Prince William County Public Schools Position on the President’s Speech to Students on September 8
Thursday, September 3, 2009

As you may be aware from news media reports, the President has scheduled a Webcast message to students for noon on Tuesday, September 8. Many are asking about what will be happening in PWCS classrooms. There is no mandate or direction to principals or teachers from the PWCS administration to participate in this address from the President. Like many other similar information items we receive from the U.S. Department of Education, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), or other education-related organizations, they are passed along FYI as a potential instructional resource that teachers may choose to use if it is appropriate for their instruction and fits their lesson plans.

This position is consistent with the guidance of the VDOE. Schools that may have classes which choose to participate in the Webcast are encouraged to make reasonable accommodations for students whose parents may object to the viewing of the speech by their children during the school day. It is expected that the text of the speech will be posted on the White House Web site before it is given for parents and educators to review beforehand.

See related information:

Memo from VDOE Superintendent

U.S. Department of Education Web site

Nice job, Dr. Walts, nice job. NOT! He certainly squirmed out of that one. Instead of explaining what was going on, and that the canned robo plans were not counter-revolutionary materials, he dumped the entire ball of wax squarely on the building principals and the teachers. Welcome back teachers, and bend over…we are going to get this over with first thing.

Dr. Walts should have made every attempt to assuage people’s fears. He could have reassured parents that any materials used would not be politically objectionable. He has that opportunity as superintendent of Prince William County Schools. Anyone who makes a quarter of a million a year could have done a lot better than this. Instead, the teachers and principals will be down in the trenches on the first day of school, when they should be setting the stage for the new year, putting out forest fires that should have been put out by the Instructor in Chief, Dr. Walts.

Having backbone should not be this painful. We are speaking of the President of the United States telling kids to do their homework, listen to their parents, teachers, bus drivers, and to be all they can be in the classroom and on the playground. Good grief.

69 Thoughts to “Hanging them out to dry…the teachers that is”

  1. SlowpokeRodriguez

    Decentralized Authority…..the way it should be. What you call “hanging out to dry” I call delegating, or empowering.

  2. Casual Observer

    Wish I could opt out every time my kids teachers decide to put on a Disney video to kill some time during the school day. Still happens, even in high school. I’d love to opt out of those, but we never hear about them ahead of time.

    So there’s plenty of time for Disney movies, but no time for President Obama.

    I doubt a single PWCS teacher will show the video and risk the wrath of an angry (irrational) parent, knowing that the PWCS administration won’t back her or him up.

    Putting this on the principal and teachers is just plain wrong, Dr. Walts.

  3. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I’d honestly be surprised if it didn’t get shown. As long as there are no graded assignments like the letter of how you’re going to help Obama, then as far as I’m concerned, it’s a learning opportunity, just like when Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia. The right went bonkers over that, but I thought it was good to see and hear a madman in real life….a learning opportunity.

  4. Casual Observer

    Not to mention the hour-long 20-year-old Charlie Brown movie my child had to watch in her classroom, as part of the school’s “Pennies for Patients” fundraiser. It was fed from the office into all the classrooms. No permission slip went home for that, either. Thankfully, I was there volunteering in her classroom when the teacher turned it on, so I was prepared to answer my second-graders questions about childhood leukemia when she came home from school.

    But, no, we can’t have the elected President of the United States of American stressing the importance of school and hard work, can we?

  5. Casual Observer

    I think this may be the first time we’ve ever agreed on anything, Slowpoke. 🙂

  6. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Casual Observer :
    I think this may be the first time we’ve ever agreed on anything, Slowpoke.

    Blue Moon?

  7. Elena

    This is why, THIS is why Prince William County is seen as the poor stepchild of Fairfax. I am embarrassed for my county. Had George Bush been treated this way by the Prince William County Superintentant, the venemous mob would have been on the other side of this issue. How many Presidents, how many presidents have spoken to school children about stay in school, yadda yadda yadda, set your goals, yadda yadda yadda…..

    Mr. Walts allowed a few vocal and loud minority paranoid parents to bully him into passing the buck. Mr. Walts should have simply said that, like Presidents before him, President Obama’s message to stay in school and work hard is a valuable lesson to all students. The materials included are no different than any other “canned” lesson materials from the DOE and are not mandated but simply suggestions classroom material. Once again, PWC policy is ruled by mob mentality, ignorance, and bullying tactics. I am truly disappointed in Mr. Walts. I would have expected more from him.

  8. Just in time

    Will it be simulcast in Spanish?

  9. Rebecca

    The super abrogated his leadership responsibilities when he said ‘no direction.’ The county should fire his ass and save a a quarter of a million bucks. I expect building principles, being the next biggest set of chicken shits, will tell the teachers to by-pass this one.

    Casual Observer will be right back to Pluto, Mickey Mouse, and Stinker Bell. Don’t count on your kids being addressed by the President.

  10. Moon-howler

    President Obama surely isn’t the first to address school children. Both Presidents Reagan and Bush 41 addressed school children from classrooms. Bush 43 was reading to children on 9-11. I am glad they are valuing and promoting education.

    Blue Virginia has great coverage of what other presidents have done in the past. http://www.bluevirginia.us/2009/09/reagan-gave-obama-like-speech-to.html

  11. Casual Observer

    You mean, like this, Moonhowler:

    http://www.dailykostv.com/w/002099/

    Actually, it’s hard to get too worked up about GHW Bush’s speech, because I’m sure the kid were bored to tears and didn’t even get what he was trying to say. 🙂 I loved when he held up the USA Today at the beginning and said, “Maybe you saw today’s headlines…” LOL. Yeah, I’m sure all eighth graders were reading USA Today in the morning before heading off to school. 🙂

    But still, it was darn political, wasn’t it? Little more than a campaign speech.

  12. Moon-howler

    Yea, I saw that one. zzzzzz zzzzz zzzzzz The kids’ eyes are glazed over. But still he did it and I don’t think anyone thought he was using the opportunity to indoctrinate kids with some political message. He was using a school setting to launch his program. That’s ok. My feeling is that the kids profitted from having the President of the United States talk to them.

    When I was a youngster, my class field trip from Boonyville VA went, like many, to DC. I just happened to get to see President Lyndon Johnson dedicate the Smithsonian Technology Building. I can’t stand Lyndon Johnson. But what a fabulous thing for a young person to chance to see. I still remember how thrilled I was over it. I was able to get up real close and I got to see what huge ears he had. Seeing him was purely accidental. It was not part of the trip.

  13. Moon-howler

    PS I liked his wife very much and have great respect for Linda and Chuck Robb.

  14. Second-Alamo

    You know, this whole thing would be cleared up if the text of the speech was out for all to read. Everyone is making assumptions based on their bias. According to the US DOE website it doesn’t appear that text will be available beforehand. I read both activity sheets from the web site, and I didn’t see any suggestions about doing things to help the president as some have suggested. However, instead of simply referring to ‘the president’ the sheets had Obama’s name plastered everywhere, as if the kids need constant mental reenforcement as to who the president is. Perhaps that’s standard procedure, but I wouldn’t know.

  15. Second-Alamo

    Oh, I forgot one other comment. They don’t ask the kids to grade the president’s speech!

  16. Rick Bentley

    “He could have reassured parents that any materials used would not be politically objectionable”

    Shouldn’t OBAMA have done that? Isn’t he the person who has boned this up?

  17. Rick Bentley

    Seems to me Walts handled this well. Obama’s people have been out-of-touch and handled this badly.

  18. Elena

    Why in G-d’s name should President Obama reassure the public he isn’t doing a “manchurian candidate” on school children?! The whole thing is so freakin’ blown out of porportion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  19. Moon-howler

    All Americans, even right wingers, should want children to do well in school. To politicize doing your best in school is not right.

    Loudoun County will not be airing the president’s address to kids. Jellyfish!

    Children doing well in school should be an American value.

    This sickens me. If people lie about one thing, they will lie about other things.

  20. Casual Observer

    Second-Alamo :
    You know, this whole thing would be cleared up if the text of the speech was out for all to read. Everyone is making assumptions based on their bias. According to the US DOE website it doesn’t appear that text will be available beforehand. I read both activity sheets from the web site, and I didn’t see any suggestions about doing things to help the president as some have suggested. However, instead of simply referring to ‘the president’ the sheets had Obama’s name plastered everywhere, as if the kids need constant mental reenforcement as to who the president is. Perhaps that’s standard procedure, but I wouldn’t know.

    How fractured have we become as a nation when parents feel the need to approve a President’s speech before their children will be allowed to hear it? Never before has that been the case.

    Rest assured, however, that the tables will turned on the next Republican President who asks to speak to our school children, whether in person or via a live feed from the White House.

    And I don’t ever expect to see another President, House Rep or Senator come and speak to children in a public school without a huge public uproar, especially during a political campaign. That means no more school-day rallies in high school gyms (complete w/ HS marching bands and cheerleaders) for Republicans or Democrats.

    Never again will we see a President of the United States read “My Pet Goat” to a group of school children.

    And for the record, President Obama’s speech WILL be posted on Whitehouse.gov on Monday. My children will watch it at home, because they almost certainly will not have the option to watch it live at their PWC schools.

  21. hello

    “Why in G-d’s name should President Obama reassure the public he isn’t doing a “manchurian candidate” on school children?!”

    Uh, maybe it has something to do with what the DOE originally sent out. You know, with ‘optional lessons’ that contain things like “How will he [the President] inspire us?”, or the whole “help the President” thing… Rick hit the nail on the head “Obama’s people have been out-of-touch and handled this badly.”. Unfortunately this seems par the course so far with this administration.

  22. hello

    I think that Dr. Walts did the right thing here in leaving it up to each school and/or teacher. I think Moon is somewhat out of line with “Welcome back teachers, and bend over…”. All worked up because something is going to be forced down their throats? Little harsh don’t ya think?

    Besides, just about all teachers are in the UNION so I doubt many will opt not to show the speech and include all of the optional lessons. I’m just glad that they revised them because they way they were written was pretty shady and I can understand the concern by some parents.

  23. Elena

    hello,
    I can’t help you on this one. The undeserved paranoia is just simply not reality based. As much as I disgreed with Bush’s policy, I NEVER thought he didn’t love his country, never thought his intentions were evil or unpatriotic, just very misguided. I guess that’s what seperates you and I.

    Once again, the visceral hatred from the right directed at an democratic president is simply illogical and unhealthy for the long term survival of this country. At least wait til he actually does something that has demonstrated, clearly, negative results for this country.

  24. Moon-howler

    Oh dear God, they didn’t send out anything that I am aware of. They posted suggested activites which were canned lesson plans like every other government programming does.

    Out of line? With whom? And yes, the teachers and the building principal will have to deal with wackos on the first day of school. They have enough to do setting the stage for a successful year, getting all the kiddlies in the right place, schedules and other forms handed out. Meanwhile, ……[dramatic music] the evil president lurks, attempting to infiltrate the brains of all the children…

    Spare me! I hope I sound irreverent as all hell. I am just tired of the nonsense, paranoia, and divisiveness.

    Too many people are acting like they just heard of canned lesson plans. They have been around as long as educational TV. And they are still boring and no one uses them other than dweebs.

  25. Emma

    I wouldn’t have any problem with it if the current President acted like a president and finally got off the campaign trail. He’s still campaigning, still taking a party approach to everything, still out of touch with what Americans want, and still dismissive of their legitimate concerns as “right-wing extremism.”

    Mr. Obama, show us the content of the speech and start acting like OUR president and not the Democrat’s president. Then I’ll be all on board.

  26. hello

    Hi Elena… As much as I disgreed with Obama’s policy, I NEVER thought he didn’t love his country, never thought his intentions were evil or unpatriotic, just very misguided. I guess that’s what seperates you and I.

    Hi Moon, “the teachers and the building principal will have to deal with wackos on the first day of school”… interesting, so if someone decides to hold their child out of school that day or has an issue with this they are a ‘wacko’, nice. I like to see how you all on the far left just call those who disagree with you names, please, oh please keep it up! I love it, it’s only going to inspire conservatives even more. I don’t see anything different from your statement just now and Nancy Pelosi.

  27. Moon-howler

    Did you all ask to see the Bush’s content before hand? How about Reagans? NOOOO! I sure didn’t. They were president.

    It seems to me that if the president were a white Rupublican the tune might be a little different.

    And Hello, yes, I would think someone who holds their child out of school the first day because they didn’t want their kid to hear the president say do you homework and make this school year count was a supreme wacko…and I am being polite.

    Furthermore, I could care less if I inspire conservatives. Not all conservatives are wackos. Just some of them, especially the ones who keep their kids home. And if it came down to being like them or Nancy Pelosi, I would proudly stand with Nancy rather than with the wackos.

  28. hello

    Ah yes, there it is, the race card… “It seems to me that if the president were a white Rupublican the tune might be a little different.”

    Forget I mentioned you sounded like Nancy Pelosi, you sound more like Charles Rangel: http://wcbstv.com/local/charles.rangel.race.2.1162895.html

    I see, when backed into corner just fall back on ole faithful, the race card… works every time.

  29. The Sun King

    If rednecks want to keep their kids home and deprive them of their education, let ’em. More little rednecks in the making.

    Some lesson the parents are teaching!

    Good for any leaders or leaders’ wives like Laura Bush, Nichelle Obama, Nancy Reagan who encourage kids to do the right thing.

  30. Casual Observer

    Just to be clear: The wackos that concern me on the first day of school aren’t the ones who will keep their children home. They’re the ones who will show up first thing in the morning and get all up in the principal’s and/or teacher’s faces and demand to know if the video will be shown in their child’s classroom against their wishes. They will make an angry scene that no child should have to witness on the first day of school — or ever, for that matter.

    You know, the same people who show up at town hall meetings with their own angry agendas.

  31. hello

    Agreed Causal, no child should have to witness some angry parent getting “all up in the principal and/or teacher’s face”. Let hope that doesn’t happen, hopefully those people will just decide to let their kids play in the sun for one more day before going back to school.

  32. Moon-howler

    Hello, you need to pull in your horns.

    I also played the party card as well as the race card. Truthfully, I have no card to play as a white independent. I am just writing what I hear as I go around the blogs. Yup, it is racial and it is party. It does no good to deny it. It comes across loud and clear in most reader comment sections and on most conservative blogs.

    Casual Observer is right on. CO, you are right. The ones who keep their kids at home are doing everyone a favor. The scene you have painted is correct. Thank goodness for school security and the layer of seperation between the public and the classrooms.

  33. Casual Observer

    Hello,
    If you haven’t seen racism on display within in the so-called Birther and Deather movements, you either have your head in the sand or you’re in serious denial.

    This attempt to keep President Obama out of our public schools is a direct result of the birther and teabagger movements, whose goal all along has been to delegitimize his presidency. Sorry to say, they are succeeding. How do I know this? Because suddenly we have a minority of parents on the right screaming about the president indoctrinating their children with his socialist ideology — DEMANDING to see his speech first, so they can “approve” it — and school administrators are caving to their demands, essentially agreeing with their claims that the president simply cannot be trusted to speak to our children.

    How can this not distress you? Even if you didn’t vote for Obama, do you really believe he our children should be shielded from him? Since when is the President of the United States of America not welcome in our public schools?

  34. Elena

    Hi Hello,
    You do realize how disingenuous you sound don’t you? You find President Obama so UNobjectionable you believe that he needs to be “vetted” before he speaks to school children? HUH? Once again, unlike you, if President Bush were speaking to my children, I would NEVER suggest they disrespect him or the office of the Presidency by staying home. THAT is what makes you and I very different.

  35. hello

    So let me get this straight Moon, if you decide to let your 5 year old kindergartner play out in this beautiful weather just one more day because you would rather not have them sit thru an Obama speech your a “supreme wacko” and you most likely kept them at home because of Obama’s race?

    I don’t doubt for a minute you would proudly stand by Nancy Pelosi, how about Van Jones? You know, the self described communist, 9/11 truther, green jobs Czar hand picked by Obama who by the way has followed and admired his career since his days in Oakland… would you proudly stand by him as well?

  36. Casual Observer

    Hello,

    What does that tirade have to do with President Obama speaking to children live from the White House on the first day of school?

    The only analogy that works is the one where you ask if I would keep my child home from school so they would’t have to watch President Bush, McCain, Reagan, etc. speak to them in a televised address and the answer is, no, I would not. They would go to school. I’d be an idiot if I kept my kids home from school for that reason. An even bigger idiot if I demanded the school not show the speech at all.

  37. hello

    Elena, I would strongly support any President speaking to school children (including Obama) if the conversation and ‘optional lessons’ only dealt with scholastic. When you try to sneak in ‘optional lessons’ on how has Obama inspired you, or having them set goals and holding the accountable on how they can help Obama, or suggesting teachers put up posters of Obama quotes it starts to cross the line.

    Agree or disagree? I can totally see why a parent would be concerned about politicizing the classroom, I don’t see how any would honestly call that parent a ‘supreme wacko’ or suggest they were somehow racist.

  38. Moon-howler

    You are absurd and ridiculous and I am not going to waste my time on silly debate.

    We have different educational values, it is obvious. I can see no reason to keep kids home because the President of the United States, regardless of who is in office, is giving a short speech to kids about doing well.

    This entire hysteria is politically based, pointless, and certainly is showing many people’s true colors…starting with who has to be disagreeable to disagree.

    Finally, do not put words in my mouth.

  39. rod2155

    Once again, who far do you percieve Obama’s “Agenda” goes.

    The Schools?
    The Tax office?
    The Police?

    Will you have your children refuse to pay taxes under administrations they disagree with? Refuse to obey the law under a sitting President you hate? A President who won office through a free election by the majority of voters?

    what will this path lead your children to do?

  40. Rick Bentley

    “he needs to be “vetted” before he speaks to school children?”

    YES. Him or anyone else. He is not a supreme leader. he’s the guy, presumably a flawed being, who currently serves in a position. Yes what he says should be vetted and checked and its become obvious that the people he appoints to the Executive Branch are addled in liberal thought and not capable of making decisions that aren’t inherently biased.

  41. An Ordinary Joe

    First off, I think this criticism of the President is ridiculous. I wish every President would speak to the young about hard work and setting goals. So, the White House admitted that they used a bad description originally so it should be over with.

    In the interest of fairness, although I didn’t remember this but saw it somewhere, it appears that the democrats treated George HW Bush similarly in 1991 (I actually grew up in the shadow of Alice Deal Junior High in DC). Although I don’t remember it, does anyone? I hate quoting a opinion page of someone I don’t know or what they have as motivation, it did sound like this page has some sources to rely on. Just curious.

    http://www.tonysrants.com/national/perspective-dems-slammed-george-h-w-bush-for-address-to-schools/

  42. An Ordinary Joe

    By the way, I got to that page by google, I have never heard of tony’s rants before.

  43. Elena

    I am off to have fun camping with my kids under a beautiful nights sky. So I leave this wasted conversation to more important things in my life, MUCH more important things.

  44. Mando

    From Joe’s article:

    House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt said, “The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students. And the president should be doing more about education than saying, ‘Lights, camera, action.’

    lol

  45. Moon-howler

    Joe, I agree with you and I also think that the Democrats who groused about President Bush speaking to school kids were either insane or opportunistically political.

  46. Elena

    Mando,
    I would have two questions. One, did President Bush, prior to the presidential election ever visit a school in the previous, almost four years, as president? Two, did parents on the left freak out and demand to know the speech and activities as to imply doubt regarding the moral fortitude of this president?

    However, my personal feeling is that any time a President says “stay in school, study hard, don’t get involved in drugs” is a positive message that should be welcomed by all.

  47. Emma

    “However, my personal feeling is that any time a President says “stay in school, study hard, don’t get involved in drugs” is a positive message that should be welcomed by all.”

    How do you know that that will be the message on Tuesday? Have you been privy to the drafting of his speech?

  48. Moon-howler

    Why would anyone assume that the speech was anything but a pep talk unless they are paranoid? How about Bush and Reagan? I didn’t expect anything subversive from them, even though Bush pushed an educational plan. So what.

    I don’t assume my president is going to tell kids bad things regardless of who is in office. Most Americans don’t fit into the one category or the other. Most Americans are in the middle and not so polarized.

  49. kelly3406

    I actually like Walts’ approach to delegate the decision to teachers. Although I am inclined to acquiesce to the president’s desire to speak to students, I can see how parents would be incensed by the “optional” assignment (which has since been withdrawn) for students to write how they will support Obama.

    But Walts’ approach is a “compromise,” which moderates usually endorse — it allows most students to hear the president, while giving teachers the leeway to provide alternative assignments to students whose parents adamantly object.

  50. kelly3406

    The basic problem is a lack of trust. We have Rahm Emanuel’s famous statement about not wasting a crisis. Then there was discussion of using children to encourage parents to answer invasive questions on the census and to support Obamacare. Shortly after these discussions, Obama announced that he would like to give a pep talk to students, but people no longer trust the intentions of the Organizer-In-Chief:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/03/AR2009090302859_pf.html

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