their peers and school staff. Some were even set on a wall for display to the media. They were offered "loaner" uniforms. Accurate reports indicate that two children refused to wear the "loaner" uniform. One child was sent home by her principal. The other child's principal her to return to class.

We are attacking on several fronts. We have been hoping for a class action civil case championed by the ACLU. We now know for certain their level of their involvement, as well as that of several prominent local attorneys. We continue to gather concerned citizens into PAC. We are encouraging open defiance of the uniform policy. See below for details. Reynolds may be looking at ethics violations, that would remove him from office. Class action civil suits are likely at this point. Can we lay criminal charges at Reynolds's feet? That's for the legal team to decide. We want to pack the school board meeting on July 27, 5:00 PM, at the school board office in Bartow. Pack the auditorium with PAC!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

1. I need your help to cleanup my email list. Please provide as much of the following information as YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE in giving.

Name of Parents:

Mailing Address:

Email Address:

Name of School:

We do not need or want the names of your children. Please don't send them to us.

2. We need volunteers at many levels. We need picketers at each school for the Open House and first day of school. We need, for want of a better term, a school captain. The school captain would be the contact person for all families participating in the boycott.

We need your participation at the next school board meeting. The meeting will be held at the PCSB Office in Bartow 5:00 on July 27. We need you to use YOUR three minutes at the podium to tell the school board members and superintendent what's on your mind. IT'S YOUR RIGHT, USE IT!

Attention Christian brothers and sisters. Our religious opt out might possibly be found in the Holy Scriptures. Please read Romans 12:2. Then pray for guidance. If you feel led to do so, use this as your opt out.

What is PAC (Parental Action Committee)?

Concerned parents over the education and issues in Polk County. The goal of PAC is to reclaim our education system and the accountability of the Polk County School Board.

Parental Action Committee (PAC) Recommends that Polk County parents take the following actions to resist the current uniform policy:

· Do not sign the Student Code of Conduct. It can be used against you and is not required by law.

· Do not sign student/parent/school contract for Title 1 schools. It is demeaning to parents and it is not required by law.

· Do not supply your child's social security number. Your child will be/has been assigned a student ID number.

· Refuse to change into "loaner" uniforms These garments are potentially unsanitary. They may harbor lice, scabies, or other disease.

· If possible, attend school with child first day. You should take notes, pictures, videos, etc.

· If your child feels the need to wear the uniform, please see us about getting buttons or tags. These issues are really a parent issues.

· Be respectful and courteous to all school personnel. They are following rules to protect their careers.

· DEMAND EVERYTHING IN WRITING, particularly if asked to leave.

Other PAC issues to be addressed in the Future

· Selling our children's names, addresses, and ages.

· Tardiness counted as unexcused absences.

· Portables

· Lack of School Nurses

· Lack of Resource Offices

· Lack of Textbooks

· High Failure Rate (25% of elementary students went to summer school this year)

· Polk County FCAT scores - below state average

· Accountability of administrators, principals, and teachers

· Chain of command when people are on vacation - allowing work to go unfinished

· All school board meetings should be held in the evenings (6:00 or 7:00 P.M.)

· All public hearings should have notices sent home with all affected students 15 days prior to and day of meeting.

Dates to remember:

1. July 27, 1999 5:00 PM PCSB Auditorium, Bartow

2. August 8, 1999 Rally the Forces (location to be announced)

Thanks for your support!