NoVA schools on Obama speech to students

The principal at Rachel Carson MS emailed

We consider a message from the President of the United States to our future citizens to be an opportunity to impress upon students the importance of education in a democratic society. For your information, here is the announcement that we received from the superintendent’s office:

“President Obama announced that on September 8 – the first day of school for many children across America – he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens. This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation’s school children about persisting and succeeding in school. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov at 1:00 p.m. eastern standard time.”

This should give you an idea of the content of the message, which we feel is consistent with our mission as a school and our commitment to responsible citizenship as inspired by our namesake, Rachel Carson. We will, however, be taping and previewing the message with an eye to its appropriateness and length before showing it to the students. The message airs originally at 1:00, and our expectation is that we will be showing it right at the end of the school day."

a parent had this to say..

When I pushed him several times on WHO would decide what was “appropriate” he replied “someone on the administrative team.” It didn’t make me any more comfortable to say the least.


Oakton High School

A parent who spoke to Oakton HS reported that they have no plans to air the presidents address , not even in lunch and that the social studies dept said it didn't fit their lesson plans

When I questioned Chantilly HS this morning , the secretary there told me a decision had not been made.

Chantilly sent this email out late this afternoon

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, President Obama will speak to the nation about the importance of education. Teachers will have the option to show the televised speech during class when it airs at noon. This is supported by our Superintendent and the State Department of Education. Should you prefer not to have your child view the President’s remarks please call your subschool to opt your child out.

Their reply sound quite arrogant to me... like "take this or leave it"


If you have any other information on schools in our area policy concerning Obama's speech to our children, please send them to me at novateaparty@yahoo.com