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A Utah progressive group is saying it was inappropriate for some schools to send letters and opt-out forms home to parents before President Barack Obama's speech to schoolkids Tuesday.
Controversy over Obama's speech was subdued in Utah this year compared with last, but some districts still sent home letters and/or opt-out forms to parents ahead of time. Michael Picardi, co-founder of the Coalition of Utah Progressives, said schools shouldn't treat a presidential speech to kids as something that might be objectionable. A number of parents also echoed his concerns Tuesday.
"I have a real problem with people not wanting their children to see the president of the United States give them a pep talk," Picardi said. "We really feel as a coalition this is unacceptable in a country that preaches freedom and understanding."
Officials from some Utah school districts, however, said they sent letters to be transparent with parents, especially after the outcry before last year's speech. Some conservatives worried last year that Obama's speech would be political, though it turned out to be little more than a talk about working hard and staying in school. This year's speech contained a similar message.
Jeff Haney, Canyons District spokesman, said last year the district received hundreds of calls and e-mails from concerned parents. This year, the district showed the speech in all its schools but also sent home letters and opt-out forms ahead of time.
"The superintendent's directive to schools was he wanted all the children to have the opportunity today to see the speech," Haney said Tuesday. "That's how important our district feels the speech is for schoolchildren. By the same token, we also wanted to make sure we sent the message that if parents didn't want children to participate they didn't have to."
He said a couple dozen Canyons parents opted their children out of the speech Tuesday.
Salt Lake City District officials encouraged schools to watch the speech and asked schools showing it to inform parents. District spokesman Jason Olsen said it's the district's policy to give parents documents listing textbooks and other materials schools intend to use, and those are usually provided to parents at the beginning of the year. "It was treated like any other part of our curriculum," Olsen said.
The Granite, Jordan and Alpine districts left the decision of whether to show the speech up to schools, but asked schools showing it to alert parents in advance.
"I think in something as big as this we would notify parents regardless of the political affiliation of the president," said Ben Horsley, Granite spokesman.
But Picardi and some parents question that.
Clarity Sanderson, a parent at Canyons' Sunrise Elementary in Sandy, said she's outraged that the district sent opt-out forms.
"It's frustrating," Sanderson said. "I believe what they're doing is making this about the political party and not about the office. I believe it sends the message to the children that they shouldn't necessarily trust their president, and it takes away respect for that office."
Chris Fassler, a parent at Canyons' Alta View Elementary in Sandy, said he doesn't think letters need to be sent home every time the president makes a speech to school kids.
"I can see why they did it after last year's big stink, but I have to agree that I think it's silly to suggest that he might say anything that requires parental approval or might attract parental disapproval," Fassler said.
At least one district also saw no need to send letters. Davis District leaders only told all principals to show the speech at some point this week, said Christopher Williams, district spokesman.
"We decided it just doesn't reach that threshold of where we need to send letters home," Williams said.
Picardi said he wonders why some Utahns seem opposed to Obama's speech when past presidents' speeches haven't drawn as much attention. President George H.W. Bush did, however, draw some criticism from Democrats for speaking to students across the nation in 1991 in a teleconference as part of a national space science symposium.
Picardi wonders whether the concern over Obama's speeches has to do with his race.
Dave Hansen, chairman of the Utah Republican Party, said that's "absolutely false." He said people were concerned about Obama's speech last year due to the original accompanying guide. The guide asked students to write essays on how they could serve the president. The material was revised after complaints.
Hansen said he sees no problem with the president speaking to children or districts sending letters and forms to parents ahead of time.
"If they don't want to listen, they ought to have that right, and that's I think what the school districts were doing," Hansen said. "I think that was a responsible action on their part to do that."