Debate Over President's Plan to Address Students

Local Update:
Local school districts have been slammed with phone calls about Presidents Obama's upcoming address to students. They want to know if their children’s' schools will be broadcasting the live Internet address scheduled Tuesday at noon.

Five out of five people we spoke to on the streets of Greenville Thursday say they have no problem with the President speaking to school children, but a parent who contacted us says she wants parents to be informed about the activities and discussion the White House is asking teachers and students to do afterwards. Kelle Covin has two students at Oakview Elementary and says, “I feel and am very strongly against any political activism at the elementary school level. I don't feel those children have enough facts in their brains yet to really start making those kinds of judgment calls."

Greenville School District Spokesman Oby Lyles says many of their schools will be taping it, and it will be up to teachers to decide if they show it in class. Lyles says, “If schools decide to use this, it must be tied to instruction. Of course, children can always opt their children out of watching the presentation."

School districts around the area vary on how they will handle the speech (see e-mail responses below). Spartanburg District 4 says the speed will not be broadcast to students saying “potential political speeches by any elected official violate school board policy.” Other districts like Oconee County say it will be shown, but students who opt out (after their parents fill out a form) will be given alternative assignments.

Obama Schools Speech Sparks Controversy: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-dc-obama-schools,0,4944375.story

To see the recommendations go to: http://www.ed.gov

School District Responses:

<Spartanburg School District 1>Spartanburg School District 1, Cathy McMillian, Coordinator of Instructional Support Services/Middle School Programs: "Late yesterday (Wednesday evening, September 2, 2009) information coming to the school district about the President's address to the nation's students was vague, limited, and unspecific. It appears as though the flow of communication from the U.S. Department of Education was not consistent among the school districts in South Carolina. There are no plans to change our schedules or lesson plans. However, the district does plan to record this webcast and make it available as a resource to teachers and students for possible use at a later, more feasible, date. In addition, the district will provide a copy of the webcast, a link to the website, and any supplemental materials that support the activity to students and parents that would like to have this material at home to view as a family." http://www.spartanburg1.k12.sc.us/do/

Spartanburg District 2, Rhonda Henderson, Spokesperson: “The time for the President’s address is noon on Tuesday (time given in the USDOE e-mail was 1 Eastern Time, but it will be at 12 Eastern Daylight Time). The timing will not be conducive to making it available to all students for viewing it at that time, and we understand that there are some concerns about the length and content of the speech. Therefore, we are advising teachers and administrators to preview the speech and use their professional judgment in incorporating it, as appropriate, into another day’s lesson plans after the webcast.”

Spartanburg District 4, Dr. Rallie Liston (via Kim Hunter), Superintendent: “Potential political speeches by any elected official violate District Four Board Policy. These matters are best left to parental discretion from home.”

Spartanburg District 5, Scott Turner, Superintendent: “We are meeting with principals this afternoon to discuss how we will proceed. We will most likely have an opt out for families."

Spartanburg District 6, Cynthia Robinson, Director of Public Relations: “We have recently received information from the federal government on President Barack Obama’s plan to speak to students across the nation at noon on Tuesday, September 8th. The contents of the speech have not been made available to us, however, we have been told that the President plans to challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. While we do not plan to air this speech live, we will make this White House link available on our District website or parents and students can go directly to http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ to view the President’s address. We will also tape this speech and make it available as an instructional resource in the school’s media center for students to view with parent’s permission.”

Spartanburg District 7, Russel Booker, Superintendent-Elect: “Late yesterday (Wednesday evening, September 2, 2009) information came to the school district regarding the President’s upcoming address to our nation’s students. The US Secretary of Education stated, "At 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET) on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, President Barack Obama will deliver a national address to the students of America. During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning." Because the broadcast has not been previewed and overlaps classes and lunch, we will not change our schedules to accommodate a live presentation. However, the district will be taping this webcast and making it available as a resource for use at a more feasible date and time for teachers who might wish to incorporate it into future lessons. In keeping with our philosophy, if any parent objects to their child viewing the webcast as a part of a teacher’s lesson, we will provide the student a supplemental activity. A link to the message will also be posted on the district’s website. The district recognizes that not all families have access to the Internet. Therefore, we will also make available hard copies of the message for parents who would like to have this material to view with their children in a family setting. In addition, the district will provide a link to the website and any supplemental material that support the activity for parents who wish to use them. Finally, we are appreciative to the President for his willingness to address our nation’s youth about the importance of education. It is our hope that those students and families who decide to view this message will benefit from his comments.”

Greenville School District, Oby Lyles, Director of Communications: “Viewing is decided by schools and its used must be tied to instruction. If the speech is viewed, parents can “opt out” their children from watching. Many schools are recording the speech and then deciding how best to use.”

Buncombe County School District, Jan Blunt, Spokesperson: “Buncombe County Schools has received a number of calls from parents about President Obama's speech to students next Tuesday. Our position on it follows: "We understand that parents and students have differing views about President Obama. That said, the address to students that the President will give on Tuesday, September 8, has been described to us as a motivational speech designed to encourage students to do their best to succeed in school, not as a political speech. Therefore, Buncombe County Schools will follow the recommendation of the NC Department of Public Instruction: as with other enrichment opportunities, it is up to individual teachers and schools to use the address and related instructional materials as an optional instructional activity. Parents can review the accompanying instructional materials, prepared by the US Department of Education, online at http://www.ed.gov ." “

School District of Oconee County: Distributed information to principals. If parents would like their students to opt out, a form (provided by the school) must be filled out and student will be given an alternative assignement:

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President Barack Obama's plan to address students across the country has erupted into a controversy.

Obama plans to speak to students Tuesday at Noon.

The speech was going to include a request for students to write a paper on how to "help the president."

But conservatives are heavily criticizing the suggestion, saying that the president is trying to indoctrinate students.

Now, the White House is rewriting the line to suggest students write a letter to themselves about how they can achieve their education goals.

More on what Upstate parents and schools are saying about the controversy, coming up Thursday night on News Channel 7.

Read more from CBS News here.