Sigh. Gwinnett students allowed to opt out of Obama’s speech

[n2doc]

5:23 pm September 27, 2011, by jgalloway

The parents of students at Hull Middle School in Gwinnett County today received permission to move their children out of range of President Barack Obama’s voice:

September 27, 2011

Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s):

We will air President Obama’s third annual national address directly to students on Monday, October 3, 2011, at 9:30 a.m. President Obama’s speech coincides with the beginning of school for many districts across the nation. His actual speech will be delivered on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at 1:30 p.m.

If you do not want your child to view the address, please complete the
bottom portion of this letter and return it to your child’s homeroom teacher no later than Friday, September 30, 2011. Those students who will not view the broadcast at their parents’ request will report to the gymnasium with an appropriate book, magazine, or newspaper after reporting to homeroom.

Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions or concerns.

Regards,

Denise P. Showell
Principal

*A hard copy of this letter will be sent home today with your student(s)

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2011/09/27/sigh-gwinnett-students-allowed-to-opt-out-of-obama’s-speech/?cxntfid=blogs_political_insider_jim_galloway

[treestar]

1. They are teaching their children not to listen

and bury their heads in the sand about opposing viewpoints.

[young but wise]

2. This is so sad.

Have this ever happened before?

[Mass]

3. I dont think my kid's school will show the speech at all (HS) but they never showed Bush either.

Now, my son would be happy to listen to Obama, but listening to BUsh would have been torture.

[watercolors]

4. A very racist county, have family there!!

[Dawgs]

9. Bullshit. I live in this county. It's actually a melting point with meany different cultures.

Nice try though.

[emilyg]

13. Not true at all. Very diverse county.

[newfie11]

5. Dumb and Dumber, it just keeps proliferating. n/t

[Ian David]

6. Why do they hate America?

On the other hand, those are the children most likely to be disruptive and heckle during the President's speech, anyway.

[handmade34]

7. feel free to contact...

"...Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions or concerns.

Regards,

Denise P. Showell
Principal"



Hull Middle School
Denise P. Showell: Principal
1950 Old Peachtree Road
Duluth, GA 30096


http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/gcps-mainweb01.nsf/c972654af7655efe85256c87004899ce/4a6f6d024c1ac3798525688d0050aa7a?OpenDocument



I find this to be outrageous... what part of UNITED States don't people understand

[Leftist Agitator]

8. They *should* be allowed to opt out.

Would you have endorsed forcing a kid to listen to Bush?

[frazzled]

11. Kids are tougher than that, and need to learn critical thinking

I think kids should be watching such national events, and learning how to agree or disagree for themselves. It's not going to kill them to listen to ideas as long as parents or others can discuss it with them afterward (sticks and stones, you know, but words will never harm you).

Besides, this is not a political message: it's a pep talk about studying and doing well in school.

I remember when Bush decreed that at a certain hour after 9/11 all the schools had to stop to have the kids say the pledge of allegiance. I was mortified. But I did not express this to my son, or tell him he should not participate. After school on that day, I asked if his school had done the national "pledge" thing. Yes, he said, it was during chemistry class but he did not stand. He and several other students chose to sit quietly. I was glad I had not prompted him to do so. It was his decision to participate or not, and he should be free to figure out what is appropriate.

[OswegoAtheist]

12. Yes.

First off, Bush was the President of the United States; as a result, the office he held deserved at least that much respect, even if he didn't personally. Second, it would have been egregious to "boycott" Bush in proxy with our children as it would be for teabaggers to do so for Obama: it teaches our children to bury their head in the sand, and that opposing opinions are too dangerous to be heard. Third, it's an essential component in learning critical thought processes to be exposed to ideas from all sides of the spectrum, if for no other reason than to recognise their uselessness and lack of factual basis.

Oswego "fourth, it gets them out of math class; what was better than that?" Atheist

[roody]

15. Yes, my kid should listen to the president of the US

at school.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. If Bush (or Obama) were giving a partisan ideological speech that would have been a problem with me

A simple non-partisan address by POTUS about the importance of doing well in school should not be considered to be controversial enough to allow students to opt-out. It's not like he's giving a sex Ed lesson or something. It's sad that some people think that there is something "controversial" about a black Democratic POTUS delivering an inspirational message about school attendance/performance to youngsters. Something like this should be the LEAST partisan and/or offensive things any POTUS can do.
:wtf:

[Beacool]

10. Hmmm, I don't know.

If this had been Bush, would people have wanted their children to listen to his speech?

I think that this may break along political lines. If you like Obama, you want your child to listen to his speech. If you're a conservative, you may choose to have your kid skip it.

That's how polarized we have become as a society. In other decades the question wouldn't have even been asked. Everybody in school would have listened to the speech.

:shrug:

[dionysus]

18. hey Bea... i got something for you!

:hi:

[Beacool]

22. A tiger banky!!!!!!!

He's so cute, he got arms!!!

Thank you, sweetie. A new banky for my collection.

:hug:

[Top Cat]

14. I live in Gwinnett county

My grand is @ Suwanee Elem and she didn't bring home anything about the broadcast I wonder why?

[YellowCosmicSun]

17. These Pukes will politicize a Kindergarten. Division is all they know.

[GoCubsGo]

19. They did the same in my town.

My town is a rethuglican hell hole. I wish I could get out of here.

[Thumper79]

20. They are passing along their covert racism.

Were students anywhere allowed to opt out of 'back to school speeches' made by President Bush. There's only ONE reason the school(s) are giving this option. Racism, pure and simple. (I'm tired of being 'politically correct,' I call it as I see it. :wtf:

[jenmito]

21. So the Black Muslim President might try to indoctrinate the kids by saying they should stay

in school and never give up? Funny how they think they know what's appropriate when they write this:

"Those students who will not view the broadcast at their parents’ request will report to the gymnasium with an appropriate book, magazine, or newspaper after reporting to homeroom."

What if the reading material ISN'T appropriate to the parents? What a slippery slope...

[They_Live]

23. This happened here in Austin Tx as well

nt