District Changes Plans For Obama’s Back-To-School Message
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Should school districts allow students to view the presidential address Tuesday?
Photo courtesy of WhiteHouse.gov.
Should school districts allow students to view the presidential address Tuesday?
CENTRAL OHIO—Should school districts allow students to view the presidential address Tuesday? Public outcry caused at least one district to change its mind.
Columbus City Schools plan to have students watch President Obama as he welcomes students and discusses the importance of education Tuesday, Sept. 8. CCS Officials said they plan to make the address part of the day’s curriculum.
Hilliard City Schools also will allow the broadcast after what Superintendent Dale McVey called “a divided community outcry.“
Students who prefer not to participate will have an alternate activity.
Initially, Dublin City Schools and Hilliard City Schools both decided to cancel the event in their districts after receiving complaints from the community.
Both districts sent letters to parents via e-mail announcing the change.
Some fear the address could turn political and the President could go off-topic.
Others say the decision not to air the address in school during the school day is political in itself and that children need to hear what the President has to say about education and setting educational goals.
“It’s a very competitive world out there. They are working their tails off and I feel it’s extremely important for them to understand the value of education,“ said Caroline Reagh, a Dublin Scioto High School parent.
The address will air on C-SPAN and will be streamed live at http://www.whitehouse.gov.
Hilliard had planned to allow its students to choose whether to watch the broadcast at school and will now go back to that original plan.
“My children are in public schools so they can hear a variety of viewpoints and sort of engage in the public discourse,“ said Rebecca Hamilton, a Hilliard parent.
Dublin plans to tape the broadcast and make it available to parents at a later time. If teachers feel the material is important to students, parents will be notified beforehand and alternate lessons will be available for students who opt-out.
“Oh I think it’s censorship and it’s also very political. I mean you have school administrators functioning as politicians. This is what’s going on here,“ said Chuck Csuri, a Dublin grandparent.
WCSD Protocols Regarding President Obama’s Address to Students:
President Barack Obama is scheduled to present a web-based address to students across the country at 12 p.m. on September 8, 2009. If a teacher believes that it is appropriate to have students view the speech within the curriculum being taught then it will be viewed. If a teacher plans to have students view the address, they are being asked to make parents aware of their intentions and to make available an alternative activity if parents do not want their students to participate.
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Reader Reactions
The choice should be left up to the parents. My son is in third grade and I don’t want him politlically influenced in one direction or the other. I would be perfectly fine with letting him watch it at home in the presence of his parents, then if the speech veers off of subject then I can turn it off. I do not feel that interrupting a school day or removing your children so they can watch it at home is a very wise decision. If the parents feel the need for their children to watch it they should tape it so they can watch it at home.
I guess I am just trying to figure out what your argument is for being against it.
If you are concerned that a government official is being heard in the school, then the military is example of government officials being given access to our kids without our permission and that our children’s personal information is being given to them. MJK is an example of children listening to the words of a political figure without parental permission. I am not race-baiting, I only know that my children have watched the speech in class and had to write an essay about it. If you are concerned about a live speech, spend a day in a classroom, because teachers give speeches/opinions all the time when they shouldn’t.
Both Reagan and Bush gave speeches to students, so there is a precedent. The speech was about kids and education. There were no political agenda being pushed. I remember having to do the presidential fitness test in school. Can you imagine the backlash if that was proposed today by Obama? I am sure it would be spun as training the youth for the new domestic army. I think there are a lot of things to be scared about in this administration, but pick your battles. There are serious matters at hand and arguing about this only fuels the liberals’ arguments that conservatives are jumping on everything Obama does no matter what it is. Then when conservatives raise really important objections, they are dismissed. This is just silliness. I would expect a president – any president – to encourage children to work hard in school when nearly 1/3 of American children drop out of school and don’t graduate. I think students should understand that the office of the President should be respected whether you agree or disagree with the policies. That holds true for both sides just like when celebrities were saying that Bush was not “their” president. (And by the way even though students can’t vote, he is their president because they are Americans.)
Curly, your post makes no sense at all. First Dr. Kings’ speeches and comments are 40+ yrs old and are put in context with the class that may show his speeches. So the lesson plans have been approved and probably used for many years. If there were major problems with them I’m sure someone would have spoken out. Second,schools are closed on MLK day so there wouldn’t be anyone to see the videos or hear the speeches. So I don’t think I’d have to worry too much about that one.
Why did use use Dr. King as an example anyway? I think George Washington or Thomas Jefferson would have been a better argument. Even though they’re long gone, at least they were Presidents. Wouldn’t be because of his race would it?
Next,showing a live speech from anyone, including the most influential person in the world without knowing the contents is foolish at best, dangerous at worst! It wasn’t until people were outraged and spoke out that people were able to access the contents and “lesson plan” was scrapped.
If you can honestly say that you would let your child watch a live speech from anyone without knowing what it contains then I feel bad for your child.
Please pack up your race baiting and we’ll hear from you again next Nov.
So will you be at the school on Martin Luther King Day when a lot of elementary students will be watching a speech by MJK Jr., complete with lesson plans?
My point is what message are we sending kids that they are not allowed to watch a speech given by the President. I don’t care what party you are. I don’t agree with a lot of his policies, but I am not going to raise a ruckus about a speech. If people are this up in arms about it, they have no idea what goes on in the schools on a regular basis. There is so much more to be concerned about in our schools and our country.
When the military comes to schools (which is allowed in order for the schools to receive fed gov’t funding), they do so with other “career day” concerns. The students are not forced to listen nor do the military recruiters come in with lesson plans in hand.
Not only that, I have yet to see the miltary show up at middle schools.If they did at mine I would have a problem with that. So that’s a bad argument.
As far as the speech goes, it was OK. Even the Obamma admi. said that the lesson plans were a bad idea which is what all the uproar was originally about.
Some parents want to pass responsability of raising their kids and instilling values to the schools and other do not. This is where the divide is. It is not a political issuse.
Let me assure you that if this was a republican admin. I would, as would many of the people I know, not allow my child to watch without first, knowing what the speech contains and second, giving consent to do so. So this has nothing to do with party lines, just what my child is exposed to, at some level, in school.
I really don’t see the harm in listening to the President of the United States in class. The lesson plans went too far.
I hope all of you that are against this will also be against the military recruiters who go into the high schools and speak and do not require parental permission. Since they do not use a taped message, who knows what they are saying. Also, schools are required by law to submit the names, addresses, and phone numbers of students to recruiters.
longorj1, I don’t know where your kids go to school but the schools where my grandkids go did not show the speech. the parents called the school this morning to check and they were told the speech was not being shown. To their credit they went and got every one of their kids out of the school and took them home to view the speech. This issue is just another black mark against the school board and their decisions. I support the schools, just not the current board and the way the misspend the money. If anyone actually watched the address, you have to know it was a very well done inspirational speech that all kids should have been allowed to see regardless of their age. It’s just too bad people can’t put aside their political bias to teach their children respect for the office of the President of the United States, regardless of who the duly elected person is in that office at the time.
And just to clarify, I never called Bush a Nazi. When he spoke I listened whether I believed or agreed with what he said or not. I never thought Bush was a bad man, but he was a bad president.
HP FAN, how on earth a blog about the President of the United States stirs up emotions about your support of SWCS is beyond me but you are seldom right and wrong again. SWCS is showing the speech. We received a note that told us they were and that if we, as the parents, did not want our children to watch it, they would be given a seperate activity. So since them not showing the speech made you decide not to support the schools once again, now that you know the truth, does this mean you will support the schools now?
He speaks well therefore we should all have to listen! Wow, that might be the most ignorant argument ever. Parents are racist if they don’t want to have their kids forced to watch him speak w/out their approval! Even more foolish.
If you didn’t already know the voting age in tis country is 18 not 5,6, or 7 so to say this is their president is also foolish. They had no say in who thier “leader” is.
In fact it is the racist intolorence of the left that is pushing the “guilt” factor to all time new hieghts. Where were all of you when Bush was being called a Nazi? What’s that sound. Oh yea, silence. Pathetic!
I haven’t been sure how to respond to many of the comments. How dare anyone in this country deny its youth the opportunity to hear their president speek to them. How dare the school superintendents block students from this address. How dare you defame the highest office in this country. What are you teaching your children? Have any of you nay sayers ever listened to this man. Even if you don’t believe what he says, he’s never anything but appropriate and eloquent!
I’m ashammed to be apart of a community that is so bias, closed minded, discrimminating and racist. I have heard from other sources that SWCS are not going to show the speech. I will NEVER! support the superintentdent of SWCS after this disgrace!
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