Greenwich Schools Superintendent Caves on Obama Address (Jim Himes Speaks Out!)

by: thomashooker

Sun Sep 06, 2009 at 20:13:52 PM EDT

What a crock!  The president didn't ask school systems to come up with activities to accompany the address, but merely to permit American students to view the address on Tuesday.  

According to Greenwich Time, Dr. Freund received exactly ten- yes, ten- emails protesting permitting students to hear their president address them, and five in favor of preparing the schools to permit students to view the address.  Those few communications spurred Dr. Freund to engage in "careful consideration of all perspectives", after which he decided to pull the plug on the president of the United States.

In essence, it only takes a tiny handful of crazies to make new superintendent Freund act like the head of a school system in Alabama, or the Texas panhandle, or some other place full of uneducated, right-wing extremists.  There is little excuse for Dr. Freund's cop-out, because he served for years in nearby Dobbs Ferry, New York.  

And Congressman Jim Himes thinks Superintendent Freund is full of crap also.  Congressman Himes issued the following statement on Sunday night:

"As a Congressman and as a father to two young girls (who attend Greenwich public schools), I urge all local schools to provide their students the chance to listen to the President's address to school children on Tuesday. Denying children the rare opportunity to hear directly from their President is a disservice to them as students and as young citizens. The President will encourage students to do what we all know is right: to work hard to prepare themselves to be successful citizens in the greatest democracy in the world.

"Whether we agree or disagree with everything the President says, this is a rare chance for classes and families to discuss and debate the President's speech and to develop the thoughtfulness and critical faculties necessary for success in an increasingly complex and challenging world."

It is all the more shameful, because Dr. Freund couched his language announcing that students would not be permitted to view the Tuesday address in language suggesting that they would:  "District to View President's Address to Students", was the title of his press release. He also states, "this is a teachable moment", but just not on the scheduled day of Tuesday, apparently.  Yet the truth was precisely the opposite.

And, according to the Greenwich Time article, Connecticut's State Commissioner of Education Mark K. McQuillan:

sent a memo to school superintendents Friday calling the controversy over the president's speech 'truly unfortunate,' 'inaccurate' and 'beyond the definition of responsible civil discourse'"

When the state superintendent of schools refers to postponing viewing of the president's address "beyond the definition of responsible discourse", and our United States congressman calls it a "disservice" to our young people, you know that Dr. Freund has come to a lousy decision.

Will Greenwich students be shown the president's address "at a date to be determined"?  Frankly, I doubt it.  A couple more right-wing nutjobs will send him emails, and he'll determine that it has to be put off yet again for another to be conjured up reason.

It is a very bad beginning for the new Greenwich Public Schools superintendent.  Too bad, because he's the seventh superintendent in just over ten years.  

Too bad that Dr. Freund couldn't display the good sense and courage of his counterpart in Westport.  But he still has 24 hours to reconsider.  Let's hope he does.