Please help me write an articulate letter to the school principal

[Duer 157099]

I have decided on how I plan to respond to my son's high school principal about this insane matter, but I'm not feeling very articulate, so if anyone can help refine this into something that I won't be embarrassed to send, I'd appreciate it.

My first reaction was to express anger and outrage, but now I'm convinced that the ironic approach will be more rewarding.

Help please?

Here's the gist of what I want to communicate:

Dear Principal _____,

Regarding your phone message on Friday night about allowing students to opt out of hearing the President's brief speech on Tuesday, I'm a little surprised that the school would not instead choose to turn this into a valuable learning opportunity for all students.

For example, it seems that an appropriate response might be to invite the parents who are objecting to their children hearing the President's message, to present their countering views. Why, what's more instructive than a good debate, founded on solid facts!

Yes indeed, I would make sure my schedule allowed me to attend such an event, after listening to the President encourage children to attend school, reach high for academic success and whatever other controversial "propaganda" he may propose, I'd very much like to hear the opposing view of the proud parents who object to this questionable lesson!

Please consider inviting those parents, and let them know they have an eager audience waiting to hear "the other side."

[virgogal]

1. The letter is terrific but I would delete the "Yes indeed" phrase.

Just my opinion,you did a great job.

[Ian David]

2. He's thinking, "If kids want to see a black man on TV, they can watch The Arsenio Hall Show."

See, because he's not only THAT racist, he's also THAT far behind the times.

[noamnety]

3. I would not want to waste instructional time

by requiring students to sit through a tea bagger townhall type meeting. You might want to rethink that.

It sounds like your school is allowing your student to watch it live. I don't understand parents' driving need to mandate that it MUST be heard by other kids, even against their will. As a parent myself, I never once went to the school and demanded that they not allow opt-outs for other students for sex ed or other things I felt were appropriate lessons.

I was shocked that other parents got pissed at a group of our students for running an opt-out table so parents could opt out of the school giving contact info for their students to military recruiters. They actually got our opt-out table shut down. I thought that was pretty shitty - we weren't pressuring anyone to opt-out against their will.

[Duer 157099]

4. Well, I don't actually want such an event to happen, of course

I want to approach it with irony rather than anger; the mere thought of soliciting "an opposing view" once the speech is actually heard, should make anyone laugh out loud. I would hope, anyway.

Sometimes my sarcasm is too oblique and I need help making it more clear - certainly why I'm posting this asking for help, lol.

[noamnety]

7. The opposing view

would be about whether the event should have been mandatory, and it would get ugly.

If you don't want an open forum with parents, then don't waste your principal's time having to respond to it - to yet-another-letter regarding a situation he didn't create and never asked for. I would ask you to try to have some compassion for the situation that got dumped on all our principals nationwide at the worst possible time in the school year. It's not a controversy they asked to be in the middle of, and I know at our school even without this, our staff, including the principal, has been working crazy long hours without enough sleep just doing the normal start of year stuff. I know ours has been working through the holiday weekend - he was saying his luxury was that he was going to have coffee and breakfast at home before coming into work instead of setting a 6am alarm - on his day off.

What are the most important things they have to do at the start of a school year? How critical are those things to the students? What's the effect on the students if those basic required things aren't done because the staff was tied up in this sort of thing?

I think you are maybe caught up in this controversy enough that you're forgetting what they need to get done to serve the kids at the start of the year, and each parent they have to respond to takes away time from that. I don't know how ours is even finding time to sleep. If your school is like any other, what they could most use right now is some volunteers who are willing to pitch in, not parents who are angry obstacles to them getting the thousand start-of-year things done.

It's up to you, of course - your choice. But sometimes putting ourselves in others' shoes can give us a whole different perspective on how we are being perceived.

[Duer 157099]

8. My only objective is to inject some humor into the situation

while at the same time, making my position known.

Which is why I'm asking for help in composing the letter, since I apparently cannot communicate that clearly.

[noamnety]

10. In that case

I would include your opinion very clearly in the letter.

Dear ________,

I understand you've been put in a difficult position regarding the Obama speech, without any possible way to please all members of the community simultaneously. I know some schools have decided not to show the speech at all, and I want to let you know I appreciate that you will be showing it to our students. I'm sorry to hear however that you are allowing some families to opt out, I can only assume they have an opposing view that students should not take their studies seriously and should drop out. :)

No response necessary, I know it's a busy time of year for you,

(your name)

---------------
That's a letter that expresses your view and contains some snark, while not requiring them to take extra time away from work they need to get done, and it doesn't put you in the category of high-maintenance-parent-avoid-if-possible.

[Duer 157099]

12. Nice! I like it

Thanks for posting

[w8liftinglady]

5. this is the letter I sent to the school board and principal

Dear-
It was with great sadness that I read the Red Oak School District’s decision NOT to show the President’s address to the school children of this nation,especially when it had been previously scheduled.It shows an overt deference to a small,predjudiced special-interest group,while robbing our children of an important civics lesson.If it isn’t too much trouble,I’d like for you to explain to me exactly why it is that my son will not be allowed to see his President.There have been many cases in the past where the President,whomever that may be –or his spouse-has been broadcast in the schools.I’ll be glad to show you examples.What is it about President Barack Hussein Obama that makes him so offensive to our tender students?Please respond.
Sincerely,


Yes,a little edgy-but they posted the announcement TODAY on the school's website,after it had been previously scheduled.

[noamnety]

11. I'm not surprised the announcement was only posted today

The whole thing was dumped on schools with very little notice, with virtually no chance to react to parent concerns. Even when those concerns are unreasonable (and often parent concerns are), principals still need a chance to collect themselves and formulate a response that doesn't damage their working relationships with those parents. They can't just say "Look, you, I know you don't want your kid to hear Obama's speech because you are racist."

[MichiganVote]

6. Here's mine

Dear Sir,

In view of your decision not to provide my child with the opportunity to be personally encouraged toward excellence by our President, Barack Obama, I respectfully request that you fulfill this role. Surely you are capable of personally reading the President's speech to my child and I would like to be in attendance at this event.

Please call me your earliest convenience to arrange a date and time to meet with my child and myself for this request. In the event that you do not call, I can only assume that you do not want my child to excel, to demonstrate personal responsibility or to set and keep his/her educational goals.

I expect the board of education will need to be made aware of that calamity and I will do my very best to keep them informed.

Regards,

[roody]

9. Sounds fine without the 'yes indeed."

[riderinthestorm]

13. Here's mine, sent to the dist supt and the middle school principal

DearXXXXXXX,

I just read that you will not be airing President Obama's speech to the Kaneland School District children and I have two questions for you:

1. Did Kaneland broadcast President Ronald Reagan's and President George HW Bush's speeches to schoolchildren?
2. Will my child be penalized with extra homework or in any other way when I keep her home from school that day so she CAN hear our current President's speech?

Frankly, I am embarrassed and ashamed that this school district is passing on broadcasting this fantastic opportunity, and the educational possibilities inherent in this speech. Your actions appear to be racist - furthermore, they appear to be caving in to the most craven aspects of our society. My oldest daughter graduated in the Wheaton, IL public school system yet even this most conservative bastion of the USA had televisions tuned to the 9/11 disaster all day when others opted out. I'm disappointed Kaneland finds a public speech by our President to the publically educated schoolchildren of America to be too incendiary.

I really want to understand your position on this. Please respond as soon as possible, especially on the first two questions posited above.

Sincerely,
riderinthestorm's mom