[Editor’s note: The Citizen asked readers to email their opinions about Superintendent Joseph Barrow’s letter to let individual schools decide whether to allow students to view the Jan. 20 inauguration ceremonies. Here are some of their responses.]
I am the parent of two students. My middle school student (who attends WMS) was given the option to watch the ceremony at lunchtime from her social studies classroom. However, my freshman high school student (who attends WHS,) was not offered an opportunity to watch. This boggles my mind! I realize that with the ceremony occurring at noon that it fell right in the middle of lunch time but the administration should have set up a designated viewing area for those who wanted to watch American history in action. Those students who might have been “offended” by the ceremony could have remained in their classrooms/cafeteria as the case may be. Shame on Whitewater High School!
I know of a teacher who was showing the inauguration ceremony in her class when the principal came into the classroom and instructed the teacher to turn off the ceremony because it was not relevant to the curriculum. Bennett’s Mill. Curious what political agenda this principal had.
We have two daughters at McIntosh. We had planned to take our girls to D.C. last weekend but could not get tickets. So imagine our disappointment when MHS didn’t even GIVE us the option to “allow” them to watch the historical event. We kept our one daughter home from school and she will have to accept the unexcused absence. I am personally appalled that the option was given to “opt out” of a historical event, regardless of who won. But for some teachers to choose to not even allow their students to watch, makes me even angrier.
I asked my son, who currently is an 8th grade student at Whitewater Middle School, if he watched the inauguration; he said, “no.” He said his history teacher discussed it in class but made no mention of watching it. I was under the impression that it would be viewed at school because it is a historical event and something that our children/students should understand, but there are a lot of things that are not taught in the schools that I feel are beneficial to their future.
My child at McIntosh HS was told that the “inaugural ceremony was too controversial and that it would not be shown at the school.” I was appalled. No matter what ones views are, it is a very big part of history. I believe the last time an inauguration was so controversial was Lincoln.
I have an 8th grader at Booth Middle School. She came home quite upset that most of her classmates were able to watch the inauguration in their classrooms, but her teacher chose not to show it. While I understand and fully support the right to “opt out” of participating in this, I also feel that students should have the right to “opt in” if they so chose. This is the first presidential election occurring when these children have been old enough to really begin understanding the political process in this country. My daughter, while not a political junkie just yet, has watched all of the debates this past year and has asked very intelligent and probing questions about the process, the candidates, and our beliefs as her parents. She was truly upset that she missed watching the “big event” as it happened during class time. Thank goodness for modern technology and DVRs. We recorded the inauguration and she was able to watch it at home that evening instead.
I am a 67-year-old grandmother who is a President Trump supporter. My three grandchildren did not get to watch the inauguration. They attend elementary school at Oak Grove here in Peachtree City. My son and daughter-in-law (who are not President Trump supporters) were elated that the school opted out of watching the event, something I believe should have been seen by my grandchildren. I am so sad about this, more than I can even say. I wasn’t, or were my parents for every president that got elected, but we watched history in the making. It is each individual’s privilege, in these United States of America to see these events. These millennials have a lot to learn. I just hope they wake up and quit acting so childish because their candidate didn’t win. This up and coming youth need to see and understand what a great democracy we are fortunate to be a part of here in this country. [I am] one of the baby boomers who was disappointed in the schools’ decision to opt out.
I was disappointed my children, a third grader at Kedron and a sophomore at McIntosh, did not get to view the presidential inauguration at school. My youngest was told they could not view this historically significant event because it would cause hurt feelings. My high school-aged child said he knows of no classes that showed the event. I am also quite disappointed that many students and at least one teacher no longer stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at McIntosh High School.
My grandson was not offered the opportunity to view the event at school (Starr’s Mill). He said he thinks it was up to the team that you were on. He said he knew some people were watching but his “team” was not. I believe in previous inaugurations, both with Obama, the choice was the students could opt “out,” however, both of his inaugurations were shown. I don’t understand why this decision was left up to the teachers. The entire speech from President Trump was 17 minutes. To my knowledge nothing was sent home with the students one way or the other as to your choice to watch or not. I don’t think the teachers should have had the burden of that decision placed on them, nor do I believe they should be able to determine the rights of others either way. I feel we have become too political, and we have been caving in to the pressures of liberals far too long. It does not matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat, history was being made on Jan. 20, and many missed it because of the decisions of a few. This sounds too much like socialism to me.
