Richmond students among few in area to see Obama speech

The message yesterday was simple, and the kids seemed to get it: President Barack Obama implored the nation's schoolchildren to take charge of their futures.

A group of about 30 students at Richmond's Linwood Holton Elementary School sat intently in the media center, their eyes glued to the pull-down screen at one end of a large room. They listened as Obama spoke of his upbringing and how he worked hard -- and took advantage of the occasional stroke of good luck -- to get to where he is.

If not for the overflowing crowd of politicians, educators and assorted others, it could have been any other innocent, feel-good message to kick off the school year.

But Obama's plan to talk to students live via broadcast from a Northern Virginia high school has drawn scorn since late last week. Many of the Richmond area's public-school systems -- minus the city of Richmond's -- either banned the broadcast or made it available only under strict guidelines.

Schools in the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Powhatan and the cities of Colonial Heights and Petersburg didn't show the speech, while Henrico County required teachers to get permission from every parent and preview the speech if they wanted to show it.

At Arthur Ashe Elementary School in Henrico, Principal Dana Bost said her staff spent part of the morning calling parents of about 50 students to get permission to show the address in their classrooms.

Henrico Superintendent Patrick D. Russo announced last week that only students with parental permission could view the speech, so those who didn't have the OK were taken to an activity room during the noon broadcast, where they could eat their lunch or work on lessons.

In Hanover, Superintendent Stewart D. Roberson said that if the U.S. Department of Education had provided the speech to school officials and parents earlier than Labor Day, the issue might not have erupted as it did in the community.

"This thing has occurred so fast and furiously," Roberson said as he toured Elmont Elementary School during his traditional first-day-of-school tours.

"Hanover was not about refusing to air the presentation," he said. "The president deserves the pulpit. But it was clear with the strength of public conviction" that school officials needed to wait until after the first day of school to assess the best time to show it.

Roberson said at last night's School Board meeting that Obama's speech was "entirely appropriate" and his school division's goal now is to show the speech to as many students as possible.

About 30 people showed up at the Hanover School Board office around noon yesterday to complain that Roberson made a mistake, and that the district should show Obama's speech.

Hanover resident Phyllis Theroux said they met with Wade A. Valentino, assistant superintendent for policy and administration, and Jamelle Wilson, assistant superintendent of instructional leadership, for about a half-hour. "We sat and we had a very civil time of it," Theroux said.

She said someone noted that school officials can schedule in-school pep rallies and take students out of class, "but it's too difficult to grant that privilege to the president of the United States."

About 10 people also showed up at last night's Hanover School Board meeting to protest the decision not to show the speech yesterday.

"If you will listen to a small faction" on this issue, Ashland resident Barbara Olin told board members, "will you also listen to that faction . . . when it comes to numerous issues?"

Roberson said school officials got more than 1,000 calls and e-mails from parents on both sides of the issue.

"I don't believe that anyone [on the board] is pleased at all with where we felt we needed to land" on this issue, he said.

"We have always intended for the message to be played," he said, adding that the decision not to show it yesterday "wasn't about the man or the message."

Roberson said school officials who received the calls and e-mails "could not believe what we were receiving," referring to the controversy and tone of complaints.

In Henrico, Russo said he felt the division made the right call in allowing schools to show the broadcast after getting parental permission.

"Obviously it was a very positive reception by kids," he said after watching the speech with a class at Ashe. "We did as best we could" to balance first-day instruction and parents' wishes.

At the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies, which draws students from across central Virginia, U.S. government teacher Matt McGuire said the controversy made the speech relevant. "It's a tool to explore partisan divides," he said.

"People are more suspicious of the motives of our leaders," McGuire said. He compared the atmosphere of politics today to the "unbelievable, brutal" polarization of the 1850s before the Civil War.

Richmond held fast to its plan to allow principals to make the decision to air the speech. None balked.

Superintendent Yvonne W. Brandon and Holton Elementary Principal David Hudson were rewarded with an audience that included U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke; Virginia first lady Anne Holton, who also is the daughter of the school's namesake, former Gov. Linwood Holton; Mayor Dwight C. Jones; U.S. Rep. Robert C. Scott; and School Board member Donald L. Coleman, among others.

The event went off as planned, with students listening as Obama told them to take charge of their destinies.

"All of you have something to offer," he said. "You have a responsibility to yourself to find out what it is."

Fifth-grader Henry Haas took in the speech from his seat between Locke and Holton.

"He has high expectations for us," said Henry, who hopes to become a baseball player or an inventor. "He believes we can accomplish many great things."

Briannah Jones, a third-grader who sat on the other side of Holton, said: "It was inspiring. I should try my very best."

Fourth-grader Lucas Piedmonte, an aspiring newspaper reporter or animal-shelter worker, said the message was clear: "Education is important," he said.

After Obama's speech, Locke and Scott took turns telling the students that education is the most important thing, no matter what path you might chose.

Brandon appeared content as the crowd dispersed.

"I think we made the right decision," she said.

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