Colonial Heights schools won’t show Obama speech tomorrow
Colonial Heights is joining the list of school systems in central Virginia that are electing not to air tomorrow's daytime presidential address to students.
Last week, controversy erupted across the nation as parents and officials opposed President Barack Obama's address to schoolchildren.
Superintendent Joseph O. Cox Jr. wrote in a brief letter posted Saturday on the school system's Web site that Colonial Heights won't show Obama's address during the school day tomorrow, the first day of school for many metropolitan Richmond localities.
Cox said the school system received about 10 phone calls and e-mails regarding Obama's speech and that his decision to not show the speech was made in conjunction with the School Board.
He did not address the controversy in his note to parents but said yesterday that the controversy did not play into the school system's decision to not air the speech.
"There certainly has been some concern out there in some quarters about what the speech may or may not say," Cox said. "Like I said, for us, I think it came down to looking at that first day and all the things that go into that first day," he said.
Tomorrow's focus should remain on setting the tone for the upcoming school year, Cox said.
"We just really felt like that needed to be our priority. That's really the day you establish routines, procedures, all of those things that teachers work with students to really set them up for a successful school year," he said. "We think the first day is a really busy day and we should focus on that."
Hanover, Chesterfield and Powhatan counties' school systems also will not show the speech at 1 p.m. Hanover will record the speech and provide it along with supplemental instructional materials for teachers to use later.
Around the country, other school systems have opted out of showing the speech when it airs. However, Richmond's schools still plan to show the speech when it airs.
Henrico County posted on its Web site last week a statement that said Obama's address can be shown in schools, but teachers first must contact parents to give them the opportunity to opt their children out of viewing the speech.
The White House plans to release the speech online today so parents can read it. Obama will deliver the speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington County.
Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or
.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
I am not surprised that none of the local schools wanted to interrupt the first day of school with a half hour speech. They did the right thing for the students.
I didn’t vote for Obama, but there’s nothing wrong with the speech that I just read and I think all kids should hear it. It’s just a president speaking to the youth of a country he leads in a very practical and realstic manner. I do think it will probably be best understand by the HS kids (that are allowed to listen). Some portions are a little verbose or use some big words that the younger kids won’t understand.
I’m not surprised at all that Colonial Heights will not show it.
People on both sides are ridiculous.
Schools should not require parent sign off or opt out for a speech from the President whether he is black or white or Republican or Democrat. That being said, the speech falls in the middle of lunch for most districts and showing it WOULD cause a major disruption. Obama should have given his speech during the evening where schools would not be disrupted and students could watch it with their parents. Teachers could have then taped it and shown it at a non-disruptive time.
Also I (and most level-headed Americans) am tired of people calling those that don’t agree with Obama racist. I am strongly opposed to the health care issues, just like I was when the Clinton’s proposed it. Be smart, you are the same people that whined, justifiably, when Bush-bashers were called anti-American. You’re have the power now, don’t be hypocrits.
This move would surprise me if Colonial Heights had a competitive public school system. Maybe Dr. Cox can explain how preventing his students from viewing the president’s speech about staying in school will help them achieve the Adequate Yearly Progress they failed to attain in the 08-09 school year.
Colonial Heights is in good company with the school systems in New York and Los Angeles and Seattle and Buffalo
because they will not be viewing the bland, formuliac speech given by Mr. Obama tomorrow.
The geniuses in the White House and Arne Duncan of the Department of Education seemed to have failed to do their homework and note that those schools do not open until Thursday.
In a big rush just like always.
Mr. Duncan is in a big hurry to stave off the Education Crisis after narrowly
avoiding the recently passed, not widely recognized “Education Catastrophe.“
Damage control is not his strong suit.
Why do Mr. Obama’s inner circle continue to dismiss large swathes of American citizens as “silly”?
That is very unwise and sounds decidedly juvenile.
Surely the head of the Department of Education could have come up with a more mature expression on national tv.
He sounded, well, very silly.
Not really sure what all the"fuss"is about, but I think each school locality is within its rights to broadcast the speech or choose not to. Why can’t the speech be aired in the evening? Either way, I won’t see it, I will be working tomorrow.
Re-post from another forum:
When a president states that he is going to fundamentally change the U.S., talks about building a civilian “security force” that is to be better funded than the military, and then creates all manner of extra-constitutional, unelected positions answerable to no one, and fills them with avowed communists, a Director of Homeland Security who thinks that Christians and our military troops are “potential terrorists”, creates a “snitch” web site so that you can report your neighbors to the government, that person is not someone that I want talking directly to young children.
You (and I refer to all you lefties) went nuts on GW Bush for being a “fascist”, for over stepping his authority with government, for intruding too much into peoples privacy, for creating the Patriot Act (even though Obama has been in office for almost 9 months and the democrats have controlled Congress for two years and they have done nothing to undo the Patriot Act) and for spending money beyond what the President should (even though it’s Congress that controls the nations purse strings) AND YET you elect a man who is doing everything you accused Bush of doing and more, and you defend him??? Instead of “tolerance” you display pure unadulterated hatred to anyone who disagrees with you and show adulation for a man who by his deeds does not deserve it.
Americans are finally seeing O for what he is and you question why we refuse to TRUST him? Perhaps if you would open your eyes, get up off of your knees, and quit bowing down to worship him, then you too could see him for what he truly is. But call us “racist” anytime you want…because you know and we all know, that’s all you got!!!!
Maybe he should include some “education” in his speech on the confederate flag since some people who post on here don’t realize it wasn’t just the white folk fighting in the war. Learn your history on the flag and you just might realize you should hang one from your front porch.
The parents don’t want the president deliver a positive message to their kids. Yet they’d let their kids go home and watch crap on MTV
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement