Dear Editor, I am sending you the letter we have written to the Superintendent of the Dorchester 2 School District concerning the District’s disallowing the live showing of President Obama’s speech to the nation’s schoolchildren. The second page contains signatures of people who support the letter. Many more would sign, but time is of the essence in getting this out. I hope you will print this letter to Superintendent Pye so that awareness will be raised that not everyone agrees with the District’s decision. Thank you, Susan Shapiro
Dear Superintendent Pye: The decision of the Dorchester 2 School District not to air President Obama’s September 8 speech to the nation’s schoolchildren was disgraceful. Millions of people voted to elect President Obama. Thousands of people pay taxes in Dorchester County. Two hundred phone callers persuaded the District to deny hundreds of students the opportunity to hear the President’s address. The motivation for the District’s decision to exclude airing of the speech is thinly veiled behind the excuse of “inadequate technology.” Inadequate technology is not the problem. Why, then, will teachers need permission from principals to show the address? Why must parents be notified of the showing so they can exclude their children? What has this to do with technology? Other questions arise. What will happen if two hundred phone calls are received from people who don’t want science taught in schools? Will this subject be dropped from the curriculum? Shouldn’t the educational process include learning to evaluate diverse ideas? Why weren’t students allowed to see the President’s address and form their own conclusions in a classroom setting? President Obama’s speech encouraged young people to overcome obstacles to their education. How can they overcome obstacles set up by the school district? Is it any wonder that South Carolina ranks at the bottom in education? Will the district continue to be swayed by the pernicious whims of a few? There are people who resent paying taxes for schools. We do not. Each citizen has a moral obligation to further the education of all children so they will be prepared for a productive life. School districts have the responsibility to provide students with a broad and balanced education, with a foundation in critical thinking, not just test taking. Perhaps this issue should be taken up in more detail when the district demands more money in the budget. We can say “no,” too.