44 Signatures
500 for collection target
Petition addressed to: School District
Jefferson Elementary needs your help!
The school district has decided to eliminate Jefferson's PE teacher position and have other staff try to cover this full-time role. This change would create widespread negative impacts—affecting clubs, programs, classrooms, teachers, students, and the overall health of our school community.
Enrollment has declined as families in north Richland opt for private schools, ALE programs like Homelink, or homeschooling. At the same time, boundary lines haven’t been adjusted to address this shift, and no new programs have been introduced to help attract and retain students.
If you’re able to sign this petition, it will help our Jefferson Eagles community. We would truly appreciate your support.
Reason
If RSD continues to respond to decreasing enrollments by only by reducing staff and programs, they risk accelerating the very problem they are trying to manage.
The loss of physical education (& Mr. Briggs) will have ripple effects across the entire school. Classroom teachers & Jefferson staff will be asked to absorb additional responsibilities, reducing their planning time and increasing the likelihood of burnout - which negatively effects students.
Thank you so much for your support, Angela Gregorich, Richland
Question to the initiator
Petition details
Petition started:
04/28/2026
Collection ends:
10/28/2026
Region:
Richland
Topic:
Education
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new language versionWhy people sign
My daughter is typically not the most active child but remains engaged and excited about physical activity because of the spirit Mr. Briggs brings to Jefferson. She (and other students) have benefitted greatly from his instruction, care and the enthusiasm he brings to the curriculum. The value of Mr. Briggs and PE educators extends beyond making sure our kids stay active in a technological age, but remains an intentional effort to make physical activity fun while teaching key social & emotional skills relating to teaming, communication, physical health maintenance that can have outcomes extending into adulthood and beyond. I respectfully encourage the district to reevaluate this seemingly reactive decision wholeheartedly, or at the very minimum, take pause until a more clear understanding about the impacts of overdue changes to boundary lines that may positively impact enrollment figures. Thank you.
Physical education is a key program to support children’s socioemotional and physical development. Having a dedicated teacher like Mr. Briggs, who has the expertise and passion to teach PE, is needed. Replacing this position with other staff will only increase burden, thereby limiting the benefit than if it was taught by someone trained and committed to this area.
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This is the school my mom works at. Kids need PE because oftentimes it's the only time they get exercise