This month’s article has to do with a group of parents that are fed up with their children not receiving the education they deserve and are doing something about it. According to the article, parents are protesting the Hawaiian governor’s office because Hawai’i currently has the shortest school year in the nation due to the furloughs of 23,000 education employees. Some parents have been arrested for standing up for what they believe in, while others have received citations.

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This story is amazing in many respects and offers a new lens for prevention. For instance, how have parents been engaged in violence prevention work? Are they viewed as allies, as the people who most directly influence the lives of their children, as citizens with political influence at the local, state and national levels and/or as service providers who work in diverse community settings? How can outreach to parents look if we think about them in this way? Does changing our perspective change our approach — in what ways? For those on the list who are working with parents in the ways listed above, how does that work look?