Broward County FL schools: No, you can’t opt out of Obama speech
Reader Ernest emails a link to the notice on the Broward County FL school district site, which informs parents that they cannot opt their kids out of the president’s speech on Tuesday because the administrators are committed to “encouraging civics education in the broadest sense.”
Who controls your kids?
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.
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if I had kids, they’d be home sick or on a field trip or ?? but they wouldn’t be in school….recall the board, sue em, or ?? works…but you control your children not the government and certainly not the government schools!!! find a way to home school them….
Time to impeach that superintendant. As a parent I’ll damn well opt out whatever I want my son opted out from. These people are out of control!
Seems like someone is just screaming to be sued.
Parents most certainly have the option to opt out! We aren’t nazi germany YET!
The school can NOT force students to participate if their parents do not want them to.
Just did a quick and dirty search and it appears this super was named as interim and then made permanent as the school baord forced the resignation of his predessor, a Mr. Frank Till.
Two words: private school.
H-m-m-m-m. Broward County. How far is that from Disneyland?
We just received a permission slip for our 6th grade daughter to see this address, or to not see it.
Of course, this might be more common in Texas and Utah than California or Florida.
Either way, my contributions as a parent will far outweigh any 7-minute speech by Obama. But I still support any parent that wishes to keep their kids from watching it.
I’m guessing it has been sanitized by now, anyway, and will be a generic “stay in school” and “help your community” message. If no attention was called to it, I think it would’ve been much more.
Phil-
Its a Tiger Woods chip shot away!
GSP
…and if you don’t turn in your assignment praising the accomplishments of Dear Leader…. well… errr… no field trips for you…
… and (ahem) … ask your Dad how the stimulus package is working out for him…
Keep them home that day. Let’s see where this road takes us. Some people chose to fight while others chose to flee. This superintendant has taken a stance and I am certain some parents WILL fight back. Sounds like a game of chicken.
I always check when I see a statement like that. Oh yes really premier.
They are the 29th best district out of 66 in Florida. Florida in turn ranks 48 out of 51 on the ACT and 43 out of 51 on the SAT according to ALEC.
This superintendent has nothing to crow about. Forget civics and speeches from the Dear Leader; try reading comprehension.
LGM should apply there. He’s shine.
So, about 210 yards then?
Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you all can do for me.-BHO.
In a nutshell, he is the state.
You know, trying to regress to my own days in elhi, I probably would have considered having to listen to LBJ or RMN as a school assignment a major bore. Could be a traumatizing event for a lot of these kids, especially if they deprogramed by their parents afterwards.
The one-thing about Obama-Biden, they are so easy to ridicule in a very “cool” way. They are walking and talking parodies of self-absorbed political windbags. It would be hard to create better targets.
http://twitter.com/supt
Wooooeeeee!
I am sure glad I am not a parent in that school district. I’d be in jail for sure!
This school district rep conveniently leaves out the call to Obama’s service and partisan agenda.
Give your kids an extra day off this weekend. Take them somewhere they can learn about real American Hero’s and the sacrifices they made to insure our continued freedom.
While Tiger Woods can hit a golf ball really far, I think he’d have trouble reaching DisneyLand from Broward County. According to mapquest, it’s approximately 2700 miles. DisneyWorld, on the other hand, should be fairly close. Thought you’d like to know. (I’d put a smiley face here if I could remember how to do it. That brain cell left with the gray hair to which it was attached.)
Oh, re-he-heally?
How about I opt outta you?
It’s about 200 miles and Goofy takes offense at his name being used that way.
Anyone who believes in the validity of the above listed topics is already conveying that value to US school children. I don’t believe for a minute that a socialist like Obama believes in hard work or taking responsibility. Nothing he’s ever done has exhibited either of those traits.
Obama has blocked access to all of his school records going back to his days in Hawaii. So why should I believe he has anything worthwhile to convey to students on the above listed topics?
I also don’t believe his remarks will be restricted to those topics. This is just another attempt to ram a socialist agenda down the throats of US schoolchildren. They already get that from a majority of their teachers every day.
Hey, Obama. Stop with the brainwashing of this nation’s children and start doing the job in accordance with Article 2 of the Constitution for which we are paying you.
one word:
ditch
I read a piece on the Internet just a day or so ago (but can’t remember where at the moment) that in education we do not have “public” schools but that we have “government” schools. The attitude of this superintendent seems to reinforce that concept.
Wasn’t Broward County one of those that Gore’s people wanted recounted in the 2000 election? If so, that says enough to me regarding the type of education the children get in that area.
While Lee and Collier Counties kick Obama out of class
EXPELLED!!!
My child would all of a sudden develop a fever for the day.
Republican Party of Florida says Obama will “indoctrinate” school children with “socialist ideology”
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/sep/02/republican-party-florida/republican-party-florida-says-obama-will-indoctrin/
SEC. 1017. PROTECTION OF PUPILS.
The government will be storming your door to check your kid for pig flu.
Bueller?… Bueller?… Bueller?
Now that the Broward County Schools have shown how progressive they are, maybe they can finally stop calling African American students Negros.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/sfl-broward-code-of-conduct-b090109,0,7426453.story
As a concerned parent, I asked my kids’ teacher (my wife) if she was going to show the Obama speech. I am pleased to report that after their regular curriculum, they are opting out for a re-run of “Wipeout”; otherwise, I would have reported her to the principal (me). I love home schooling!!
Why can’t the Whitehouse simply tape the speech and make it available to schools ahead of time, so that they can make an informed decision about whether or not to show it to kids? This seems like a no-brainer, especially after the controversy began.
The fact that they don’t do this only makes people suspicious that Obama has something to hide, something which he wants to spring on their kids.
So of course, they’ll also get to see shows from last week’s Glenn Beck also. Right? Uh… right? [crickets]
Hypocrites!
Reagan to schoolkids:
Nice work Flyover. 48 out of 51? Good grief. (Just an aside, why 51? Puerto Rico? DC? Guam?)
I received a call from my daughter’s school last night praising the One and stating how he is the first prez to do this … blah, blah, blah. At the end of the over-adoring msg, they said any parent who wishes their child opt out may call the school (which I did). How convenient for them to let parents know about this right before a long weekend. The Mesa AZ school superintendent is against it. The Tempe school superintendent said parents can’t opt out which prompted parents to protest in front of his office and call and email. I think he will be changing his tune today.
FWIW: It’s a wealthy county in SE Florida. To the south of it is Miami-Dade County. To the north of it is Palm Beach County. It includes, I believe, Boca Raton and Ft. Lauderdale. If I recall, it’s a mix of younger and older transplants from New York and New Jersey.
Michelle,
JD Hayworth is all over the Tempe Elementary School District here in AZ on KFYI 550am. He has the text of their Supreintendant’s letter on his website. Tempe is of course home to massively liberal AZ State Univ.
Here’s the best part:
“I have directed principals to have students and teachers view the President’s message on Tuesday. In some cases, where technology will not permit access to the White House website, DVDs will be provided to classes on subsequent days.
I am not permitting parents to opt out students from viewing the President’s message, since this is a purely educational event. Parents and interested individuals should access the White House website to learn more about the President’s address. Should you have questions or concerns, feel free to email me.
Dr. Arthur W. Tate, Jr.
Superintendent of Schools”
And following the presidents speech, there will be a lesson plan for children to take home to parents titled, “How to vote using a punch card ballot.”
Ok; for Tiger this would be an easy Par 3-I won’t tell you what it would be for me….
Now if we’re talking about 3-10 Baby split, I am converting it!
GSP
OT: Put your mouse over the smiley face and it will show you how to do it.
Here is Boulder Valley School District (Colorado)’s policy:
BVSD viewing of Sept. 8 speech by President Obama a school-based decision
BOULDER – After consulting speaking (sic) with two of the district’s assistant superintendents for school leadership, Dr. Deirdre Pilch (secondary level) and Sandy Ripplinger (K-8 and elementary levels), the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Superintendent’s Office notified school principals of the district’s approach to President Barack Obama’s scheduled speech to U.S. schoolchildren on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. (MDT). That approach is:
* 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. If a principal decides to allow viewing of the speech, it will then be the decision of affected individual classroom teachers as to whether they will allow viewing in their classroom.
* 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.
* Parents will be notified by their student’s school by Friday, September 4 whether viewing will be allowed in the school and, if so, at which grade level(s).
* BVSD Board Policy INB, “The Teaching of Controversial Issues,” as it may apply, should serve as a guide in decision making by principals and teachers.
* While BVSD is urging all students to attend school September 8, a parent may ask for and receive an excused absence for their student(s) if they wish.
BVSD Administration regrets the short notice regarding this matter, however, the district only learned of the President’s plans yesterday (9/2/2009) through the media.
BuckeyeSam said:
Here’s an idea, since our entrenched criminal class of elected weasels want to politicize everything, why don’t we have a school system for children of communists and another for everyone else.
Why not? Didn’t NYC set up a separate high school for gay-inclined students?
Ahhhhhh yes Broward County FL. Center of the universe for the COPS TV show. Full of liberal criminals on every block. Enough filth to create a new reality cop show… Police Women of Broward County on TLC Channel. Drugs, violent crime, rape, murder, Spanish only language. Such a pleasant place to raise children. More of the Democrat Forced Indoctrination of Messiah Obama.
I, too, am a better bowler than golfer. I liken my golf game to a farmer plowing a field, except a farmer gets satisfaction from his labors.
One of many… too many to mention in this post… reasons why we home-educated our children all the way through high school.
Despite what professional educators and administrators would have the public believe, parents are a child’s first and best teachers.
I remember one German president that gave an analogous speech:
“Arbeit macht frei”
Will John Galt be allowed equal time?
OK…. Sounds like a day trip, Head west on Alligator alley (I-75) Follow it about 100 miles to North Fort myers (lock doors) I think its ex 143 go west to Henry Fords house & Thomas Edison house (across street)… A kid will learn more & have more fun for sure!!! (I know I did)…………..
Errah
Now repeat after me cheeedrenz . . . .
“I promise to do my duty in love and loyalty to out dear Leader the President and the flag of the United Nations.”
“He who serves Barack Obama, the President, serves Ooooo Essssss Ehhhhh, and whoever serves Oooooo Esssss Ehhhhh, serves God.”
I was going to say the Keys……….But some things I think they should wait to learn……….
You have to remember to liberals, these aren’t our children, they are all ‘wards of the state’. If the Libs get their way they’d take them from us as soon as they can walk.
Errah, maybe if the liberal elite didn’t abort all their own; maybe they wouldn’t be so busy trying to indoctrinate your kids . . .
On September 4th, 2009 at 12:52 pm, ex-expat said:
Just did a quick and dirty search and it appears this super was named as interim and then made permanent as the school baord forced the resignation of his predessor, a Mr. Frank Till.
Dr. Till, who is now the superintendent in my county in NC. We have not heard anything about watching/not watching the speech yet.
Wow, maybe I’ll stop in the school office this afternoon and congratulate them.
Of course they’re not really concerned because only about 3 kids will miss school in Boulder Valley. The rest are too deeply indoctrinated already – I had too many conversations with the teens about Obama during the election.
As a parent, you have the right to opt your kids out of anything that you feel infringes on your place as parent. I opted my kids out of DARE (talk about infringing on parent rights and moral authority!) and got my daughter switched to another history teacher. It’s a battle, but it can be done.
My arguments are that I don’t have to have my daughter in their school at all, I can homeschool. And I can send her there for just specific classes if I want to. I can also have her take the school district’s online course instead.
I win every time.
Was planning on having Mrs TwoFoot take the kids out of school next Tues. Then found out today that our school district is not only not requiring this nonsense, they are not even offering to show the President. The only concession they are making is having dvds available afterwards for any parents that want them.
To them, it’s just another school day.
Broward County Schools …Premier???? My brother taught in that school district, and I can tell you it is not even close. Maybe for Florida, but then again Florida public schools can’t really claim to be good.
flyoverman: great comment. please post where you found those great stats so all of us can compare just how GREAT our school district is doing. to talk to the board, the sun rises and sets on our district, and we only pay 7500 dollars per year for that benefit. ho kids to receive it, but i always wanted to grow up and support bussed in ghetto students with my tax dollars.
This is what I hear. I’ve heard that Broward County Schools were some of the worst in the country. I don’t think that assessment has changed much.
Districts like Broward are bad because not only are the parents and community not invested in the schools but neither is the teachers’ union. When kids aren’t challenged to learn and grow and instead are indoctrinated little robots, there will be very little improvement.
Broward, like many other big school districts around the country, have grown stagnent. They cannot legally make you send your kid to school to partipate in some farce of a state-sponsored lesson plan that parents do not approve.
Schools are not the final say and I’m saying this as a teacher.
The entire State of Texas is mandating textbooks that praise the “thoughts” of “great conservatives” like Phyllis Schlafly and Newt Gingrich.
The County of Broward mandates that kids watch a half hour of the President of the United States urging them to work hard and do well in school.
The choice seems clear.
So Schafly and Gingrich it is!
On September 4th, 2009 at 4:16 pm, lgm said:
Why, Yes it does. Political Piggie Flu . The type much more harmful to closet imams…
I’m somewhat surprised that Chapoutier hasn’t chimed in on this yet, but legally – schools act “in loco parentis” – the gist of which is that while in school our kids are under the legal authority of the school as if they were at home. In the widest terms this means they can pretty much do whatever they want (as long as it’s legal, of course) and you can’t do a damned thing about it. This is how they get away with school “lockdowns” during certain incidents, searching lockers without the child or parents permission, etc. The premise has widely been upheld in the courts, sad to say.
The foregoing message brought to you by the National Education Association!
“It’s all about the kids, and we know best! hahahahah”
What arrogance. Time for a little conservative political activism, if you ask me.
We used to live in Broward County, and in fact I was a teacher’s aid in Weston, one of the “higher end” communities where the money was poured into schools from Gucci wallets and Prada bags.
That being said, I would have most definitely provided a running play-by-play commentary under O’s speech (or at least done a “**COUGH! **bullshXt** COUUGH!”)
On September 4th, 2009 at 4:56 pm, love2rumba said:
Follow the trail:
Arrogance to Elitism to DNC to Demagogue
Doesn’t need a tingling tracer if you ask me. Starting a conservative political activist group? Count me in.
Our little school district in Northern Indiana will not be interupting curriculum.
What amazed me is the fact that obummer’s minions backpeddling at rapid pace once the study guide was released which leads one to conclude that this deal was politically motivated. Too bad the text of the speech was not released as well.
Unlike this school district that want to indoctrinate – school districts here in San Antonio will not be showing the speech, but will have it on their website. NorthEast ISD, Northside ISD, and Comal ISD made the statement this morning according to WOAI.
I don’t get it. I want to know how to do this, but when I put my mouse on the smiley face, I get nothing! HELP!
Here Happy, type these without the quotes around them.
‘:wink:’ =
‘:sad:’ =
‘:lol:’ =
‘:oops:’ =
I’m sure there plenty of others.
Broward is pretty reliably leftist.
We fought a war over 230 years ago that guaranteed no man, woman, or child would ever again have to pledge their allegiance, their land, property, or their lives to any Head of State, be they monarch or president.
I’ll be damned if anyone will force me or my children to pledge allegiance to this man.
My allegiance is to…in no particular order…my family, my country and to my God. It will NEVER be to any man or woman unless that woman is my wife.
One of the more telling comments I saw on the subject of the upcoming brainwashing speech session of school kids was at DU. A commentor called gopiscrap stated “Yes, let the birthers, tea baggers, birchers, after birthers and all the rest of those idiots keep their kids home on Tuesday…that way I’ll know which kids to flunk..” he then added that she was just joking. I wouldn’t bet on it.
Homeschool or private school. These are the only two REAL options. Get your children out from Caesar’s grasp now. If you oppose socialism in any form you have no legitmate say if you persist in keeping your children in state run education. Your children are being ruined spirtually and intellectally.
http://www.americanvision.org/worldviewforum/viewtopic.php?f=28&p=11995#p11995
There are NO excuses. Income, single parenting, etc. It does not matter. There are those who have found a way to make it work. If you truly care for your children and their future you will get them out now. Please find a copy of Bruce Shortt’s book The Harsh Truth of Public Schools.
The Alliance For Separation of School and State
Just imagine how many teachers and professors read and comment over at DU, Kos and HuffPoo DAILY. Hell, they probably make up the majority of their followers. Most union folks working blue collar gigs probably don’t have the time or energy to spend on those sites.
My wife teaches in Palm Beach County. The Superintendent made it an option, but teachers must keep their opinions to themselves. I wonder if this applies to the conservatives & the Obamabots as well. A brief talk with a conservative at her school made it clear most of the faculty are in the tank for The Bigot In Chief already.
The battle for “whose children are they” is on going and for ever. Superintendent James F. Notter’s “Kids Voting, elected officials participating in Career Days, countywide broadcast of Inaugural address, etc.,” is a far cry from a statist President getting people to “I pledge to Serve my President Barack Obama”. To Serve a President is a far cry from “I faithfully swear to Obey all LAWFUL ORDERS of the President of the United Stats”, that is the oath of the military-not school children.
This oath to a man-any man-is far too close to the “cult of personality” which always ends badly for all. When all to many public officials take the oath to “defend and protect the Constitution of the United States’ they really do not know what they mean.From the air heads Hollyweird I do not expect much; from public officials I do.
The battle for “whose children are they” required parent to know what is in those school books, what is going on at school-you children are your first responsibility. As you would put your own body in front of a predator to protect you child so you would here.
When you put you mouse over a smiley right click. A pop up box should appear (windows). The bottom choice is properties. A second box appears and the bottom note show alternate text and that is what you use.
This is no big surprise.
I can’t even remember when I had a chance to vote for a Republican Congressional candidate since it probably is a waste of time and money to run against the Democrats here in Broward. With a Congressman like Debbie Wasserman-Schultz clinging to the skirt of SanFranNan for every photo-op she can get while claiming fealty to the Messiah, I can always count on being a constituent with little or no meaningful representation.
The amount of tax funding any public school system receives is based on its Average Daily Attendance (ADA). And as most schools’ operating budgets are heavily strained under this economy, even the most wealthy of systems can ill afford any reductions in these funds.
Thus a day of mass absences would be an effective way for parents to make their voices heard by uncooperative schools and administrators who refuse to offer students alternative programs and opt out choices.
Mandatory random drug test for anyone holding any public office. They test positive they are suspended and investigated. Zero Tolerance just like the rest of us.
There has to be a reason why these people are so out of touch, are they high? Are they high on the public dime?
This story hardly surprises me. I spent most of the 80′s in Broward County (Hollywood to be exact) and that county is flaming libby!
Obama wants to be president for life, like Chavez. That’s why, instead of pledging ourselves to America, we are to pledge ourselves to Obama. It starts with the naive and gullible youth of our nation. This will be his power base when he starts his “coup de etat”.
I’m still boggling at the audacity of somebody telling parents they’re “not permitted to opt their children out”. Oh yeah? Hey, my kid woke up with a bad cold. Disprove it.
Here is what my school district’s website says, and it actually pleases me to read this. Mind you, I homeschool, so my kids don’t GO to this district’s schools, but if they did…here’s what the Superintendent said:
Interestingly observations regarding the quote above:
‘Teachers and students’ questioned this speech. No mention of parents. No mention of options provided for students whose parents do not wish them to watch the speech (such as: study hall, quiet reading time, etc).
Broward is pretty reliably leftist.
You only need to know two words about Broward county – ALCEE. HASTINGS.
Knowing that, you know all you need to know about the joint.
I really am amazed at how unpatriotic and zany most of the commenters are on this board. The President of OUR United States of America is going to address school children and you dont want to let him do that? I can’t stand most of what President Obama does, but as the President of the United States he deserves the respect that office holds. Could you imagine the comments on this board if this were 2 years ago and liberals were objecting to President Bush addressing students?
When did the right become as unhinged as the radical left?
Why don’t we just respectfully email him and tell him what we think?
Here is his email address pulled directly from the Broward Co website: supt_notter@browardschools.com
Rugger,
An innocuous speech by the President staying in school is one thing, but as Michelle so dillegently points out it is the subtext and the themes running through the Administration that need to be feared.
Who knows what the Predident will say? Why circumvent local school boards with the lesson plan? How many other radical’s like Van Jones have infiltrated the Dept. of Education or Obama’s inner education circle? Do you really believe there is no other motive given the radical left’s open declaration of schools as the ideological battlefield?
I don’t truct the government. I don’t truct Obama. And I don’t trust my school teachers or administrators here in CA to be non-partisan. I guess I am a proud kook.
As the lady said: it takes a village idiot to really corrupt a child. Continuously we hear parents do not support the schools enough-I have heard some parents actually think they are responsible for their children and not the schools, government and such.
But then the lazy butt parents who do go along with nannyism do not help. In those areas where the city or county/state run the schools it is hard to fight them. With local schools boards perhaps some organization will turn them. If not move, pull the kids out of the public schools. Those SOB leftist will corrupt as many as they can-not mine, not my grandchildren.
Broward County FL schools and ilk are every bit the threat as a child molester or rabid dog. Rabid dogs you can shoot–the others are harder.
and BTW: only that village idiot-or Forbes Editor-thinks President Obama is capable of An innocuous speech .
The problem is going to be that all the teachers that have tingling sensations over him will record it and will be showing it again and again whenever they see a chance to include it in a lesson plan.
the lesson is to fire the entire school board and any principal that takes any action against your child…they are not the one who should be disciplining your child. That is reserved to the parent not some school official or the government…
When did “Respect the office of the Presidency” become “So shut up and listen to whatever the President has to say, whenever he feels like saying it, and if you don’t, you’re disrespectful”?
California Red–
There is a healthy distrust of the government that should be maintained (I really don’t want them running my healthcare, for example). But to believe that Obama was going to use this speech to push his healthcare agenda is putting that distrust of government to too high of a level. What do you think of his speech now that the text has been released (and depending on what time you check this next, after it has been delivered)? The lesson plans were likely a good faith attempt to try and reinforce his speech (just like films and books used in schools often have suggested lesson plans). I’d be more concerned with the superintendents and teachers at the schools and what they are saying 180 days during the year, as opposed to a pep talk from the President on one day.
chotii– Amazing how the tone has changed since President Bush left office. It was always charges of BDS and how the left was unpatriotic and disrespectful of the president. Now everything Obama does is instantly wrong (Obama Derangement Syndrome?) and there is a constant stream of insults directed at his office. You don’t have to agree with his stances but when you freak out because he’s giving a pep talk to keep students on track, that is being a bit disrespectful.
Well, then, my children will “suddenly” come down with a case of the Mumps, and will not be coming to class on the day Prez O shares his leftist views.
After all, I wouldn’t want my children to be accused of being “contagious”…