Decision Makers:
Jessica Benavides
In March 2026, Coach D was removed from her position leading Lansing Eastern's cheer team. As a team of 17 girls, we are asking for her reinstatement.
We have sent countless emails to Lansing Eastern's principal and members of the Lansing School District Board of Education requesting a response. We have received nothing. Coaches from other schools have reached out in support. Still, we hear silence.
Our cheer program has given years of support to Lansing Eastern's varsity teams and their athletes. We have shown up, trained hard, and represented our school with pride. We deserve the same investment in our future. We deserve our coach back.
We are not asking for much — we are asking to be heard. We are asking for accountability and transparency about the decision that removed Coach D. We are asking for the district to reconsider and restore her to her position so we can prepare for our upcoming season.
We need 40 signatures to formally petition the Lansing School District Board of Education for recognition of this request. We need our community — our families, our friends, our supporters, and anyone who believes in the value of our program — to stand with us.
Coach D believed in us. She built this team. She prepared us for leadership, resilience, and sisterhood. Removing her without explanation or response to our concerns sends a message that we do not matter, that our voices do not count, that our program is disposable.
We are 17 girls who refuse to accept that silence. We are asking you to sign this petition and help us bring Coach D back to Lansing Eastern. We are asking the district to respond to us — not with excuses, but with action.
Our season is coming and our team is ready. But we cannot move forward without answers and without our coach. Please sign. Please help us be heard.
Updates
Next Steps
July 2, 2026
First and foremost, I want to thank you all for your support and your patience. We were able to get to the board next Thursday on July 9th at 6pm. If you want to come, show your support, & share a few words, it’d be greatly appreciated. The board meeting will be held at the Shirley M. Rogers building. Once again, thank you all. Hopefully we’ll be able to see some change ❤️.
Reached 100 supporters
June 14, 2026
Following Steps
June 14, 2026
Only 4 away from 100 signatures! Thank you all so so much for supporting our team & our coach. Updates on the following steps will likely be uploaded here. The next official board meeting is on August 6, 2026 but we are hoping to get there earlier, possibly later this month. Hopefully we can reach our 125 signature goal by the end of tomorrow. Once that goal is reached, I’ll feature some words here from myself as well as some of the girls towards coach & for general appreciation.
BIG Thank You!
June 13, 2026
I just want to say that we are truly overjoyed with the amount of support we’ve received. We are only 40 people away from 100 signatures and then we’re 25 away from the end! I hope that with all your support we can finally have our team back. Once again, thank you SO much for each & every share or signature we’ve gotten thus far ❤️.
46 Comments
She has been a transformative part of the eastern girls cheer team and my little sister
cheer just isn’t a sport for me.it’s something i genuinely love, it’s something that takes my mind off of the not so good things going on , when i found out my coach won’t be MY coach anymore, i felt like apart of me ended . Coach D made sure everyone on her team felt loved , cared for , and special and she ALWAYS made her team feel appreciated, and seen when Eastern High School didn’t. Them taking her away from us was the worst thing ever.We’d really appreciate if they brought our coach back!!
The girls love Coach D ! She’s made a positive impact for a lot of them. They are truly hurt and devastated to see her go. I know personally my daughter wants to give up on her cheer career because Coach D isn’t working with them anymore.
Coach D is a wonderful mentor as well as coach, she loves her team and forms a special bond with them that is incomparable to most coach’s. She has built the cheer program up from the ground and consistently worked to advocate and get the best for her team.
Them girls are more than just cheerleaders to coach D! Those are her babies!!!
She is an excellent coach
As a proud Lansing Eastern alumna, I am proud to stand in support of Coach D and these young women. I have known Coach D since she was a cheerleader herself, and I have watched her grow into a dedicated coach, mentor, and role model. She has invested countless hours into building not only a successful cheer program but also confident, disciplined, and resilient young women. The fact that these athletes are speaking up on her behalf speaks volumes about the impact she has had on their lives.
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Decision Makers:
Jessica Benavides
In March 2026, Coach D was removed from her position leading Lansing Eastern's cheer team. As a team of 17 girls, we are asking for her reinstatement.
We have sent countless emails to Lansing Eastern's principal and members of the Lansing School District Board of Education requesting a response. We have received nothing. Coaches from other schools have reached out in support. Still, we hear silence.
Our cheer program has given years of support to Lansing Eastern's varsity teams and their athletes. We have shown up, trained hard, and represented our school with pride. We deserve the same investment in our future. We deserve our coach back.
We are not asking for much — we are asking to be heard. We are asking for accountability and transparency about the decision that removed Coach D. We are asking for the district to reconsider and restore her to her position so we can prepare for our upcoming season.
We need 40 signatures to formally petition the Lansing School District Board of Education for recognition of this request. We need our community — our families, our friends, our supporters, and anyone who believes in the value of our program — to stand with us.
Coach D believed in us. She built this team. She prepared us for leadership, resilience, and sisterhood. Removing her without explanation or response to our concerns sends a message that we do not matter, that our voices do not count, that our program is disposable.
We are 17 girls who refuse to accept that silence. We are asking you to sign this petition and help us bring Coach D back to Lansing Eastern. We are asking the district to respond to us — not with excuses, but with action.
Our season is coming and our team is ready. But we cannot move forward without answers and without our coach. Please sign. Please help us be heard.
Updates
Next Steps
July 2, 2026
First and foremost, I want to thank you all for your support and your patience. We were able to get to the board next Thursday on July 9th at 6pm. If you want to come, show your support, & share a few words, it’d be greatly appreciated. The board meeting will be held at the Shirley M. Rogers building. Once again, thank you all. Hopefully we’ll be able to see some change ❤️.
Reached 100 supporters
June 14, 2026
Following Steps
June 14, 2026
Only 4 away from 100 signatures! Thank you all so so much for supporting our team & our coach. Updates on the following steps will likely be uploaded here. The next official board meeting is on August 6, 2026 but we are hoping to get there earlier, possibly later this month. Hopefully we can reach our 125 signature goal by the end of tomorrow. Once that goal is reached, I’ll feature some words here from myself as well as some of the girls towards coach & for general appreciation.
BIG Thank You!
June 13, 2026
I just want to say that we are truly overjoyed with the amount of support we’ve received. We are only 40 people away from 100 signatures and then we’re 25 away from the end! I hope that with all your support we can finally have our team back. Once again, thank you SO much for each & every share or signature we’ve gotten thus far ❤️.
46 Comments
Coach De has shown so much love and care for her team. She built the team from the ground up over the years, working hard to teach, care and nurture the girl. The youth needs her.
She has been a transformative part of the eastern girls cheer team and my little sister
cheer just isn’t a sport for me.it’s something i genuinely love, it’s something that takes my mind off of the not so good things going on , when i found out my coach won’t be MY coach anymore, i felt like apart of me ended . Coach D made sure everyone on her team felt loved , cared for , and special and she ALWAYS made her team feel appreciated, and seen when Eastern High School didn’t. Them taking her away from us was the worst thing ever.We’d really appreciate if they brought our coach back!!
The girls love Coach D ! She’s made a positive impact for a lot of them. They are truly hurt and devastated to see her go. I know personally my daughter wants to give up on her cheer career because Coach D isn’t working with them anymore.
Coach D is a wonderful mentor as well as coach, she loves her team and forms a special bond with them that is incomparable to most coach’s. She has built the cheer program up from the ground and consistently worked to advocate and get the best for her team.
Them girls are more than just cheerleaders to coach D! Those are her babies!!!
She is an excellent coach
As a proud Lansing Eastern alumna, I am proud to stand in support of Coach D and these young women. I have known Coach D since she was a cheerleader herself, and I have watched her grow into a dedicated coach, mentor, and role model. She has invested countless hours into building not only a successful cheer program but also confident, disciplined, and resilient young women. The fact that these athletes are speaking up on her behalf speaks volumes about the impact she has had on their lives.
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Coach De has shown so much love and care for her team. She built the team from the ground up over the years, working hard to teach, care and nurture the girl. The youth needs her.