Times staff
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Few holdouts in local schools
A year after President Barack Obama's decision to address the nation's students was met with conservative outcry, he did it again. This time, the nay-sayers were largely quiet.
In Pinellas County, where last year students were given excused absences if their parents wanted them to skip the speech, there were no reported issues. This time around, the school district decided not to excuse students for speech-related absences. But schools were directed to offer other accommodations if parents said they didn't want their children to view it. District spokeswoman Andrea Zahn said she hadn't heard any reports of problems.
In Hernando County, parents at Central High School in Brooksville can have their students opt out of watching the speech, said principal Joe Clifford. Social sciences teachers recorded the address and will show it next week. Of more than 1,300 Central students taking a social sciences course, about a half dozen have returned the form signed by parents who want their child to do an alternate assignment when the speech is shown, Clifford said.