Change.org petition calls for removal of State BOE member Ella Bell
Vice-President of the Alabama Board of Education Ella Bell has found herself under fire following a June 21 board meeting in which she asked whether or not a special academy could be formed for special needs students in order to improve test scores within Alabama’s public schools. “Is it against the law for us to establish perhaps an academy on special education or something on that order,” asked Bell, “so that our scores that already are not that good would not be further cut down by special-ed’s test scores involved?” While her question didn’t draw ire on the spot, it caught the attention of Cameron Smith, a regular columnist for AL.com and vice president for the R Street Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C. who wrote a column on Thursday saying Bell wants to “force special needs children into an institution.” Now there’s a change.org petition calling for her to immediately be removed from the board of education. Less than 18 hours after it’s creation, the petition started by Mary Catherine Hanson of Bessemer, Ala. has over 30,000 signatures. Bell claims her remarks were taken out of context. “The AL.com article with the headline stating a desire to ‘institutionalize’ special-need students takes my remarks out of context and defies the standards of objective journalism,” Bell released in a statement via the BOE on Thursday. “I never uttered the word nor have I ever considered ‘institutionalizing’ students with special needs. I asked a question about the legality of creating an academy that focuses squarely on the needs of students with intellectual disabilities. I understand how insensitive what I said must have sounded. To individuals who were offended by my remarks, no matter how well intended they were, I sincerely apologize. Watch Bell’s question at the board meeting below: https://youtu.be/q2nHaxJtFLc?t=17m38s
Mobile-mom launches Change.org petition to change Alabama car seat laws
One Mobile, Ala. mom is looking to her fellow Alabamians for support in protecting children across the Yellowhammer State. On Saturday, Katelynn Singleton started a Change.org petition to change state law requiring children’s car seats to be rear facing rather than forward facing. According to current Alabama law, children of certain ages and sizes to be seated in appropriate child car seats or face a $25 fine. Singleton’s problem the law is that it requires one to five year old children to sit in a forward-facing car seat, rather than a rear-facing seat despite studies that have shown rear-facing to be safer for the child. “Child car seat laws in Alabama are outdated and unsafe. They are so detrimental to children’s safety, any accident could cause severe harm or worse.. death. We need YOUR voice to speak for the innocent,” the petition reads. “Studies have shown that children riding in a rear-facing car seat are 5 times safer. This is because when rear facing children’s backs, necks and heads are all being supported by the seat during a crash. Once they are turned forward facing their bodies are being restrained by the harness straps but their necks and heads are left unsupported experience the crash energy.” Singleton is looking for at least 500 signatures before delivering her letter to Gov. Kay Ivey, the Alabama Legislature and U.S. Senators Richard Shelby and Luther Strange requesting a change in car seat policy. “It’s the absolute responsibility of our governing body to implement laws that protect our children and grandchildren,” commented Jennifer Stephens from Rainsville, Ala. on the petition. “Alabama’s children deserve to be safe and the laws should reflect it! Please change the laws to protect our children!,” echoed fellow petition signer Jocelyn Logan from Cullman, Ala. At the time of publishing, the petition had 201 signatures.
Alabama law firm starts petition demanding payday loan reform
An Alabama law firm launched a petition Wednesday calling on state lawmakers to pass a bill to put more stringent regulations on payday lenders. Bond & Botes, which has offices statewide, says payday lenders “skillfully set” traps for borrowers that see them taking out loans with interest rates and fees far higher than traditional loans and that Alabamans are being disproportionately hurt by these lenders. “We believe that payday loan reform would be a significant, positive step for the citizens of Alabama,” firm partner Bradford Botes said. “Our state does not have a good track record on this issue; interest rates for payday loans can be more than 450 percent, among the nation’s highest. By population, we also have a higher concentration of payday lenders than any other area of the United States. The firm’s petition, found on Change.org, is directed at Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh, Sen. Slade Blackwell who chairs the Banking and Insurance Committee, Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed, and Senate Minority Leader Quinton Ross. “These companies work hard to convince us that they provide a needed service in lending to people unable to participate in traditional options for loans,” the firm said in the petition. “But the truth is that payday lenders enrich themselves at the expense of those who can least afford it.” The Alabama Legislature has taken up bills to regulate the payday loan industry in the past, though none have made it into law. A bill that would have required reasonable payment terms and interest rates failed to make it through its committee references last year, and a 2017 version is currently waiting for a House vote after passing the full Senate. The House version of the bill, HB 321, is sponsored by a bi-partisan group of 45 legislators and would add a cap to the interest rate on payday and other types loans at 36 percent.
Birmingham-Southern College Students petition against Dinesh D’Souza talk
Nearly 200 students, alumni, and faculty at Birmingham-Southern College, a Methodist-affiliated liberal arts school, have signed a petition condemning the appearance of conservative Indian-American author and commentator Dinesh D’Souza citing “hateful rhetoric” and “polarizing statements” from throughout his career. “Due to Mr. D’Souza’s extensive history of controversial statements and instances of insensitivity, we believe that he will only debase the vital dialogue within our community that is necessary for learning,” the petition reads. “Mr. D’Souza’s use of hateful rhetoric will also demean and degrade vital shareholders within our community.” The former Reagan administration foreign policy advisor is the latest to be invited to BSC’s campus as part of the William M. Acker Jr. Visiting Scholar Lecture series. In 2015 the guest lecturer was Judge Margaret Ryan, member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University School of Law, Mr. D’Souza is currently serving a probationary period after pleading guilty to charges of campaign finance fraud for using so-called “straw donors” to make $20,000 in donations to U.S. Senate Candidate Wendy Long in 2012. Birmingham-Southern alumnus Kindred Motes, who did not sign the petition, but says he understands students’ frustrations and concerns, believes the BSC community’s reaction and condemnation of D’Souza’s visit is quite a bit more nuanced than protests at other schools frequently in the news in recent years. “It’s disappointing to see Birmingham-Southern has provided such a prominent platform for Mr. D’Souza,” Mr. Motes told Alabama Today. “Far too often, D’Souza has propagated falsehoods about nearly every marginalized group in the United States – including immigrants, refugees, and the LGBT community. He has even defended torture, which former BSC President Krulak condemned just last year in a series of editorials. “I fully support Mr. D’Souza’s right to hold and express his inflammatory beliefs, but I do encourage BSC to distance itself from them institutionally. Many ‘Southern students, educators, and alumni of all orientations, ethnicities, and backgrounds have been progressive voices in a conservative community, and rather than boycotting the speech, I hope they will be present to confront bigotry with compassion, tolerance, and – most of all – facts.” Other members of the community, including alumnus John Thomason, say they believe the spirit of the petition is contradictory. “I think the petition is unnecessary and contradictory,” said Mr. Thomason. “The organizers behind the petition say they don’t want D’Souza to be banned from speaking, but they want him condemned and have had the SGA issue a statement condemning him. “It seems odd that you want the SGA and the college at large to condemn him as promoting hate speech but still let him speak.” In a statement emailed to Alabama Today, the college itself has maintained that it will allow the embattled figure to speak Thursday, adding BSC President Dr. Edward F. Leonard III met with a group of concerned students on the matter last week. “We appreciate this group of students’ engagement in this matter and believe their eagerness to participate in an open dialogue on campus shows the true value of the liberal arts education Birmingham-Southern College provides,” said Dr. Leonard. “We feel it’s important for our students to hear from a variety of different perspectives and are very proud to be able to provide that.” As for Mr. D’Souza, his only reactions to the petition have been on Twitter. .@Change I hope Birmingham Southern U students are brave enough to come hear me and make up their own minds https://t.co/6iKKMQwUP4 — Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) April 3, 2016
