Last week President Obama, like many Presidents before him, spoke directly to students in Arlington, Virginia about the importance of taking a personal responsibility in their own education.  This is a positive and important message that millions of school children will never hear because apparently it was censored by many school districts across America.  These schools’ chosen form of censorship varies from district to district, but they all have the same goal: to make access to the speech in school challenging or impossible.  Many schools are requiring teachers to send home permission slips before they can show the speech in order that the parents can opt-out.   Making it difficult or disruptive for teachers to show the speech will effectively limit the number of teachers who will be able to show this historical artifact. These regulations should be understood as modern-day Jim Crow laws intended to disrupt access to the President and should be thoroughly scrutinized.

For example, in the school district my children attend, a middle school principal, had this to say before the speech was aired,  “We have had several calls regarding the President’s speech that will be aired on September 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm.  It appears this speech is causing a great deal of discussion for school districts across the country.  My suggestion to parents is that if they feel this speech is something they want their children to see, they can tape it and watch it with their children after school.  Teachers are encouraged to teach their curriculum every day and September 8th will be no different. After teachers have listened to the President’s message, those who feel it ties to their curriculum can use it in their classes on a later date. If they choose to do this, they will first inform parents of when and how they will use the speech in class.”¹  In this district’s classrooms, FOX News programming is viewed daily without review or parental permission.  How did this happen in our schools?  Conservative media talking heads.  Schools are afraid of the conservative talk-show hosts.  Conservative talk show hosts used fear mongering to convince parents to call schools and complain.  These parents were told that Obama was going to indoctrinate their children with his socialist ideas.  Some commentators were even encouraging parents to make their kids skip school that day.  Herb Garrett, executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, said “Many of his members felt that the controversy had put them in an awkward situation, vulnerable to attacks from conservative talk-show hosts if they open up instructional time for Mr. Obama’s speech, and open to accusations that they have disrespected the president if they do not.”² They chose to disrespect the President.  This is setting a dangerous precedent in our country and sending a powerful message to our children.  Schools are taking a clear political stance against our President.

Presidential speeches have been considered primary documents for research and learning in schools for many decades.  In 1988, President Reagan addressed school children, telling them about the importance of cutting taxes.  In 1991, George H. W. Bush broadcasted a speech on education.  These were speeches that were freely and openly viewed and discussed in our schools.  However Obama’s speech, which is encouraging personal responsibility and perseverance, has been banned or requires special permission to be viewed in predominantly white districts.  In the spirit of Jim Crow laws, these regulations serve to deter parents and teachers from showing a powerful and influential African-American man in our schools.

In schools around the United States, current events relevant to education are viewed in schools, without review, or parental permission every day.  If our kid’s schools are going to ban non-parent approved speeches or media then should they send out a letter every time they watch cable or news in the classroom?  Of course not.  Our children should have access to a wide range of ideas and perspectives.  We, as parents and teachers should be providing students with a wide range of ideas and viewpoints, we should be encouraging them to ask questions and think critically. Lets stop clouding this with meaningless rhetoric. This isn’t about parenting, or choices, it is about politics and racism.

Footnotes

1. Dana Loesch, “Quincy, Illinois school district won’t show Obama speech *UPDATED”, The Dana Show, September 3, 2009 [↩]
2. James C. McKinley Jr. and Sam Dillon, “Some Parents Oppose Obama School Speech”, NY Times Online, September 3, 2009 [↩]

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Filed Under: Social Justice
Tagged: barack obama, censorship, Jim Crow