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| Broward County Makes President's School Speech Mandatory |
| 2009-09-08 |
| Parents in Broward County FL can not opt their kids out of the president's speech on Tuesday. Broward County FL school district superintendent James F. Notter has decided to try and use brute force to make kids watch a speech from President Obama. A tactic that is sure to backfire and cause great backlash! Parents who plan on keeping their kids home are being told that there will be punishment handed down for not attending school that day because the administrators are "encouraging civics education in the broadest sense." Text of the Superintendent's statement On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, Broward County Public Schools students will have the opportunity to watch an online national address from President Obama on the importance of education. The Web address can be seen locally in Broward County at 12 noon on the White House Web site (www.whitehouse.gov/live), and broadcast live on BECON Channel 24. According to Superintendent James F. Notter, there have been several calls into the Superintendent's Office suggesting and/or requesting that alternative space and activities be provided for those students wishing to "opt out" of this activity. "As one of the premier major school systems in America, we have consistently encouraged civics education in the broadest sense, e.g., Kids Voting, elected officials participating in Career Days, countywide broadcast of Inaugural address, etc.," said Notter. "Therefore, providing for a separation from this Address does not align with our practices and responsibility to provide a well rounded, quality education for all students. This is the first time an American President has spoken directly to students on the importance of education and the challenge to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for one's learning." Schools will have the option to record or obtain a copy of the Address for later educational use, due to individual school needs, such as, tests at that time, field trips, prior scheduled events, and other reasonable conflicts. BTW...there are two other fun facts not mentioned here. In an interview this morning on Fox with Megyn Kelly, the Sup said that parents would not be allowed to be in the classroom with their kids while this address was being broadcast to them....and that no other school district in the country has decided to make this mandatory. So much for Secretary Duncan's assertion that this is all "voluntary". |
| Posted by:Cornsilk Blondie |
| #9 No, Besoeker. Votes, for the other side. That kind of thing canalizes a child's thinking. I wonder which particular bits the students found so amusing... |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-09-08 23:54 |
| #8 "My class was laughing . . . Give them 10-15 years and the "laughing" will turn to TEARS! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-09-08 19:50 |
| #7 I love Instapundit's comment about the "I asked the Insta-Daughter how it went off in her class and she responded, “My class was laughing . . . which really upset Mrs. _____, because she thought it was a great speech.”" To quote the great man himself, Heh. :-D Most kids have a built-in bullshit detector. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-09-08 19:09 |
| #6 Kids have a keen sense of being talked down to or being patronized. They will see him for what he is and shrug off the message. He will, like most of his other agenda driven crap, fail in the eyes of who matters most. I bet teachers spend more time justifying his “historic speech” than they do on the message. My kids will ask why is the President of the United States doing this? Isn’t this what my parents are supposed to do? Why doesn’t he talk to us about grown up issues like how congress gets a bill passed or how the US works with the UN… |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-09-08 15:54 |
| #5 #3 Go to the school an hour before the speech, demand your kid. If they fail to bring your child and turn them over to you, call the police and have the school officials charged with kidnapping. Oh, they'll turn them over without a fight, I'm guessing. It's the 'punishment' that Notter has threatened that the parents should be objecting to. |
| Posted by: Woozle Uneter9007 2009-09-08 13:18 |
| #4 Having once actually been a kid, I suspect the pupils reaction will be to glaze over (heh). The students reaction will be a) Yay! We get out of doing work for an hour b) The President just told me to wash my hands and apply myself? Gee, "Dad", good advice! c) (for older kids) The President just said he goofed off in school and took drugs? I can sooo hardly wait to drop that excuse on Mom! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2009-09-08 13:09 |
| #3 Go to the school an hour before the speech, demand your kid. If they fail to bring your child and turn them over to you, call the police and have the school officials charged with kidnapping. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2009-09-08 11:46 |
| #2 There are colossal amounts of time wasted in the average public school day. This is yet another example. I hope there's major backlash, Notter sounds like a real asshole. |
| Posted by: Woozle Uneter9007 2009-09-08 11:03 |
| #1 Superintendent Notter with his "teachable moment" mantra, was quite unconvincing. He was assertive enough, but lacked the requisite tuetonic accent. Fox surely failed by not permitting him to speak live from a prominent place in a sportplatz, overlooking adoring jugend standing proper ranks. I tried to send him a ....congratulatory e-mail but, not surprisingly his site is down or has been changed. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-09-08 10:39 |