Obama school speech a concern for some

School administrators across Lake County are trying to find a balance between overreaction and no reaction to parental concerns about President Barack Obama's upcoming Webcast.

Educators say they are receiving a small number of calls from parents about Obama's back-to-school address to students set for Tuesday. Fearing the president is using school kids to advance a political agenda, some parents want to make sure their children can opt out from viewing the address.

Most districts say students will not be forced to watch the speech. Other districts have decided not to show the address until school officials preview the content. Some are giving teachers the option to show it.

"My number-one concern isn't politics as much as the disruption to the day's learning," said Lindenhurst parent Mitch West. "If the president wants kids to focus on learning, he should deliver the speech in prime time."

Antioch-Lake Villa High School District 117 Superintendent Jay Sabatino said he's received fewer than six calls from parents, and the opinions have been split.

"I've heard from some parents who want to make sure their children can watch the speech and others who say the president is trying to indoctrinate their kids to promote his health care reform plans," Sabatino said. "Our hope is to tape the speech and post it on our Web site later. No student will be removed from class to watch it."

Obama's address, is scheduled for 11 a.m. local time Tuesday and will be shown on whitehouse.gov and C-SPAN. The White House Web site says the president will talk about the importance of children taking responsibility for their education and setting goals.

Of course, this is not the first time a politician has spoken to schoolchildren, whether it's a mayor or a president. President Ronald Reagan was warmly welcomed in Geneva in 1982, when he had a question-and-answer session with an eighth-grade civics class at St. Peter Catholic School. He was promoting tuition tax credits for families that sent children to private schools. Students asked him about the tax credits, but also whether he planned to change a freeze on hiring ex-traffic controllers he fired during a strike the year before, gun control, inflation and his economic policy.

Antioch Elementary District 34 officials said their kindergarten through fourth grade students will not be watching the Webcast, but middle school students at Antioch Upper Grade School will view it. The school plans to make it a learning experience.

"If time permits, students will write personal academic goals for this school year and the steps they will take to achieve their goals," said Assistant Superintendent Heidi Wennstrom. "Students will be encouraged to share their goals with their peers in small groups."

Wennstrom also said the school will offer "alternate learning" activities for students who want to opt out.

Teachers at Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools can choose if they want to show the program to their students, Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 spokeswoman Mary Todoric said.

Teachers at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire also can choose to show the speech if they believe it's relevant to the course they're leading, spokesman Jim Conrey said.

"Also, we're looking into making it available in our recital hall for students who have an unscheduled period, lunch (or) study hall who would like to watch," he said.

No viewings are planned at Mundelein High School. No parents have contacted the school about the issue, officials said.

Lake Zurich Unit District 95 Superintendent Mike Egan said each school principal is working with teachers to decide whether they will view it.

Grayslake Elementary District 46 Superintendent Ellen Correll said she plans to review Obama's message when it goes out live to determine if it is appropriate for students in grades three through eight. If Obama's remarks are along the line of the importance of education or having a good school year, she said, they will be replayed to the pupils between 1 and 3 p.m.

"I personally have had two calls," Correll said Thursday, "and I have told the parents my plan, and also told them that if they did not want their son or daughter to hear the president of the United States, then they could keep the child home. It would be counted as an excused absence."