Dr. Spineless Douchebag, 

I would like to take a moment to say how irritated I am with the postponement of the viewing of the President’s speech today.  I find it very odd that we received such an assuring robo-call from you last week, only to be followed up with a blurb on the September News papers that came home with the children on Friday afternoon indicating the new format.   In the 2/3 News, you indicate that you may “shorten” the speech to make it appropriate for 2/3 attention spans on Wednesday morning when you plan to show the address.  Any parent that sees fit to have their child sit through a 60 minute worship service knows that children are perfectly capable of sitting and listening respectfully for an extended period of time when that is the expectation.   

As if this “tape delay” wasn’t enough, I’m sure you’re aware, as everyone else I know is, that some of your teachers are out in the community raging on about the speech and have even been heard saying that they refuse to show it.  Now, I’m guessing that won’t happen, but I have to hope that you and your teachers are responsible enough to recognize that children are especially aware of nonverbal cues.  A teacher who sighs and scowls throughout the speech is just as guilty of forcing their political view on my child, as one who refuses to show it and that is unacceptable.  If I can’t trust your staffs’ professionalism on this issue, how can you assure me of their appropriateness on other curriculum issues with which they may have personal objection? 

I would also like to know exactly what it is that our students have scheduled at 11:00 am, the day after a holiday, which is impeding them from watching it today … live.  In the blurb I received, the speech is said to be at 12 noon, which is true on the east coast, but not here in Missouri. I also understand that several teachers have come straight to the district office with their objection to the viewing of the President’s speech.  I would like for you to publish the names of those teachers so parents, like myself, can be assured that we will not have our children placed with educators that feel that it’s their duty to indoctrinate or lack appropriate levels of professional control. 

In closing and in regard to the “tape delay”, I can only assume that this is a pacifier for the parents/faculty that have expressed their displeasure (a chance for them to watch today and decide if a pro-academic message which they could have read online is in fact sowing seeds of socialism).  I am greatly disappointed and thoroughly dissatisfied with your decisions.  It is no wonder that we have not made adequate progress and been out of compliance with NCLB for the last three years if this is the level of weakness and ineptitude with which we meet our challenges. 

Sincerely,

1_Extremely_Irritated_Mother