RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED AT THE 2005 CONVENTION

(The resolutions below were voted on at the Virginia PTA Convention in Tysons Corner, November 2005.)

Resolution #1

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF

ADMINISTRATOR/SUPERVISOR LICENSURE

WHEREAS            The Department of Education Regulation Governing the Licensure of School Personnel; under Part VI Licensure Regulations Governing Support Personnel 8VAC20-22-590.  Administration and supervision preK-12 states that a Level I endorsement in administration and supervision preK-12 , which requires three years of teaching experience,  is required in order to serve as a building-level administrator or central office supervisor, and

WHEREAS            The Department of Education under its regulations provides candidates with both a traditional route and an alternate route to Level I endorsement, both containing specific but not equal requirements necessary to successfully achieve this endorsement, and

 WHEREAS          The Virginia PTA acknowledges the need to ensure enough viable candidates are available over the next decade to fill the projected administrative vacancies; therefore be it

 RESOLVED         The Virginia PTA supports the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals' (VASSP) position that all principals, who are the instructional leaders in our schools and who are held responsible for instructional quality, need the same level of teaching experience to evaluate personnel and critical data while leading by example; and be it further

 RESOLVED          The Virginia PTA will act to bring this resolution forward to National PTA.

Resolution #2

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING FULL

      FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

WHEREAS      In 2002 the president signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965; and

WHEREAS     The primary goal of NCLB is to ensure that all students regardless of background receive a quality education; and

WHEREAS      NCLB refocused federal programs on the principles of stronger accountability to gauge individual student, teacher, school, and division results; and

WHEREAS      According to research cited by SchoolMatters.com, Virginia, since 1995, has had accountability measures in place for students and schools and is in the forefront of those states meeting or exceeding the requirements under NCLB through Virginia's Standards Of Learning requirements; be it therefore

 RESOLVED    That the Virginia PTA supports the principals for equal and quality education for all students as set forth under NCLB; and be it further

 RESOLVED    That the Virginia PTA supports all efforts by the Virginia Department of Education and the Board of Education to secure full funding for programs under NCLB.

Resolution #3

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF

MANDATORY STOPS FOR PEDESTRIANS IN CROSSWALKS

WHEREAS      The purpose of the Virginia PTA is to promote the welfare of children in our communities   and secure adequate laws for the protection of children; and

WHEREAS      The Code of Virginia Section 46.2-924 only requires a driver to "yield" the right of way to pedestrians where the speed limit is less than 35 miles per hour; and

WHEREAS      According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of our school-aged children are overweight or obese, and this condition is spreading; As a direct consequence, more children are at immediate risk of contracting diabetes and heart disease, and in the longer term they are more likely to experience a wide range of health conditions to the point of decreased life-expectancy. One of the best opportunities to address this obesity epidemic is to increase regular, routine physical activity; and

 WHEREAS     As recently as 30 years ago, the majority of children in the U.S. walked or biked to school: today, less than 15% do. Many school systems now offer school-bus transport to nearly all of their students.; and

 WHEREAS     As many as 50% of school kids are routinely driven to school by their parents. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the resulting motor vehicle traffic is itself part of the safety problem for kids walking or biking to school; and

 WHEREAS     Approximately 115 pedestrians die every year in Virginia after being hit by cars. And for every pedestrian killed by an automobile, more than 20 are injured, meaning that approximately 2,300 pedestrians are injured by automobiles each year. More than half -- 57 percent -- of all pedestrian death by automobile in Virginia occurs on neighborhood streets ( National Highway Traffic Safety Administration annual Traffic Safety Facts reports, 1985-1996);  and

 WHEREAS     The three counties with the most pedestrian fatalities in Virginia are Fairfax, Norfolk City, and Virginia Beach City. The most dangerous metro areas in the state for walking are Johnson City--Kingsport--Bristol, TN--VA and Lynchburg, VA. (Environmental Working Group analysis of NHTSA reports); and

 WHEREAS     Pedestrian actions, which contribute to pedestrian traffic fatalities, include not crossing the street at crosswalks, walking in an improper position on the roadway, running onto the roadway from between parked cars, and drinking. Vehicle operator actions, which contribute to pedestrian fatalities, include failure to yield, obscured vision, inattentive or distracted, speeding, and drinking (Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau); and

 WHEREAS     Prioritizing pedestrian traffic over motor vehicle traffic in zones dedicated to pedestrian movement (i.e. marked crosswalks) is a vital condition for safe walking and an increasing number of states are clarifying their pedestrian rights and motor vehicle laws by mandating stops at crosswalks with pedestrians including Maryland and the District of Columbia (Rutgers Transportation Policy Institute); be it therefore

RESOLVED     The Virginia PTA and constituent districts, councils and local units support legislation that requires motor vehicle traffic to stop for all pedestrians in marked crosswalks; and be it further

 RESOLVED    The Virginia PTA encourages local PTAs to contact their elected representatives and urge them to sponsor and/ or support legislation that requires automobiles to stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks; and be it further

 RESOLVED    The Virginia PTA supports all efforts to ensure the safety of children and families walking and bicycling in their communities such as traffic calming measures; and be it further

 RESOLVED    The Virginia PTA and constituent districts, councils and local units educate the public on pedestrian safety issues, the International Walk to School Week and the Active Living Network to promote active walking communities and healthier children.

Resolution # 4

RESOLUTION TO RESTRICT

CELL PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING

WHEREAS      Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has shown that drivers who use a wireless telephone while driving can lose situational awareness and experience "inattention blindness" suggesting that the cognitive effects, as well as the physical demands of handheld telephone use are dangerous; and

WHEREAS      Highway crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds according to the NHTSA; and

WHEREAS      A survey released by U.S. auto safety regulators earlier this year found that handheld cell phone use among drivers between 16 and 24 increased to 8 percent in 2004, up from 5 percent in 2002 and 3 percent in 2000; and

 WHEREAS     The survey found that at any given moment in the United States last year, an estimated 8 percent of all motorists, or about 1.2 million drivers, were talking on cell phones while driving; and

 WHEREAS     University of Utah researchers found last spring that teens and young adults on the phone while in a driving simulator reacted as slowly as elderly drivers not using a phone; and

 WHEREAS      Eleven states and the District of Columbia have imposed some limits on wireless technology while driving; and

 WHEREAS     The National Transportation Safety Board put the proposed restriction of teen cell phone use while driving on its "most wanted" list of safety improvements for the upcoming year; be it therefore

 RESOLVED    The Virginia PTA will support legislation to restrict the use of cell phones when driving without the use of a hands free device; and be it therefore

 RESOLVED    The Virginia PTA and constituent districts, councils and local units will educate their communities about the dangers of drivers talking on cell phones.