9/14/09 Board Meeting - Questions Regarding President's Speech

A Bolingbrook Sun news story, Despite initial controversy, Obama speech goes on without furor at Bolingbrook schools (9/11/09), reported that the "district received 200 calls from parents who didn't want their children watching the speech and 46 calls from people who did." Curiously, this news story has been removed from the Bolingbrook Sun website.

Despite calls 4 to 1 against showing the speech, the district reversed its decision. I raised this with the board and also pointed out that the district originally sited "that instructional time in our schools is precious and has therefore asked each of our schools to continue with their normal classroom routine..."

I posed 4 questions to the board:

1. What's going to happen the next time President Obama wants to give a speech that has nothing to do with academic instruction?
2. Do you work for President Obama and the Dept. of Education or the taxpayers in this district?
3. Who specifically reversed the board's original decision? Was the board lobbied by outside groups?
4. How many overtime hours were charged to the district for the logistical setup?
   

Fundamentally, parents have the right to guide their children's education; not President Obama or the Department of Education. Tax dollars are to be used for academic instruction, not presidential speeches about staying in school. However, VVSD unconstitutionally went against the taxpayers in this district.