Cortines: LET PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS DECIDE ON OBAMA’S SPEECH. 89 of the district's more than 800 schools will be in session Tuesday; the rest begin the school year Wednesday.

By WIRE SERVICES from The Los Angeles Independent

Sep 5, 2009 at 4:59 PM PDT l Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines told principals and teachers at Los Angeles Unified School District schools to consider having students watch President Barack Obama's Tuesday speech aimed at them.

The idea of the speech, described as a back-to-school pep talk, has drawn criticism from conservatives.

"The students of LAUSD have been provided with an extraordinary
opportunity to engage in a teachable moment by watching President Obama speak to our youth about the value of education,'' Cortines wrote to the district's principals.

"I believe this is a worthy event for our students to view so I am asking each principal and teacher to consider whether your students will watch the broadcast from your school site. This opportunity is strictly voluntary and
non-political.''

The vast majority of the district's students -- and their parents -- will decide whether to watch the speech. Only 89 of the district's more than 800 schools will be in session Tuesday, according to district spokeswoman Susan Cox. The rest -- those on the traditional calendar -- will begin the school year Wednesday.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell believes the speech is "a good opportunity for students,'' but the decision about whether it should be shown in classrooms should be made at the local level, an aide told City News Service.

A variety of conservative talk show hosts and activists along with Republican elected and party officials have accused Obama of using the speech to indoctrinate the nation's youths into supporting him and his policies.

They pointed to a U.S. Department of Education list of suggested activities related to the speech that included having students "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.''

That suggestion was later replaced by having students "write letters to
themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term
education goals.''

Critics have asked school officials not to allow the speech to be shown in classrooms and called for parents to keep their children at home Tuesday.

"Make Sept. 8 parentally approved skip day,'' Los Angeles-based syndicated talk show host Tammy Bruce wrote on her Twitter page. "You are your child's moral tutor, not that shady lawyer from Chicago.''

The possibility of objections from parents prompted Cortines to write principals "I would also strongly urge you to make arrangements to accommodate any students whose parents indicate that they prefer their children not participate.''

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "I think we've reached a
little bit of the silly season when the president of the United States can't tell kids to study hard and stay in school. I think both political parties agree that the dropout rate is something that threatens our long-term economic success.''

The White House plans to release the speech online Monday so parents can read it.

The speech will be the first nationally televised address by a president aimed at students since 1991. Democrats then called the speech by George H.W. Bush a waste of taxpayer funds.