MY CONCLUDING RESPONSE TO THE CONTINUED STANCE OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT THEY DID NOT AIR PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH DUE TO CURRICULA CONCERNS (SEE THEIR LETTER BELOW MINE).
Dear Dr. Fleming,
The basic thrust of your follow up letter sent on September 11, 2009, explaining why you chose to not air President Obama's speech, was that it was a curricula and timing issue, that you looked at it, as you said, "from an educational perspective."
I respect your school, I respect you, so I say this with all due respect, that I feel that politics and pressure from your constituents was the major determining factor, not educational relevance.
Your previous letters regarding this matter indicated that you had received impassioned views on both sides of the political spectrum. This clearly influenced your and the board's decision. This is where I think the board erred. Politics should not dictate allowing children to listen to a speech from our President (any president Republican or Democrat). There is a respect that is granted to a sitting President when they decide to give a public speech. In 1991, when George H.W. Bush spoke to school children, some controversy existed, but it was minor, aimed at costs that the White House incurred, but it did not have any effect on the President's speech being carried by schools. And it did not devolve into the type of anger and even paranoia that we all observed this time around. Concerns that our children would be "brainwashed" by our President speaking are simply absurd and the school board has unwittingly supported those concerns by choosing to not air the speech. To do the norm, would have been the only way for the school district to remain neutral. And the norm is to carry such speeches. This is not a new concept, a President speaking to children at schools. It's been going on as long as their have been children and politicians.
I've reviewed the school board minutes of September and October, 1991 and I see no mention of the George H.W. Bush speech, so I can only assume that there was no controversy in the school system regarding carrying the speech. I would assume the same happened in the 80's when President Reagan spoke, that the school board supported the speech being aired. While I do not have direct evidence (though I would appreciate you sharing it with me if you do) that the board did or did not "turn on the TV's" in the schools and carry those speeches, I'm making the assumption they did, as school districts all over the U.S. did in those eras. There is nothing different about this President's speech, except that it was this President. And that's the last thing we should be teaching our children.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I'm still hoping (and desiring) that the school board reconsider their position, that they reverse there decision (especially now that the speech's eloquence is so well known) and that they create a day in the future to inspire our children through our President's words. I'd suggest President's Day 2010. To simply make the speech available ad hoc misses the point. The idea of the speech is to create an event where the entire school comes together in an auditorium to inspire our children that education is the most important aspect of one's life. As President Obama said in his speech, "And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it."
I hope our children will in the future hear that message from our President.
Steve Sulkin
CONCLUDING LETTER FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PARENTS
Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103
Administration Offices
1370 Riverwoods Road • Lincolnshire, Il 60069
847/295-4030 • FAX 847/295-9196
http://www.district103.k12.il.us
September 11, 2009
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We want to acknowledge and thank the 100+ parents who contacted District administrators, teachers and Board of Education members regarding President Obama's speech on Tuesday to American schoolchildren. Many who contacted us felt strongly that the District should not air the speech at all, and many others felt equally strongly that the District should air the speech
live. Please know that the Board of Education and District 103 staff respect all opinions expressed to us by our constituency.
As you know from my prior letter, we looked at the situation from an educational perspective. Consistent with District 103’s instructional guidelines, our staff previews all instructional materials to determine appropriateness of content for our elementary school children and to determine which materials best support our curriculum. In this case, the U.S. Department
of Education's late notification to schools on the date, time, purpose and content of President Obama's speech did not allow adequate time for us to review the speech and discuss its curricular use in the classroom prior to the date of the speech itself. That lack of time for reflection was magnified by the controversy swirling around the speech in the last few days before its live
airing. Under the circumstances, we felt and continue to feel that the proper approach was neither to ignore the speech nor to force a live classroom viewing, but instead to record the speech so that our teachers could review it and thoughtfully determine how it best fits with our curriculum and, where appropriate, how it could best be incorporated in the classroom.
During the last couple of days, our teachers have, in fact, been reviewing the speech and discussing its potential classroom use with one another. Based on that review and those discussions, over the next few weeks, teachers may show the speech to their classes and discuss it in connection with broader curricular themes. Given the broad range of viewpoints expressed about the President's speech, any District 103 teacher planning to use it in part or in whole as an instructional tool will notify parents in writing in advance of its use. If you prefer that your child not view the President’s speech, you may contact the teacher and an alternative activity will be provided.
For those parents and guardians who would like to first view and discuss the speech with your children at home, the District has provided a link to a video of the President's speech on the District website. You may also access the President's prepared remarks at http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/.
Thank you again for your interest in this issue and in your children’s education. Your Board of Education and District 103 staff encourage continuing communication so that our District’s educational goals are consistent with the expectations and needs of the community.
Sincerely,
Larry K. Fleming, Ed.D., Superintendent
