Do your elected officials support pregnant and parenting students in school?

Send a copy of our groundbreaking report to your elected officials today.

Have you ever seen MTV’s show “16 and Pregnant?” It tells the stories of girls trying to graduate from high school while juggling the responsibilities of parenthood. Their struggles aren’t glamorous or pretty — they’re real and heartbreaking. While some of the girls stay in school and graduate, many drop out. It shouldn’t have to be that way.
It may seem crazy, but Title IX — the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education — was enacted 40 years ago this month, yet schools still bar pregnant and parenting students from activities, discourage them from staying in school, push them into alternative programs and penalize them for pregnancy-related absences. All of that violates Title IX and increases the risk that students will drop out.
Today, the National Women’s Law Center is releasing a new report: A Pregnancy Test for Schools: The Impact of Education Laws on Pregnant and Parenting Students. This report ranks your state and shows how the vast majority of state education laws and policies fail to adequately support these students.
Send a copy of our groundbreaking report to your elected officials today. They need to know where your state stands and what pregnant and parenting students need to succeed.
So where does your state stand?
NWLC’s new report ranks all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on the extent to which their laws and policies help pregnant and parenting students succeed. Some states have made great strides forward, but the majority of states have few or no laws, policies, or programs specifically designed to improve outcomes for these students. The report includes a toolkit for taking action in your community.
These policies matter because these students matter. Please make sure your elected officials get this report.
Thanks for helping to give pregnant and parenting students the support they need to graduate and succeed.
Sincerely,

Fatima Goss Graves Vice President for Education and Employment National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Have you checked out FACES OF TITLE IX yet? This new online portal features nine diverse stories that put a human face on this groundbreaking law. Read our featured story about a 15-year-old “A” student who was isolated and ignored by teachers after she became pregnant.

Black History, ~ FDA/USDA ~~ Alerts & Safety

CONGRESS: the Republican led House – back on 6/25 – the Senate will consider S.1940,Flood Insurance bill ,S.3187FDA bill,

06/22/2012 Nativegrl77

Convenes: 2:00pmET June 25, 2012

Following the prayer and pledge, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.1940, the Flood Insurance bill, post-cloture.
At a time to be determined but prior to 5:30pm on Monday, the motion to proceed to S.1940 will be adopted.
As a reminder to all Senators, cloture was filed on the motion to concur in the House message to accompany S.3187, the FDA bill on Thursday, June 21^st. As a result, there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House message to accompany S.3187 at 5:30pm on Monday.

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NEXT SESSION in the House is at 2:00 p.m. on June 25, 2012

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Five things you should know about mortgage relief

06/21/2012 Nativegrl77

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Will you sharethis?We want to make sure you have all the information you need to understand President Obama’s proposal to cut through the red tape keeping millions of responsible homeowners from refinancingtheir mortgages.And we want to make sure your friends get the message, too.

So we’ve put together a list of five things that help to explain the President’s proposal and why it makes sense for the middle class. We just need you to share it.

SHARE ON FACEBOOK | SHARE ON TWITTER

You don’t need to visit WhiteHouse.gov. You don’t even need to be on Facebook or Twitter. Sharing the message can be as simple as hitting the forward button and sending it to three friends.

But an image like this can be really powerful over social networks. You post it, and one of your friends picks it up and shares it with her followers. A couple folks who follow her decide to do the same, and pretty soon, the message is seen by people all over the country.

If Congress passes President Obama’s plan, millions of responsible people will get some important relief. But too many people don’t know what’s at stake. And that’s where you come in.

Share the message today:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infographics/refi-five-things

Stay Connected

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Give Health Care to Firefighters Who Battle Wildfires …John Lauer, Denver, CO

06/21/2012 Nativegrl77

Firefighters save lives every year from wildfires, but the government won’t give their families health care.

Sign John’s Petition

Give Health Care to Firefighters Who Battle Wildfires

Started by: John Lauer, Denver, CO

Right now, wildfires are raging in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. And more are sure to come.

I’m a part of a hotshot crew of firefighters. We are on call to go anywhere, at any time to fight fires in our country. It’s intense work, but my crew is like my family and we are all committed to serving our communities.

Because wildfire is more common from May to October, most of us are seasonally employed. More than 90% of us return year after year and we often work the equivalent of a full year in 6-7 months. Despite this — and despite putting our lives on the line every day — we still don’t have the opportunity to buy into a government health care plan even at the most basic level.

This is because we are classified as temporary workers.

I have been a wildland firefighter for 6 years and I still don’t have health insurance, but I’m one of the lucky ones. Just in my own hotshot crew, I’ve seen the damage and suffering this lack of coverage can produce.

My godson, Rudy, was born prematurely. Rudy’s dad, a fellow firefighter, was stuck with $70,000 worth of hospital bills that he and his wife couldn’t pay back. All because the federal government won’t allow him to access health insurance. Another crew member’s child, who was born even more recently, required special attention in the hospital and his parents’ are now facing a $40,000 in medical bills.

Wildland firefighters face enormous risks in order to serve and protect our communities. In the past 12 years, 179 wildland firefighters have been killed in the line of duty, and the conditions of the firefighting environment have been linked to cancer and permanent lung damage.

We want federal legislation that gives us that option, but we know that Congress can be slow moving. That’s why we are asking President Obama to extend health coverage benefits to seasonal wildland firefighters.

Baby Rudy doesn’t deserve to be born into debt — his father is a hero.

Click here to sign my petition to make sure firefighters have health care.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Wicked for Marriage … from Zach Silk, Washington United for Marriage

06/21/2012 Nativegrl77

What if I told you that you could go see a performance of Wicked the musical in Seattle and have the proceeds go to Washington United for Marriage?

Well, you can because the producers of Wicked’s traveling tour are donating the proceeds of the October 18 performance to our campaign to defend the freedom to marry!

It’s going to be a great night, and you can get your tickets now – before any performances are even on sale to the general public.

Get your tickets now for a special performance of Wicked now!

From the Wicked website:

Winner of 35 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

Wicked has been on Broadway for eight years and still plays to sold-out audiences.

This is your chance to go see Wicked and benefit our campaign to defend the freedom to marry in Washington.