Obama's education message skipped by local school district
At least one local school district chose not to show President Barack Obama’s back-to-school speech he gave on Tuesday. The Greenwood School Corporation was one of the school systems in Indiana that chose not to air the speech Obama gave on Tuesday.
"We didn’t show the speech when it was live fed," said Rick Ahlgrim, director of student services from Greenwood School Corporation.
The school district declined to blame phone calls from parents as the reason for not showing the speech live.
"It wasn‘t a problem. We did get calls from both sides," Ahlgrim said. "[The speech] came up on us kind of quick."
Contrary to some beliefs that President Barack Obama would push a political agenda during his speech to a Virginia high school on Tuesday, he spoke to the students about focusing on and continuing their education in a speech meant for students around the nation.
"We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country," Obama said.
According to the state of Indiana in 2008, about a quarter of Indiana students failed to graduate from high school in four years.
Obama was not the first president to speak to American students. Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush both spoke to students about points similar to those made by Obama. Reagan spoke to junior high students, and the speech was broadcast through public schools.
Brown County School Corporation; however, showed the speech to their students.
"We did show the speech to all of our students yesterday and allowed parents who did not want their children to watch the opportunity to opt out of watching the speech," Superintendent David Shaffer said. "This was a direct address from the president of the United States to the boys and girls of America. We felt like that was a unique event." Shaffer said.
"Overall it was a major non-event," Brown County High School Principal Matthew Stark said.
