Gibbs: School-speech fretting is 'sad'

The press secretary for President Obama says it's "sad" that there would be concerns over the Obama's decision to take over the nation's schools for a time tomorrow for an address to tell students to remain in class and do their best.

"I think it's a sad, sad day that the political back and forth has intruded on anyone speaking to schoolchildren and teachers and parents about the responsibilities that they have as we enter a new school year," Gibbs told reporters as the president traveled to Ohio for a Labor Day speech.

"If one kid in one school hears one message and goes from being a D student to a C student, then the speech was worth it," Gibbs said. "If one kid decides not to drop out of school, then the speech is worth it. Right now nearly three in 10 kids in school will not walk across a stage and get a high school diploma. If anybody thinks that's the recipe for long-term economic growth, I've got news for them."

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A text of Obama's planned speech was released on the Internet today. This version of the speech has the president telling students to wash their hands to help avoid flu, to remain in class, to keep trying and that anything else means they would be failing their 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," the prepared text says.

There had been a rebellion among parents when the original speech plans were released by the White House, especially since the Obama administration recommended students study the Obama writings ahead of time and review how they personally could help the president.

Obama will give the speech tomorrow at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. The speech is scheduled to be broadcast live at 12 noon EST on C-SPAN and at whitehouse.gov.

As WND reported, worksheets originally provided by the U.S. Department of Education encouraged teachers to ask pre-K through 6th-grade students the following questions:

• What is the president trying to tell me to do?

• What is the president asking me to do?

• What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?

The suggestions also included asking students to write down "key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful," make posters of their goals, create a "supportive community" by sharing those goals with one another.

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Junior-high and high-school students may be asked to brainstorm answers to the following questions before the speech:

• Why does President Obama want to speak with us today?

• How will he inspire us?

• How will he challenge us?

• What might he say?

They are encouraged to take notes while Obama speaks about personal responsibility, goals or persistence. As part of a "guided discussion," they may talk about what Obama has inspired or challenged them to do.

Calls that such indoctrination wasn't acceptable, however, prompted some of the worksheet suggestions to be revised, and some schools are either not carrying the event or are allowing students to opt-out now.

The concern that was raised over the plan, however, was "sad," Gibbs repeated.

"It's a sad state of affairs that many in this country politically would rather start an 'Animal House' food fight rather than inspire kids to stay in school, to work hard, to engage parents to stay involved, and to ensure that the millions of teachers that are making great sacrifices continue to be the best in the world," he told reporters. "It's a sad state of affairs."

According to the transcript released by the White House, Obama is telling students how he got up at 4:30 a.m. to take "extra lessons" from his mother while growing up.

He said the students' futures depend on their own work.

"We can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities," his test states. "Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. "

"You can't drop out of school and just drop into a good job," the text continued. "You've got to work for it and train for it and learn for it."

He explains his father left his family when he was two years old.

"I wasn't always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I'm not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse," he said.

"I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?" the text says.

But the speech plans – promoted directly to schools and teachers bypassing parents – raised objections from the beginning. It also drew accusations that the speech may even be a violation of the law.

"Obama has pushed his political agenda to the extreme by forcing himself on America's children," Staver said in a statement today. "Obama's political agenda on health care and his expansive vision for government is being rejected by the American people. Now Obama is after our children, who, like some socialist members of Congress, have not read the health-care bill. Americans do not appreciate the president's attempt to use our children as political pawns in his game of chess. Mr. President, you must abide by the rule of law and stop this illegal activity. Our children do not belong to you," said
Mathew D. Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel as well as dean of Liberty University School of Law.

Staver's critique cited 20 U.S.C. § 3403, which regards the Department of Education and states, "No provision of a program administered by the Secretary or by any other officer of the Department shall be construed to authorize the Secretary or any such officer to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system."

Staver's concerns were echoed by others as well, including Liberty Legal Alliance spokesman Matt Barber, who said, "Not only is this a violation of federal law, it's just plain creepy. It's surreal. Obama's actions here are right out of the playbooks of Saul Alinsky and Chairman Mao. Soviet Russia? Sure. America? No way. I'm furious. Hands off my children, Mr. President!"

WND also reported when the Texas Justice Foundation warned the "classroom activities" suggested by the president's administration connected to the speech possibly were illegal.

"The questions, comments, evaluations and analysis that occurs before, during, and after the president's speech will clearly 'reveal information concerning political affiliations' and probably, 'critical appraisals of other individuals with whom the child(ren) has/have close family relationships' (such as parents)," the foundation said in an analysis of the situation.

"This is perhaps one of the greatest invasions of personal privacy and injecting political affiliation into the public school system in the history of the United States," the Texas Justice Foundation said.

The group cited the Pupil Rights Amendment:

"It also violates 34 Code of Federal Regulations Section 98.4[c] [1] and [2] that defines psychological testing as:

(1) Psychiatric or psychological examination or test means a method of obtaining information, including a group activity, that is not directly related to academic instruction and that is designed to elicit information about attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs or feelings; (emphasis added)

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(2) Psychiatric or psychological treatment means an activity involving the planned, systematic use of methods or techniques that are not directly related to academic instruction and that is designed to affect behavioral, emotional, or attitudinal characteristics of an individual or group. (emphasis added)

Texas Justice Foundation officials said the group activities suggested by the Department of Education "are not directly related to academic instruction and that are designed to elicit information about attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs, or feelings."

"At this time of intense controversy over the president's far-reaching plans to transform America, it is incredible that he would consider using children to advance his political agenda," Justice Foundation President Allan Parker said. "It violates the constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children, federal law and is perhaps the greatest intrusion of a president into the education process in the history of the United States. In the opinion of the Texas Justice Foundation lawyers, it is both morally and legally wrong."

Liberty Counsel described Obama's actions as "an unprecedented and an illegal political move."

WND telephone calls and e-mails to the White House press office did not generate a response.

Officials with the Thomas More Law Center said they were suggesting to concerned parents that students go to school, wearing black arm bands.

Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel for the center, said, "Many Americans view the president's speech and the distributed lesson plan as an attempt to foster the cult of personality. It provides a pretext for liberal teachers to engage in political indoctrination. Students should not have to miss school because of the president, but can teach him a lesson in constitutional protesting by wearing the black arm bands."

This type of protest, the law firm notes, was the same type of student protest of the Vietnam War that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.