Schools boycott Obama speech as critics abruptly change tone

President's speech initially faced accusations of attempting to indoctrinate children with socialist ideology.
Schools across the US went ahead with a boycott of a broadcast by President Barack Obama today in spite of many rightwing critics rowing back at the last minute from a campaign accusing him of socialist indoctrination.

Some school heads reported that they had not allowed the broadcast to be shown because of protests from parents. Many others allowed the broadcast to be screened as planned.

Obama's speech, delivered from a school in Virginia, was free of any political message and was aimed mainly at encouraging children to stay on at school.

The White House put out the text of his speech yesterday to allow headmasters, teachers and parents to assess whether it contained political content.

In the speech, Obama said: "Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is."

Further encouraging pupils, he said: "Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it." He added, "The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject that you study. You won't click with every teacher that you have.

"At the end of the day, 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 fulfil your responsibilities."

He was loudly cheered before and after the speech by the 1,500 pupils gathered in the school gym.

Having seen the advance copy, some of the most vocal critics such as Jim Greer, the Republican party chairman in Florida, who had accused Obama of trying to spread "socialist ideology", backed off. Greer said: "It's a good speech. It encourages kids to stay in school and the importance of education."

The call for the boycott was started by rightwing television and radio commentators. There was a slight embarrassment on the part of mainstream Republicans, who initially joined in but were today distancing themselves. Among Republicans supportive of Obama's right to make the speech were Newt Gingrich, the Republican former House speaker, who told NBC that there were other presidents had established such a precedent. "President Reagan did it, President [George] HW Bush did it … It's a good speech, I recommend it to everybody if you have any doubts."

There was support too from the former first lady, Laura Bush, who said: "There is a place for the president of the US to speak to schoolchildren, to encourage schoolchildren."

But the supportive Republican voices came too late for many school districts in Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, who had already decided not to show it.

The conservative Fox News channel reported it had canvassed 12 schools, of which only three showed it.

Chris Gibbs, headmaster of the Clarement Elementary School in North Carolina, told CNN he had taken the decision not to show it because parents were divided on the issue. Asked what he would do if Obama offered to visit the school, he said he would have to go to his office to pray for guidance.

In some school districts, heads planning to show it said that children who failed to attend would be punished. Other heads left it to the discretion of parents as to whether their children attended school today.

Obama, on the campaign trail, made an issue out of failing schools in America, relating tales of the high drop-out rate in his hometown Chicago. He appointed as his education secretary Arne Duncan, who had a reputation for helping to turn round some schools in the most deprived areas of Chicago.

Before delivering his speech, Obama, along with Duncan, met about 40 pupils in the school library. He advised them to "be careful what you post on Facebook. Whatever you do, it will be pulled up later in your life."

He also admitted: "When I was your age, I was a little bit of a goof-off. My main goal was to get on the varsity basketball team and have fun."

Outside the school, there was a small group of protesters, one carrying a placard reading "Mr President, stay away from our kids." Courtesy By - guardian.co.uk