Denver-area schools respond to Obama speech uproar
By Cindy House 
| September 4, 2009 | 12:01 PM
The controversy over President Obama’s speech Tuesday to schoolchildren has prompted Denver-area school districts to respond publicly about their plans.
Critics say the speech is an opportunity for Obama “to press a partisan political agenda on impressionable young minds.” The White House says that Obama’s message and suggested lesson plans are not political in nature and are meant to encourage children to stay in school.
With upset parents across the country saying they will keep their kids home on Tuesday, Denver Public Schools posted on its Web site a memo from DPS Chief Academic Officer Ana Tilton to principals on how to handle the event.
Your school’s participation in this activity is completely voluntary. Should you decide to include it as part of your instructional day, the focus of the classroom activities must be completely educational and non-political, and they should be centered on a discussion of the importance of education.
Aurora Public Schools posted a letter to parents.
The decision to show the speech is school-based and classroom-based. Classroom activities related to the President’s speech must be in alignment with Aurora Public Schools curriculum and standards.
Douglas County School District posted this notice on its Web site:
The District considers this address as similar to having a guest speaker in your student’s school. We encourage schools to handle this speech as they would any other historical event. . . . Schools will provide an alternative option for families who object to participating in the viewing.
The Boulder Valley School District posted similar guidelines in a news release.
The decision whether to allow the viewing of the President’s speech and at what grade level to allow viewing is an individual school principal’s decision. . . . Should viewing be allowed in a classroom, a parent who does not want their student(s) to watch can request an alternate learning activity be provided and the school will provide that activity.
This isn’t the first time a president has addressed schoolchildren. In 1991, then-President George H.W. Bush spoke about the importance of education in a speech televised from a junior high school in Washington, D.C.
aurora public schools, barack obama, denver public schools, education
