Showing posts with label Superintendent Hubbard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Superintendent Hubbard. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Are Your Children Socialists Now?

So today was the big day everyone. Today was Obama indoctrination day for schools across America, and where as some schools refrained from showing their students the Obama address many others did not.


I spent most of the day working so I couldn’t get on the phone and talk to the schools very much, but the information I did collect this afternoon was very helpful. I called schools in the Fountain Valley School district, including FVHS, EHS, and HBHS. Here are the results:


I called up the Fountain Valley School District and I spoke with the Superintendent’s Office where I was informed by a very nice woman on the phone that the Superintendent had a meeting with the principals and staff where it was made clear that this was a principal/teacher discretion issue. That they were allowed to make up their own minds on whether or not their students were allowed to watch Obama give the address in class. It was also made clear in the meeting that if parents did not want their students to watch the address that an alternative activity would be offered. That alternate activity was to go to the library.


Courrages Elementary School gave me a very simple clean cut answer as to whether or not their students saw the address in class today. That answer was no, the students did not see the address. But Courrages was not alone in that decision as Moiola Elementary School and Newland Elementary School also refrained from showing the address to students.


Cox Elementary and Gisler Elementary informed me that the Obama address was a teacher’s discretion issue, and that some children did get to watch in class. Oka Elementary told me that children were allowed to watch the address in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes, but that the principal had a meeting with teachers and staff making it clear that it was up to the teacher’s discretion.


Plaven Elementary gave me a very straight up ‘yes’ answer. They said nothing about teacher discretion or a principal meeting (which doesn’t mean it didn’t happen), just told me that ‘yes’ the students were indeed allowed to watch the address.


I even called Tamura Elementary school but no one was available to pick up the phone.


High Schools were a different matter. When I called Fountain Valley High School I was told by the Secretary that she believed the address was shown, but directed me to the principal’s office. I was advised there that yes the students were allowed to see the address at teacher’s discretion. Whether or not the superintendent at the HBUHSD had a meeting with the high schools was unknown by the person I talked to. She took my number down and told me they would get back to me with more details.


Edison High School’s secretary was a substitute today and had no clear idea if the students were allowed to watch and she directed me to the principal who was not available to answer any questions, so I left a message with my number and hope to hear back by tomorrow.


No one at Huntington Beach High School was available to answer my call.


So out of all the schools I got 3 no, 5 yes, 1 unknown, and 2 no answers.


I believe that this was a good turn out to be honest. It seems like the districts in this area made it less of a district or superintendent concern and made it into a teacher discretion issue. Which is fine by me, at least there were no excuses like, “the internet is down” or the fear of reprisal from parents who have “political sensitivities”.


So why then did Dr. Hubbard, superintendent from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District bar his entire district from watching the address? The address was not only viewable on the internet but was broadcasted live on C-SPAN as well. So why use the excuse that since his district is having “internet access” troubles he can’t show the address?


I find it hard to believe that every school in Dr. Hubbard’s district had this internet issue. I think it did have more to do with “political sensitivities” than anything else, mainly his own political sensitivities.


I believe more light needs to be shed on this NMUSD issue. I would like to see if I can talk to Dr. Hubbard soon, but it may be hard to get in contact with him. And by the time I do it may be too late, and the story will have already fizzled out. And I’m certainly not going to turn this issue into a local political crusade to demonize or make anyone look terribly bad. I just want to know the truth. So I’m going to call NMUSD and see if I can speak to Dr. Hubbard briefly just to get a little more insight on what’s really going on.


Thank you to everyone who has been following this story. I came out with this story last week and since then I have received nothing but support and followers from like minded individuals who share my sense of honesty and truth. The reason I brought this issue to everyone’s attention was because I believed that Dr. Hubbard turned this positive message from the president into a political issue when I really believe it shouldn’t have been.


Hopefully more to come within the week! If I can talk to Dr. Hubbard I think that would conclude my on going coverage of this story.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Obama School Address Update

So yesterday I got word that superintendent Hubbard from the NMUSD would not be showing Obama’s live streaming address in schools. The two excuses for not showing this address to students are “political sensitivities” and “internet access” problems.


I got this story from Katrina Foley, who posted it up on FaceBook.com. I asked her for some more information, like if she knew of any other schools that are following NMUSD lead. She told me that Irvine, Saddleback, San Juan Capistrano, and Santa Ana all did the same.


So what is going to happen? What can we do to show the schools that we want our kids to see the President address them and challenge them to stay in school and get an education?


Another friend on FaceBook.com, Susan Freeze, posted that her husband was listening to Air America Radio when a man called in and explained to Randi Rhodes that his school district would not be showing the address. His solution to this issue is to keep his child home from school that day so that he can watch the address.


Here’s some good news though. The Mesa School District in Arizona will in fact be showing the Obama address to their students. The superintendent has said that if parents don’t want their children to watch the address they can contact their school and their child will not be shown the address.


The speech Obama is going to be giving students on Tuesday is a 15 to 20 minute long address, where Obama will be challenging students to create good work ethics, personal educational goals, and to take responsibility for their learning.


Glenn Beck calls this indoctrination. I call it a positive message that is meant to challenge our children to stay in school and get an education.


I honestly think that if this were President Bush no one would have these weird “political sensitivities” and the address would be shown. If Bush did give an address to children in schools to challenge them I wouldn’t be mad. I would be happy, and I would say “Thank you for your help, Mr. President.”


But there are so many lies being spread about Obama being a Fascist, Communist, Socialist, Marxist, Nazi that uneducated people are in an uproar over the idea of the President talking to their children. If Bush were to do this speech I would bet you all the money I have in my name that it would be very similar to what Obama’s speech will be on Tuesday.


The lies need to stop here and now. People, do some research and find out what a socialist actually is. I did a whole blog on what it means right HERE, and no one cared to learn I guess.


But seriously people, don’t let shortsightedness get the better of you. Don’t give in to the lies and slander the right-wingers are spreading. And certainly don’t take away the opportunity of seeing the President give a live speech meant for your children. Watch the address yourself on Tuesday, and then come back to me and try to tell me it was indoctrination. You won’t be able to, because it won’t be indoctrination.


This isn't about politics, so don't make it out to be. It's about your children and their education.