The President welcoming children back for a school year is a lovely way to HONOR CHILDREN

[CocoaBeachCoco]

What better message that these young people are valued than having the President of the United States addressing them, showing that they are important enough for a President to take the time to speak to them. It's a lovely idea which should be repeated yearly!

[vadawg]

1. no problem with that as long as its not mandatory to attend

parents should always be able to opt their kids out, even if the reason why is dumb to everyone else...

[CocoaBeachCoco]

2. Nonsense. Should they be able to opt out if the Principal speaks?

It's the leader of our Nation.

[vadawg]

3. hes also a politician, to many parents this is totally different from the principal speaking

as i said, the opt out should be there for parents to decide.

[CocoaBeachCoco]

4. "hes also a politician" - Very cynical.

[vadawg]

7. no factual, he is a politician... unless suddenly the president isnt a political office

some people dont like any politicians no matter what their stripe is, others have religious beliefs that preclude getting involved in the political process, and then you will also have the wackos that believe lots of wierd shit, but the parents should still have the opt out option.

[CocoaBeachCoco]

9. This has nothing to do with religious beliefs. Not even comparable.

[vadawg]

10. mayby not your beliefs, but there are others who believe that politics of any sort are taboo.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. No, they should not -

I'm weary of people trying to dictate to educators what their children should learn. This is right up there with the morons who decide that certain books, because they don't approve of them, shouldn't be available to anyone.

If you don't want your kid to watch a speech by the President of the United States, a wonderful experience that is nothing but thoughtful and generous, that's your problem, and it's probably informed by your own bigotry and ignorance. The reason you send your kid to school is to make sure your kid won't grow up to be as stupid and ignorant as you.

(Not you, dawg - you know who I'm talking to)

But, no, the contract between parents and educators is that the educators know best - they're the professionals - and the parents have to yield to the educators' agendae.

That parents have cowed educators into not allowing the President of the United States to speak to their students is unbelievable, shameful, and disturbing.

Next, when someone needs brain surgery, are they going to tell the surgeon what to do and what not to do?

Sometimes, to be a part of a community, you just shut up and deal with your own personal issues, but using your minor children as pawns for your own idiocy is just wrong.............................

[countingbluecars]

6. Well said! n/t

[CocoaBeachCoco]

8. Oh, marvelous, marvelous!

[orpupilofnature57]

11. I don't have kids but i OBSERVE ,SOME PARENTS some parents

are in to Responsible Parenting and some are in to wielding Parental Authority.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

12. Yeah, and they sometimes forget

which is which.

There's a whole lot to being a good parent, and one of the big lessons is making sure your child gets the best possible education, gets exposure to as many new things as possible, that your child learns that people who have ideas different from yours are just as worthy of being listened to, and that a child grows by learning about differences and how they are dealt with.

Some people just need to be In Charge, even when it's not good for their children..................

[countingbluecars]

13. And just think what it will mean

to African American children.

[givemebackmycountry]

14. I agree and I like this post...

The President has two kids in school - do these fools that are screaming think he's not talking to THEM on the morning of their first day back?
Let him get the kids excited about the school year.
Lord knows, they could use it.

[Davis_X_Machina]

15. We *could* have had this as an annual tradition...

...like the Queen's Christmas Message.

But we have conjoined the roles of Head of State and the leader of the government of the day, so it'll never happen.