Letter from school admin re: Obama speech - any suggestions what I should do?

[MgtPA]

http://www.crsd.org/50310102093135157/lib/50310102093135157/Commn_Letter_Obama_9809r.pdf

We're going out of town in about an hour and won't be back until Monday, but I'd sure like to do something.

My daughter wants to stay home from school so she can see the President's address live.

Thanks.

[WeDidIt]

1. Keep your kids home to watch it live

and tell the school why your kids are staying home.

[truebrit71]

2. What a sad commentary on the state of this country...

...

[Deep13]

3. Jellyfish administrator will deprive the students...

...of a real chance to be part of the national discussion because a few Fix "News" views are acting like assholes.

[babylonsister]

4. So traditionally they've always opened their classrooms to

presidential messages, just not this time. :eyes: Sure.

I'd let her stay home, but I would also express to the school admin why you are doing so. You should be as vocal as the parents are who want to censor the speech (which, btw, is all about improving the kids' education experience, and none of the other claptrap).

[Berry Cool]

5. I would write a letter saying that because of your daughter's wishes to view the address live

and your understanding that children in her grade (I assume she's elementary) will not have the opportunity to do so in their classrooms, you are keeping her out of school for the day.

You might add, gently, that you regret that your superintendent has chosen to make a decision about the viewing of this speech in his schools based upon the hysteria of a handful of parents who regard a message from this particular President as "propaganda" or "brainwashing" when, in your understanding, it is merely a message encouraging them to study hard, earn high grades and take responsibility for their own futures.

Good luck.

[BR_Parkway]

6. I'd let her stay home and watch it - and send them a note asking why White

President's are supported but not Black one's apparently - has this become some official new school policy?

[beac]

7. Keep your daughter home and tell the school WHY.

Fear and ignorance is all the GOP has. Keeping students ill-informed and hoping they grow up stupid is their best hope for the future. Sickening. :puke:

[TexasObserver]

8. Keeping kids home for the speech will hurt the district.

I favor that approach. Keep the kids at home, and the districts which are doing this will feel the bite financially. Make them feel it in their pocket book.

[notadmblnd]

10. it wont hurt them unless the speech is made on "count day"

that's when schools get their funding for the number of pupils that attend. However, it Obama chose to make his speech on that day imagine how much money the govt could save?

[TexasObserver]

18. Thanks for the info.

[noamnety]

22. That's not accurate information.

If a student is absent on count day, that doesn't mean the school doesn't get funding for them. They have up to 10 days to return to school. If the absent student attended all classes the day after count day, for example, no money is lost.

As for lost money Tuesday (or any other day), it would potentially cost the district money if enough students are absent that the school can't meet minimum school-wide attendance standards for the day. (I forget what that is, 70% attendance? 50% I don't know anymore.) Then the day would essentially count as a snow day; they can't get credit for it as a day of instruction. Either enough snow days are built into the school schedule for padding, or if it causes a school to run under required hours of instruction they'd have to forfeit the money or add an additional day onto the end of the school year.

[Xithras]

11. Yes, but it bites the child too.

It would be treated as an unexcused absence, and the child would probably take a grade hit as a result. The child would also fall a day behind his/her peers on the material they were studying that day.

[kath]

14. Say the kid is sick (along w/ the rest of the family - sick and tired of all this RW BULLSHIT) -

will then be an excused absence.

[TexasObserver]

19. OK, then let's encourage the whiners to keep their kids home that day!

I would like something that causes the recalcitrant districts to suffer financially for pulling this stunt.

[Critters2]

16. That's what I was thinking. Schools are funded based on the number of kids

who show up each day. Keeping kids home will hurt the school financially. That's the way to handle this. If I had kids, they'd be home watching the president. And then, maybe a movie or other fun activity afterwards.

[Tesha]

9. Park yourself, your kid, a protest sign, and a portable TV in front of the school

during the speech. Make a BIG point of this.

(Of course, the transition to all-digital TV has made the
"portable TV" part of this a bit harder, but not impossible.)

Tesha

[kath]

12. Superintendent of schools doesn't know the proper use of "its" vs "it's"?!! ACK.

I'd keep my kid home to watch it.

This whole fuss is so unbelievable to me that I'm speechless. Bizarro World.

[TokenQueer]

13. Keep her home to watch the address.

Then take her to school after. Make sure you stop by the office to let the administrators know that their week kneed response to anti-American rhetoric is shameful and an embarrassment to educators across the country.

[noamnety]

23. Can we please drop the idea that not-supporting-a-president is anti-American?

Many of us would have opposed mandatory speechifying to kids by Bush, that didn't make us "unamerican."

[TokenQueer]

28. I know no one that would refuse to let their their children...

...hear a message on the importance of good grades given by Bush. Are you for real?

[noamnety]

29. I wouldn't have refused

but I would have thought it was BS that it was mandatory outside the context of a government class. I wouldn't have pulled my kid our of school because the school made a 20 minute speech mandatory, nor would I have pulled my kid out of school because they refused to show it.

Kind of like the pledge. Back when we had to say it at our school I went along half heartedly in order to not make waves, but that doesn't mean I endorsed it.

I think it's funny that people want to endorse a "stay in school message" by having their kids stay home from school if the speech isn't played.

[TokenQueer]

32. Yeah, I hear ya.

I am just flabbergasted that this is really an issue at all. It's the racist undertones of the "no indoctrination" parents that really have me bothered I guess.

No one ever thought the Presidential Award for Physical Fitness was grooming a new generation of soldiers. Good citizenship was emphasized by my teachers and, as an adult, I am thankful for their efforts. It's my understanding that civics and social studies classes are a thing of the past in most schools. Sad... and a little scary. Having just finished Jeff Sharlet's "The Family," I may be a little more jumpy than others when it comes to dumbing down the next generation and outright revision of U.S. History.

At any rate, I am ROFLing at your spot on assessment of endorsing a "stay in school" message by keeping the kids at home. You're correct, the whole thing is a mess.

[Stinky The Clown]

15. Run for School Board

THAT's how this shit happens. The crazies have been filling these low level local elective slots for YEARS.

When you win the seat, your first move ought to be to throw that mealy-mouth wuss who wrote the letter out of her job.

[jakefrep]

Exactly

Ralph Reed said it himself - he'd rather control 2000 school board and city council members than 1 President. They're the ones doing the only governing that matters to a lot of people.

[Spazito]

17. I would keep my child home so she could watch it live and I...

would write a letter back stating that, if this is now the school policy, then you expect the same 'treatment' of any speakers the school intends to use at the school or otherwise, including any politicians, religious leaders, etc.

[Horse with no Name]

20. I'd write a letter expressing concern that the school district has a problem

with the students working hard and succeeding. Ask why working hard and succeeding is anathemas to how they are teaching school.
I would also inquire if the kids had to ever listen to any other President speak and then tell them you are seeking an attorney because you weren't given an option for your kids to opt out.

[noamnety]

21. My view:

either she can watch the address at noon, and miss the entire day of classes, or she can watch the same exact address a few hours later and attend classes for the day.

She'll get the same speech either way. The message you'd be endorsing is that she won't be getting anything all that worthwhile out of attending a day of school. That seems to be the opposite message that Obama's trying to send to students.

[guitar man]

24. If it were me

This would be what I wrote to them:

Since you are a bunch of spineless wimps that won't stand up to the bullies that are promoting hysteria at the prospect of The President Of The Untied States speaking to our children, I will keep my child home to watch the speech. I think it is more important for her to hear the speech than anything you people have to offer her for the day. :evilgrin:

[newspeak]

25. these looney toons

didn't mind when Poppy gave his "war on drugs" speech to school children. I believe he actually told them to "report" even mommy and daddy if you see them doing drugs. They didn't mind * going public and encouraging school children to donate one dollar to the poor Afghani children, and they seem not to be too worried that * continued to read to school children down in Florida when our nation was under attack.

But, lord help us if O gives a speech about children doing their best in school. Well, maybe some of these parents should take their kids out of the "public" school system, since it smacks of socialism. By censoring the president's speech, they are depriving other parents' children viewing said speech. But, they have no trouble with that! Such, ignorant, narrow minded people!

[MgtPA]

26. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions.

[arcadian]

27. Keep that letter.

It will be a valuable piece of political memorabilia one day.

[bunkerbuster1]

34. Seconded.

[NotThisTime]

30. She wants to see it, pick her up from school and drop her off after the speech seen at home

[msu2ba]

31. Dear Superintendent

The RW goobers have now learned that you can be rolled. They'll be back...........often. Brace yourself!

[Kalyke]

33. Thank God our Superintendent hasn't done this.

http://www.knoxcounty.org/current09/reading_challenge/mcintyre.php


And this is a very conservative area, as a whole, but our super is challenging students to read "The Audacity of Hope."