Mommy Life: Loudoun County Public Schools - Hatrick on Obama's September 8 speech

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September 7, 2009 4:29 AM

Loudoun County Public Schools - Hatrick on Obama's September 8 speech

[September 17 Update: A lot has happened since this blog entry - and there has been much misrepresentation in the media. For an up-to-date and factual summary of the background of this controversy, see Loudoun Public Schools, Obama address - a summary.]

Superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools Dr. Edgar Hatrick has issued the following statement in response to the backlash from Obama supporters reacting to the shutdown of the hijacking of our first day of school with an Obama infomercial - including a curriculum comprising many hours of classroom time and designed to promote the Obama bio, his quotes and his vision - excluding anyone else who ever accomplished anything or had anything to say about education.

[News flash: It's not just about parents - Obama's curriculum breaks federal statutes!!]

Briefly stated, Hatrick assures parents that middle and high school students will be given access to Obama's speech (it seems elementary school students are protected) at some future time, but that parents will have advance notification and opt-out privileges.

I appreciate Dr. Hatrick's leadership and reasonableness in working out a way to accommodate parents on both sides of this issue. I have annotated his letter with my own comments:

September 6, 2009
Dear LCPS Parents:

            Last week the U. S. Department of Education sent an email to all principals in America advising them that President Obama would make a brief speech to students on Tuesday, September 8, about the importance of achievement, dedication to studies, and staying in school. Speeches with similar themes were given in the past by President Ronald Reagan and by President George H. W. Bush, although not on the first day of school. [my emphasis]

[I'm just going to interrupt here to say that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's original letter, dated August 26, specifically said that this was the first time in history a president had done this. Then when the heat was on, they dug up examples from 1991 and previous - when apparently the Democrats and media like the Washington Post had A LOT to say on the matter, and not in support of an Executive Branch intrusion into local public schools.

I am not accountable for what happened 18 years ago as it was not on my watch. This is.

And there are many differences between these events - 18 years apart. There is the disrespect for protocol - bypassing our local elected and appointed officials, rapid-fire timing, and the "branding" and cult-of-personality which characterizes the Obama administration - the selling of Obama at every available opportunity. Many more reasons to be wary.]

Unfortunately the email was not sent to superintendents or other school officials.

[Yes. This broke all historical protocol - and respect for local school governance and control. Very important.]

We issued a memo to LCPS principals to let them know that they were not expected to stop all school activity at noon for everyone to hear the President's speech at the same time. This was important because the chosen time for the live broadcast of the speech is on the first day of school and during the lunch hour for many of our students. Nothing in last week's memo indicated that showing the speech was prohibited. At the time of the memo we had not encountered any public or parental commentary on the speech.

[Because the chosen tactics of the Obama administration are to fly under the radar and leave the citizenry little time to respond.]

            All of that has changed and now a number of parents and others have weighed in with support for or opposition to the President's speech being shown in our schools. This controversy, unfortunately, is occurring throughout our Nation. In order to try to respect the wishes of all parents, we have issued additional guidelines to all principals. Recognizing the differences that exist between our elementary, middle, and high school students, these guidelines are different for elementary schools than they are for middle and high schools.

[We very much appreciate that there is a distinction between children who have not yet developed the capacity for abstract thinking and those that have.]

Our intent is to be sure that students have an opportunity to hear our President speak to them but also respect the wishes of parents who do not want that hearing to occur in school.

[This is a fair approach and we appreciate it, Dr. Hatrick.]

My hope is that everyone will take advantage of the White House's posting of the speech on Monday to assuage any fears they may have.

[I'm sure that the Presidents speech will be much more careful and benign than it might have been had conservative parents not drawn attention to it beforehand. Note that it has still not been made public. The speech writers are probably working overtime to prove critics wrong. In the end we probably will have an innocuous speech by our omnipresent and high-maintenance president.

But make no mistake, that is a victory of sorts. What Obama planned to say and what he will say has been tempered because of the vigilance of the populace. Those of us who sounded an alarm may be vilified, but we were successful in reining in what amounted to an infomercial.

And again, this is about more than the speech - it is about a White House-generated curriculum which was never tendered to our school officials for clearance. It is important in a republic to maintain that local control. Look to Venezuela and what is going on there to see what happens when you surrender that important right and responsibility.]

            We do believe that it is important for our young people to hear from the President of the United States of America, and we also hope that many parents will take advantage of the White House web cast or the posting that will occur on the LCPS website to view the President's speech with their children to reinforce the important messages of working hard in school and sustaining effort as a student.

[For parents to view "with their children" is key. Allowing the Executive branch to bypass elected and locally-appointed school officials to appeal directly to principals to broadcast a simultaneous statement - including an Obama-image-building curriculum on the first day of school is unprecedented and WRONG. To hit them with this demand one week before the start of school when they are preoccupied with too many things to give the curriculum proper scrutiny is WRONG.]

            In any case, please be assured that middle and high school students will be given the opportunity to view or not to view the speech whenever it is shown in their schools. In addition, parents of elementary students will receive at least one day's notice before the President's speech is shared with students and will be told the explicit procedures to follow if they do not wish their children to be part of the viewing.

[Thank you, Dr. Hatrick for navigating these difficult problems with fairness and respect for the parents of our county.]

            It is unfortunate that we live in a time when a speech that I believe will serve a good purpose evokes such strong, accusatory responses from those who support and don't support the showing of the President's speech, but that extreme reaction may reflect more the political times in which we live than the importance of encouraging our students, by every means possible, to do their best in school.

[We really don't need the president to demand usurping the first day of school and a White House-supplied Obama-glorifying curriculum to accomplish that. But I respect the wishes of those parents who feel the need for the president to tell their children to stay in school to have their children hear his message. I feel it's my job to motivate my kids to stay in school.]

            We look forward to working with you and your children this year as we attempt to create a Climate for Success for every student. I hope that this controversy will not mar what is traditionally a very successful opening of school in LCPS.

[I do too. And want to thank you Dr. Hatrick, for good leadership in a tough and uncomfortable situation.]

Sincerely,
Dr. Edgar B. Hatrick
Superintendent

Love,

Posted in Loudoun County, Obama Nation, Propaganda, Public schools | Permalink

Comments

My husband has said that talking to kids IN school about staying in school is like lecturing a roomful of patients in a doctor's office about the importance of regular check ups.

And the arrogance that his 20 minute speech and grandiose curriculum is going to Inspire kids to greatness is at the very least annoying. That teachers are supposed to pull it out later in the year and keep kids accountable is terrible. Especially given the understanding that some teachers do not know how to keep their personal beliefs and thoughts to themselves, leading the way for potential manipulation of thoughts and replacing critical thinking skills with blanket Be Inspired Because Obama Spoke mindsets.

Re: this and the I Pledge video - why is it that these people couldn't have done these things before Obama led them to greatness? These things, staying in school, being good parents, doing things that benefit others, are things that many, many, many Americans have been doing for years and years LONG before Obama was a household name.

And while I'm ranting a bit in your inbox (sorry) - I'm sick of Washington, the media and anyone else that needs a whipping post and scape goat turning their blame finger on the parent. How is this speech also being aimed at parents (see the Arne Duncan interview recently where he calls teachers the unsung heroes of society and tells parents they need to step up.)?

And what is with all these speeches? Quit talking. Just do your job, Mr. President.

Posted by: Laura | September 7, 2009 6:55 AM

Laura,

Well said ! I agree.

Posted by: dee | September 7, 2009 9:18 AM

hi ,this and the I Pledge video - why is it that these people couldn't have done these things before Obama led them to greatness? These things, staying in school, being good parents, doing things that benefit others, are things that many, many, many Americans have been doing for years and years LONG before Obama was a household name.

Posted by: property koncepts | September 8, 2009 12:55 AM

The kids need to know their President. I am sure they are amused by his presence. I find the speech really inspiring, not only for the children but for the adults as well. We all want our children to work hard in school and pursue better grades. I hope that the parents will reinforce the messages that their kids heard.

Posted by: King Pin | September 9, 2009 8:52 AM