What is Happening This petition is responding to the bills SB 0610 and HB 757, which could go into effect July 1, 2008. These bills declare that every Middle School in the state of Florida with 6-period days will have their electives taken away. In addition schools will be required to have 225 minutes of Physical Education each week. This means that our only classes will be Geography (Social Studies), Math, Science, Language Arts, and P.E. What We Want to Happen -We do not want to give up our electives. -We do not want the bill to pass (obviously). -We do not want to have to take P.E. if we choose not to. -We want the original elective system to stay in place. Why it Should Not Happen 1.Students choose their elective with a reason, and that reason is that we love to do whatever that elective has to offer. With our elective taken away we lose one of the things that we love about school. 2.People should not have to take P.E. at the expense of other interests. While some people may love P.E., there are also those that do not. Making people do something that that they do not want to do creates disinterest. 3.In reference to number 2, while we may not like our core classes (math, science, etc.) we realize that these classes will help us learn more and prepare us for the future. However, P.E. does not prepare us for the future in this way, and is therefore not as essential as core classes, and should not be considered as one. 4.Electives express our individuality. If we lose our electives, we lose our individuality. 5.If this bill is passed, there will be no more electives. One particular elective is Yearbook Committee. No Yearbook Committee = no yearbook. Will you help us With this bill passed, we will have no more electives to enjoy, no more electives to look forward to everyday, and no more electives to select as future majors in college. Instead, we will have to take Physical Education, with no choice. But you can put a stop to this. By signing this petition you are increasing our chances of getting to keep what we love. You are giving us choices, chances, and a voice to make sure this does not happen. So, sign this petition for us, and we will make a difference, one signature at a time.