Sep 3, 2009 4:15 pm US/Central
Obama School Message Angers Conservatives
Critics Encourage Parents To Call Kids In Sick With Swine Flu As Protest
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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President Obama's taped message for school children -- to be played at many schools next week -- has angered conservatives who think it's a political move.
CBS
President Obama has a back-to-school message for your kids, but that's set off a firestorm.
Some parents are so angry about the speech, which will be played in classrooms across the country, they want your kids to call in sick.
On Tuesday, the first day back at school for most students across the country, President Obama will be making the speech many conservatives don't want their kids or any kids to hear.
Some White House public service announcements released Thursday provide a preview of the president's message to be available on C-SPAN and on the web Tuesday.
But ferocious conservatives like Eva Sorock, a former member of the Wilmette School Board, are fearful that there's a hidden agenda. She writes a blog on the Conservative Brand.com website.
"A large government-control movement is taking over more and more of our lives," Sorock said. "They want to get those little kids, to teach them about all the issues that their administration thinks are important."
WIND Radio talk show host Michael Medved says: "Using government schools to force students to bond with the maximum leader might seem appropriate for Cuba or North Korea, but it's clearly out of place in a constitutional republic."
Ron Huberman, Chicago Public Schools CEO, sees it differently.
"If the President of the United States wants to address the students of Chicago on the importance of education, we are certainly supportive," he said.
Still, Huberman says each local school can decide if the speech will be available, and watching it will be voluntary. That seems to the policy most suburban schools are adopting.
That's not good enough for Sorock.
"If you're worried about keeping your kids home, you could say that they had swine flu symptoms, and just keep them home because of that," she said.
"We would not support anyone not attending school for any reason whatsoever," Huberman countered. "We need our kids on the first day of school, and we think that's critically important."
It turns out there is a study guide for students that accompanies the Obama speech, and the original version is really rankling conservatives. The first draft asked kids to "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the President."
It has since been changed to "write letters ... about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals."
The White House calls it "clarifying the language."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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