Peters Township Dance Team Starts Online Petition to Keep Coaches, Sponsors

The Peters Township Dance Team and Boosters have started an online petition to retain their current national-champion coaches and sponsors.

The petition, addressed to the Peters Township School District administration and board, reads:

"These award winning dance team coaches not only excel at choreography and dance instruction, but promote respect, accountability, and altruism. These unpaid coaches dedicate their time to this dance team that is fully self-funded by parents, and although they have not been provided designated practice space, have led this team to a 2013 National Championship at ESPN in Orlando, FL and numerous first place awards. They expect academic excellence and promote school and community spirit. These coaches are to be commended for fostering the art of dance for another generation to enjoy. Please sign our petition and pass along to family and friends, to keep this sponsor and coaches for the 2013-14 season!" 

Organizers said the petition was spurred after the names of those coaches and sponsors were "mysteriously deleted" from the agenda of a recent school board meeting.
Organizers want the names of the coaches and sponsor to be placed on the agenda for the board's next meeting on Monday.

They added that the petition garnered more than 500 signatures within 24 hours of being posted online—and they encouraged others to sign. As of Thursday afternoon, the petition had more than 700 signatures.

In addition to the signatures, numerous people have also added their two cents in the comments section of the petition page.

Donna McDade of Canonsburg wrote, "These girls work so hard and won a national title! The way they get repaid is to take a back door route to not signing the coaches again? That is slimy....just plain slimy. Do the right thing and let these girls dance! Would you do this if it were football? I don't think so...and they don't have a national title!"

Another woman, Marsha Murman of Venetia said, "The passion, dedication, commitment, not to mention the over-the-top talent that these coaches and managers possess is immeasurable. Each one of them takes a personal and professional interest in every dancer."

An email to a district spokeswoman for further comment and clarification on when action on the coaches and sponsors might be taken was not immediately returned.

To read or sign the petition, click here. 

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