PETALS
Parents Empowered To Advocate for Lives & Safety
“Together we grow change.”
Welcome to PETALS
PETALS is a parent-led movement committed to protecting children’s safety, dignity, and emotional well-being in schools. We empower families to speak out, hold leaders accountable, and ensure every child learns in an environment free from fear, neglect, and intimidation.
We are a growing, grassroots movement created by families, for families. PETALS was born out of one mother’s fight to protect her daughter after a weapon threat at school was mishandled and dismissed. With no help from city officials, it was parents in the community who stepped forward, offered support, and shared their own stories. That support planted the seed for PETALS.
Now, PETALS is a safe place for parents to connect and share resources with FREE advocacy for systemic change in Springfield Public Schools and beyond. We believe every child deserves a safe school environment and every parent deserves a voice in shaping it.
Why I Started PETALS
Recently, my daughter was threatened with a knife by classmates. Instead of protecting her, school leadership punished her, questioned her truth, and dismissed my concerns. When I turned to officials for help, no one in city leadership offered to stand with me or guide me. Everyone pointed back to the superintendent, as if the responsibility for change rested with one office.
But what truly gave me strength was the parents and families in my community. Their encouragement, their stories of similar struggles, and their willingness to stand with me lit a fire. Together, we realized that parents cannot wait for city officials or administrators to decide when change happens we must build it ourselves.
The process may be slow to start, and the system resists accountability, but they feel the pressure. I refuse to give up, and PETALS is proof that families can turn pain into power.
This movement is for positive change!
