Tuesday, Sept 8th is the day that the President's national speech to schoolchildren will be broadcast over the internet. The U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, has written a letter to principals, encouraging their participation in the event. Partial text of the letter can be read here.
Over the past week, some parents have voiced opposition to their children being required to listen to what may be a political speech during school hours. While the White House has described the address as a message to children about persisting and succeeding in school, some concern arose over the accompanying lesson plans suggested by the Department of Education. One particular lesson suggestion that drew the most scrutiny involved what appeared to be an activity centered on children pledging how they can "help" the President.
"Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals."
This activity has now been revised to:
"Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short?term and long?term education goals. Teachers would collect and redistribute these letters at an appropriate later date to enable students to monitor their progress."
Some negative feedback from parents has led most local South Florida school districts to offer the opportunity for students to opt-out of the President's speech.
"Children in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe counties will have the option of not watching President Barack Obama's live back-to-school speech Tuesday, but Broward officials are holding firm on their decision that students should tune in. Broward will broadcast the president's address live on the district's television station." The Miami Herald
In Dade county, teachers who want to show the speech to their students, will watch it streamed live on the White House website. According to The Miami Herald, Miami-Dade schools will be making automated phone calls over the weekend asking parents to send a note to school Tuesday, if they do not want their child to watch the President's speech.
Despite, the decisions of other local districts to not mandate the President's speech, Broward county will be broadcasting the President's speech, with the full support of Broward Schools Superintendent, Jim Notter.
"Students should watch unless schools have previously scheduled conflicts like field trips or tests... even if a teacher in, for example, a writing class already has an exercise planned, they should take advantage of the speech to create a writing activity around it.
Calling a child in absent because a parent doesn't want them to see the speech would not be excused." The Miami Herald
Conversely, Dr. Marta Pérez, Vice-Chair of the Miami-Dade County School Board strongly objected to students being required to watch the President's address.
``To force students to sit in a classroom where it's easy to get students because they're in school, because it's a captive audience, and to even send out lesson plans -- it's reminiscent of totalitarian governments like Castro''
Clearly, Ms. Pérez has not seen the public service announcement posted on the White House website: NASCAR supports the President's speech.
Comments
Your title suggests that all students in Miami-Dade will somehow be prevented from watching the speech, which is not the case. Does it matter whether students watch the speech on the district's TV station or C-SPAN or streamed live over the web?
The point of the story is that the President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief, will be giving a back-to-school pep talk for American kids, as two Presidents have done in the past with no controversy at all.
Marta Perez is blatantly pandering to her conservative, Cuban, Republican, constituents. Moreover by evoking that petty despot, she reminds us how outdated she truly is.
Surprise, surprise, surprise!
Of course there is going to be uproar in a xenophobic, autocratic, southern state, and a predominantly racially prejudiced, Republican county, that a Democratic black President is going to speak directly to the children.
A 5 minute speech would be one thing, but to offer plans with it to "pick out your favorite BHO quotes, to read at least one book about BHO, make posters about BHO, and ask what you can do to help BHO? Thank God there are immigrants from other countries who recognize it for what it was before the government reworked its "school plans" due to the outrage.
Sorry but this will in NO way be a back to school pep talk. The past Presidents who have addressed school childen were not Socialists. There's the difference! And to tell the children to read a book by Obama is nothing short of "CREEPY." What this really comes down to is using the children to get to their parents. What's next? Telling the kids to report their parents
if they don't agree with Obama's Socialist agenda? Watch out America!
at the author's typical anti Obama slant. Why shouldn't children be exposed to the President. He's their president too. You fear mongers, including this author are full of crap.
Kudos to the Miami-Dade School Board and to this writer! Excellent job Robbin. Keep up your high standards. Intelligent
readers love the TRUTH.
BYE-BYE Van commie Jones. Who's next? Step right up! American's
will be soooo looking forward to many more traitors jumping or getting pushed. Love communism? Go live in a commie country. And take all your friends and relatives with you. Please, just buy a one-way ticket!
Yes the communists are coming to get you. Socialism is headed to a town near you.
What a nice double feature the right has cooked up to keep their constituents fearfully clinging to a lost cause, namely the Republican Party.
What a bunch of whiny, sore losers!
Anyone who is ignorant enough not to see exactly what's going on in the White House these days needs to lay off the stupid pills for awhile. Try a multi-vitamin instead. You might wake up soon with your brain actually working. This administration is COMMUNIST all the way. Is the left really this dumb? Hard to imagine.
The people who cannot see what was wrong with what this regime wanted to do with our children are probably sympathetic to the communist movement.
I see some here are using the typically tired, ignorant and lame mantra of the liberal left that anyone who disagrees with the current regime is a racist.
I suppose that people who really don't have much to say would have to resort to below the belt tactics by playing the worn out race card. Fortunately most people know that's a crock!
I suppose black people who object are racist as well, right? They must be objecting to his white half. LOL!
Dr Marta Perez, you need to stop living in the past and stop comparing Miami to Cuba. You don't want students to be forcé to watch the speech, but you don't let those who want, watch it. I though we lived in a free country
Some principals made it mandatory to TURN ON TVs and have all students view the speech. They walked into classrooms to make sure it was on. The speech is not really the issue; the lies are! Teachers were intimidated just the same as principals were by not communicating to districts and going straight to the principals.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!