I'm livid. My sons' school has caved in to the wing nuts!

[Kceres]

I received an e-mail message from the school telling me that "due to the controversy" over the President's talk Tuesday, the broadcast will only be available to middle and high-school students during lunch in the Auditeria (an alternative lunchroom and theater) during the students' lunch periods. Elementary students won't get a chance to see it at all because "that should be up to the parents."

I e-mailed the administrator back and asked why on earth should our President's message about making good grades and studying hard should be controversial; please fill me in.

Un-friggin-believable.

[Botany]

1. Organize fellow parents who support the right of the students to see Obama

If you have to picket outside the school .... we are seeing the rule of the minority.

[Kceres]

10. I have to be careful. I work there, too.

It's just a little part-time job for three hours twice a week, but I'm very attached to the children I see every day and I also get to see my two boys. I do plan to pursue this, though.

[Botany]

18. smart thinking

but you should get in touch w/ the ACLU or some local law school to see if they can look @ the case ....
rule of the minority.

Remember when the other President wanted to see students? Did one person say he didn't have the right
to see them?

[Kceres]

25. Believe me, I'm not going to let this drop.

It is a racist decision at the very least.

[olegramps]

51. The Republicans have succeeded in destroying America.

I feel sorry for the next generation. They will inherit a nation that is as divided as in was during the Civil War. Vicious unfounded attacks on the president that would have never been tolerated during most of my life time are treated as credible news by the press rather than being condemned. The Republican representatives rather than condemning this behavior either applaud it or give credence to it by their silence. What a miserable state.

Mission accomplished! Congratulations Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity, Savage and the insane Beck along with the entire FOX crew of liars who have polarized the nation.

[LynnTheDem]

2. Now it'ss "CONTROVERSIAL" for a President of the United States of America

to speak to school children.

God HELP America.

Please.

[firedupdem]

3. Disgusting isn't it? n/t

[LynnTheDem]

7. Oh yeah. And then some.

Myself, I'm about ready to wash my hands of the US of A.

Teh Stupid is just too fucking much already.

[Windy]

29. Agreed. It physically sickens me. nt

[Generator]

4. What state?

I try to tell myself it's only the racist south. But I know full well all I have to do is go 200 miles east to Idaho. I really am tired of this stupid ass country.

[Kceres]

12. This is a charter school in Boulder county, Colorado!!!

Surprised?

[donco6]

28. I'm next door in Adams County.

Our Supt made it opt-out.

[Crunchy Frog]

63. Fucking shit! Really?

I'm a Boulder native who is currently out of state, but I have a sister in Boulder who I'm certain would be very interested to learn about this.

Could you please PM me the details?

[alsame]

5. So the parents who want their kids to see the speech have no

say in the matter? What about their right to have their children participate? I would be livid too!

[Iris]

9. Sure they do. They can take them out of school during the speech.

That's what I'd do even if I had to take a vacation day at work.

[alsame]

17. Good idea, and let the school know why. I just feel that the

parents who object to the speech should be the ones who are inconvenienced, not the ones who are okay with it.

[Iris]

37. True, but it is what it is and, as someone mentioned, if the minority are going to try to "rule,"

members of the majority are going to have to take a stand.

[alsame]

38. Agreed. The important thing is that the kids get to see it. nt

[Iris]

6. If it's up to the parents, then you should take your child out of school to see it.

Seriously, I'd email back and say something like "I'll be picking my child up at ___ o'clock and returning him to school after the President's speech."

[mzmolly]

65. Agreed. I'd also explain that my child will get an education about how

racism is still alive and well in the US. I'd add that someday the schools who refused to show the speech will be rightfully included in the historical record as capitulating to and perhaps even engaging in racism.

[rwheeler31]

8. Where do you live?

Have the heard of tape delayed messages?

[Kceres]

15. Colorado.

[Splinter Cell]

11. Good grief.

What is wrong with these people?

[wundermaus]

13. Take your kid out of school for the day...

That will get your School Administration's attention. Money Talks.

[grantcart]

14. Please call the superintendent and tell him that you think he is a racist

if enough people do it it will sting.

[BlueCaliDem]

19. The race card is still the most effective card to play in situations

like this. This is what I would do. I don't know why people hesitate using it when it's as clear as day this is all about our President being AA.

[Kceres]

20. The message I received made it sound like the school district agreed with the decision.

This is a charter school but still part of the District. I'll be very curious to see how other district schools handle this "controversy." I'll be watching and making note.

[rocktivity]

16. Tell your school that your son will be staying home to watch the speech

and will report to school after lunch.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[Kceres]

24. Both my boys are in secondary.

My oldest, a junior, says he plans to round up as many juniors as he can to watch. My youngest is in middle school and he is also going to watch it in the Audateria during lunch. If I still had an elementary student, however, I would stay home from my other job on Tuesday and take my kids home to watch it.

[Cha]

21. This is sickening and more proof that the hateradio jockeys

rule the brainwashed idiots in our country.

[HopeOverFear]

22. IT'S BECAUSE HE'S BLACK.

There I said it.

[patrice]

33. They're afraid their children will see something that contradicts the hate that they promote.

They're afraid that their children will see something that prooves that they lie.

[jberryhill]

67. WOW - NAILED IT!

I hadn't thought of that angle.

This requires them to know, at some level, they are liars.

[PatSeg]

44. Yep

I've been around a long time and I've never heard of anything this outrageous. Can you imagine a radio address by FDR being too controversial for a school? This is teaching children a lack of respect for the government and the office of the President of the United States.

[AspenRose]

55. Not to mention a lack of respect for democratically elected officials

based on skin color and political party.

Who's next on the list? Democratically elected Women? Muslims? Gays? Hispanics? They all serve in Congress.

We already have idiots in the military refusing to serve under their Commander in Chief for discriminatory reasons.

This has to be nipped in the bud....I'm just not sure how.

[PatSeg]

64. The ":how" is a tough one

I can't think of any precedent for this situation. Sadly we're seeing the result of too many years of a failed educational system, one that does not put a very high priority on classes in government and civics. When I was in school, we couldn't graduate without passing civics and political science.

[mzmolly]

66. Indeed you did and you are correct!

:grr:

[countingbluecars]

23. My school system, Loudoun County

in Northern Virginia, will not be showing it at all. Their excuse? Logistics! It just too busy on the first day of school, they say. I say what
better day to talk to kids about the importance of education.

[msongs]

26. cowardly weak dems are afraid to stand up to the white racist republicans LOLOLOLOLOl nt

[Peregrine Took]

36. Pathetically sad but true. n/t

[baldguy]

27. Write a letter to the school board.

Why is the school caving to misinformed political pressure for an event that is not political in any way? If certain parents don't want their precious little snowflakes to suffer exposure to the President Of The United States, it should be their responsibility to pull them out of school that one day. The rest of the school shouldn't change the entire schedule just for a few ignorant malcontents.

Copy the principal & send it to your local newspaper.

[bluethruandthru]

30. What a bunch of crap!

Did this ever happen when Bush was addressing schools? I just saw the headline on Yahoo news that "parents angry over Obama's address to students"! The media continues to give voice only to the wingnuts and ignores everything else.

[noamnety]

49. Our school never shut down classes

to go hear Bush give a talk to kids, not once in 8 years.

I don't understand the anger on either side, to be honest. It's a speech. It will be taped. For parents whose kids won't see it in school, they can tape it on tv at home, or they can watch it online at home, or they can go to a public library if they don't have internet access at home. It's not like the school is preventing anyone from hearing the speech, and it's not as though the speech will be less relevant a few hours later.

I'm confident the parents who feel it's important will find a way for their kids to view it.

[KatyaR]

31. It's definitely spreading--GOP leaders in Oklahoma are now

screaming about kids having to learn "how to serve Obama." I swear to god, they're like lemmings--one jumps off the cliff and they all follow right along.

Such f**king crap . . . .

[nolabear]

32. Have a speech watching party and alert the press.

I think you'd get some good out of it, and the kids would get a great lesson in civics.

[sharp_stick]

34. Tell him you're keeping your kids home

so they can see the broadcast.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

35. The President can speak to anyone he wants

your school system is a disgrace! Camp outside the school offices with banners!

[Cass]

39. My child's school won't show it either and I am so angry about this.

XXX District is pleased that it will have the opportunity to tape President Barack Obama’s speech scheduled on Tuesday, September 8TH, 2009. The District will record it and apply the standard process for reviewing instructional materials; and make it available as a supplement to instruction to enhance established Sunshine State Standards. Tuesday will be a normal day of instruction.”

First of all I am angry that they are using my child as a political pawn to satisfy the demands of RW nuts. Secondly, this is censorship of someone they disagree with politically and it is discrimination due to political views IMO. I think I will call our local ACLU office to ask about this. How can they can away with this? What about an opt-out waiver for people who want to keep their kids from seeing the President's speech? Why should all kids be prevented from seeing this just because some object on political grounds??

[rocktivity]

50. Tell your school that you'll keep them home that morning to watch the speech

and they'll report for class afterwards.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[Seldona]

40. "due to the controversy?"

Republicans are against children paying attention and learning? Makes sense when you look at their base I suppose.

[asjr]

41. I wonder how many students were required

to watch the Chimpster. Schools should be enlightened, not caving in to racists and bigots. Are all the schools in CO private or parochial? Public schools should not be intimidated.

[Kceres]

42. Charters can march to their own drummer here. . .

I will post an update after I makes some calls. I may also write a LTTE.

[Clio the Leo]

43. Are they gonna say the Pledge that morning?

Or are they gonna skip it in honor of "Unpatriotic Day"?

[xxqqqzme]

45. use this.....

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/sep/03/arne-duncan/barack-obama-not-first-president-address-school-ch/

"...President George H.W. Bush gave an address to schools nationwide in 1991, from a junior high school in Washington, D.C. News reports from the time said the White House hoped that the address would be shown at schools nationwide, and Bush began his remarks by saying he was talking to "millions" of students "in classrooms all across the country."

You can read Bush's complete remarks via the Web site of his presidential library. Here's an excerpt:

"When it comes to your own education, what I'm saying is take control. Don't say school is boring and blame it on your teachers. Make your teachers work hard. Tell them you want a first-class education. Tell them that you're here to learn. Block out the kids who think it's not cool to be smart. I can't understand for the life of me what's so great about being stupid. ...

"If you don't work hard, who gets hurt? If you cheat, who pays the price? If you cut corners, if you hunt for the easy A, who comes up short? Easy answer to that one: You do. You're in control, but you are not alone. People want you to succeed. They want to help you succeed."

The presidential library noted that the president spoke at 12:15 p.m. and that his remarks were "broadcast live by the Cable News Network, the Public Broadcasting System, the Mutual Broadcasting System, and the NBC radio network."...."

[Posteritatis]

46. Did you get a response? (nt)

[NavyMom]

47. Check the archives for district stand when Bush spoke

print, cache the link THEN forward to school board, trustees, super., all of them and then ask, what is the difference?

BTW not my idea, my son has been doing this ALL NIGHT, finding articles, emails, notices whatever he can from previous presidents speaking to students and has been forwarding to anyone the can think of, including the biggest NUT JOBS he finds from news reports or emails from the school site.

He is having a blast, making t-shirts for the day of the speech "I prefer real freedom, than perceived freedom", and "This is my country too, even though I can't vote.....YET"

I am taking that day off, to save them calling my job because I KNOW he will be sent to the office. This child keeps our life interesting, sometimes too much.

[AspenRose]

56. Wow, what a kid!

I'm impressed!

[eleny]

48. Lafayette may be in Boulder County but it's pretty conservative

Too bad it's getting crazy, too.

I remember when the town was quite tiny before the developments and big roads were built. It was kind of quirky and cute. But it always was in the middle of a rural area. Maybe it's held on to its conservative roots.

Good luck with this dilemma. Hopefully you can, in the end, say, "I told you so" when it turns out that they got their panties in a wad over nothing. Those on the right will look just plain stupid.

[Peacetrain]

52. They are wing nuts... and they are trying to indoctrinate our kids by default

Not letting them see the duly elected President of the United States is indoctrination, and they are trying to put it off on all the other families

[WinkyDink]

53. Keep him home for "patriotic reasons". And why an e-mail? Does your school system assume everyone

has a computer?

[asdjrocky]

54. Ask them if that's what they did when Reagan addressed students

in Nov of '88 or when HW did it in '91. I'd really like to know the answer.

[AspenRose]

57. This is what happens

when wingnuts run for school boards....and win en masse.

[WeDidIt]

58. Pull your kids out of school so they can listen to it at home. n/t

[Cognitive_Resonance]

59. Complain in writing to the school administration and school board.

Their decision to 'censor' the President's address is an act of political partisanship. They are setting a very bad example and precedent, and should be called on it.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

60. Ultimately, the solution is for the GOP to suffer several more electoral defeats,

starting with the 2010 mid-terms.

[NavyMom]

61. Get the kids to network to fight to see at school, my nieces

received messages on facebook to show solidarity by contacting their individual principles or superintendent she is also wearing tape over her mouth at the time of the speech. She said so far there are 95 of her friends from school on board, which just proves it is not the kids but the dumb ass parents some of whom DO NOT have kids in school.

[bullwinkle428]

62. Bottom line : The Elite Right is all about keeping the general populace ignorant,

and a Democratic President's speech theme about making the effort to educate yourself is the antithesis of all they stand for.

[Hosnon]

68. Auditeria?

Lame.

[LWolf]

69. The younger the kid,

the more restrictions on classroom content. There's nothing unusual about that.

Elementary students, (at least the younger 3/5,) are still young enough to have been taught not to question what an adult says to them. It's inappropriate, and professional suicide, for a teacher to comment on the content of a politician's speech unless the students can analyze and debate that content.

The parents calling in to my district aren't bitching about the President talking about studying hard and making good grades. They are claiming that he will be encouraging them to support his political agenda. I don't know whether or not that's accurate, but it IS the point of contention.

Personally, I don't see why a parent who wants a child to view the speech should be outraged; if it were me, I'd rather watch the speech WITH my child, and lead the discussion myself.

My school, K-8, can show the speech if we wish later in the day or week. Not live; it starts before school does.