In an extraordinary move, the White House on Monday will release the text of the speech President Obama will deliver to the nation's school children to mollify critics who say the president is trying to spread a "socialist agenda."
With the new school year just starting, the White House scheduled Obama to deliver a live speech, via the Web and cable television, to youngsters at noon Eastern time on Tuesday.
Parents and teachers will have an opportunity to read the Obama speech a day before to evaluate the contents, said Peter Cunningham, the Education Department Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach.
"We want parents and educators to have an opportunity to review it in advance and decide for themselves how to engage their students around the issue of personal responsibility," Cunningham said.
Some conservatives, and the Republican Party of Florida, accused the Obama administration of propagandizing, citing a suggested classroom activity after the speech when students would "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals."
That line was revised on Thursday to now say, "Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short–term and long–term education goals. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals."
~ Politics Daily
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