Obama will talk, but not all students will listen

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

President Barack Obama wants to tell students across the country about the value of education in a speech on Tuesday.

But not everyone wants students to hear it.

Some area schools have already informed parents that they will not air the president’s speech, which is scheduled for Tuesday. Others are leaving it up to individual schools and teachers.

“He will challenge students to work hard, set education goals, and take responsibility for their learning,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.

But public acceptance of the idea has been mixed. The message is expected to last between 15 and 20 minutes and some Atlanta-area school systems say the speech’s noon timing presents a logistical challenge.

“It’s not a political thing. It’s the president of the United States telling kids to stay in school,” said Keith Bromery, spokesman for Atlanta Public Schools. “He’s the president. He’s not candidate Obama.”

Yet not all parents are convinced Obama will stick to his intended message.

“If it just covers education, then great. The more we can get that message across, the better,” Karen Hallacy, a Cobb County parent, said. “Without an education, they just can’t reach all of their potential.”

The timing of the speech also raises concerns, according to Frank Auman, Chairman of the DeKalb County Republican Party. Though students in Georgia have been in school for weeks now, Tuesday is the first day of school for many students across the country. And a debate on health care reform has communities divided.

“The concern, as far as I can tell, is that rather than being about civics and the presidency, it’s about issues and President Obama,” Auman said.

The state Board of Education said the decision on whether to show the speech resides with the individual schools.

“There is nothing in state or federal law that would require or prohibit a school from showing this speech to students,” according to a statement on board’s Web site.

Ruth Keenan, in her 33rd year teaching, says she was stunned to learn from her school’s principal that parents would have to be notified of plans to watch the speech. Parents could then opt out of it, if desired.

“I was just so shocked,” said Keenan, who teaches at Booth Middle School in Fayette County. “I have never, ever even heard of getting parental approval to watch a presidential speech. It’s just outrageous to me.”

Obama’s speech won’t mark the first time a president has spoken directly to students. In October 1991, President George H.W. Bush urged students to hit the books harder in a speech televised on CNN. In June 1985, President Ronald Reagan told students at the former Northside High School in Atlanta about his tax reform plan.

In DeKalb County, schools will make their own decision on whether or not to listen to the speech, according to Dale Davis, district spokesman.

The Cobb County school system, like the Fulton County, Cherokee County and City of Marietta districts, is encouraging parents to watch the speech at a later time. Gwinnett County schools will air the speech, but many teachers may opt to record the speech and show it at a later time.

Obama will speak Tuesday at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.. The speech will be broadcast on C-SPAN and shown via the Internet and will be available to be downloaded after it is delivered.

“If schools decide they want to incorporate the speech into their curricular activities, they may do so on a voluntary basis, provided they notify parents in advance and provide an opportunity for students to opt out of the broadcast,” Cobb Superintendent Fred Sanderson stated in a letter to parents currently posted on the district’s Web site.

Parents who do not want their children to watch the speech should return signed forms, school leaders have said. Permission slips allowing students to watch the speech are not required.

In addition to the planned speech, the Department of Education has lesson plans available for teachers to use in their classrooms. But rigorous curriculum in Georgia schools doesn’t allow time for a change in lessons, according to the Fulton County school system.

“Daily instructional time is a precious resource,” according to a memo posted on the Fulton schools’ Web site. “Therefore, schools are under no obligation to watch the address, either through the Webcast or on C-SPAN.

In Cobb, Fulton and Cherokee counties, parents have the option of signing a form to exempt their child from watching the speech, if a particular school is planning to view it. Students will not be penalized for choosing not to listen to Obama’s message, school system officials say.

In Forsyth County, the speech will not be shown at all on Tuesday, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Caracciolo. Instead, teachers will be able to review the speech and then plan lessons.

“This way, you can frame it as part of the curriculum,” she said.

Allowing students to watch the speech presents a logistical challenge in schools because of the timing, Caracciolo said. In schools with 2,000 students, the noon hour is filled with students shuffling to and from the cafeteria.

Even those initially opposed to the speech are trying to find the benefit of Obama’s message.

“He is the president of the United States and if he can use that position to further education, then more power to him,” Hallacy said.