Fight Back!
Students are speaking out. Will public officials listen? Our stories – students, parents, teachers – need to be shared.
From A Teen Prospective
Dear Governor Jared Polis
Hello: My name is Cyle Goble and I am a senior at Otis High school in Otis Colorado. Just yesterday, December 10th, 2020 at approximately 10:50 am my school counselors sat us down as a class. They had just received word that a student from the school just 15 miles to the West had taken his own life, and I wish to god that I could say this was the first time we had to experience this but it was not. This same tragedy had occurred just the week before, once again only 15 miles away, to the East. Three weeks earlier another student claimed their own life less than 45 miles away to the North.
Did you know that these terrible incidents had taken place? Did you grieve for these families? I would assume not: just because of our smaller population we are being swept under the rug. Do you not see what is happening in rural Colorado? These mandates and restrictions have isolated these students and us from friends and mental health resources. Are you ok with this? Do you sleep well at night knowing the effect you are having on the younger generations of Colorado? When is enough enough? When do we get back to normal life and choose not to live in fear, but live with resilience and respect for others?
As a senior athlete, these restrictions and mandates have had a huge impact on my life. What about my fellow athletes that are relying on a sports-based scholarship to pay for college: are you saying that just because their parents are not able to pay for their tuition that all their hard work was for nothing? What about the working students trying to save up for college? Are we supposed to take out hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans so that you feel safer at home? I do believe that Covid is an issue and we should take precautions but do you believe that isolating us is helping? Have you seen the number of suicide attempts skyrocket in Colorado? Is this of no concern to you? Do the lives of your fellow Coloradans not matter to you, or are you just so oblivious that you don’t see it? Do the people outside of urban areas even count as Colorado citizens? We pay taxes as well. It seems as though you are taking a discriminatory view of people that are not just like you. If we are to be a great and diverse state, we all need to be counted as citizens. We as Coloradans need to stand up and be that change that this great nation needs.
Parents, students, and teachers, it is time to share your story. Share on your own social media, and make sure to share with your local board of education, health department, CDPHE, CDE, and the governor. If you want FEC to share your story, email [email protected] .
Office of the Colorado State Board of Education
201 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80203
Email: [email protected]
Education Commissioner Katy Anthes
Email: [email protected]
Governor Polis
Email: [email protected]
CDPHE
Email:[email protected]
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Citizens Advocate
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246
