Post by Oldskool on Sept 14, 2009 12:20:37 GMT -5
www.star-telegram.com/news/story/1612049.html
mmcdonald@star-telegram.com
Arlington ISD cancels 5th-grade field trip to see Bush
Six days after drawing fire for not showing President Barack Obama's speech to schoolchildren, Arlington Superintendent Jerry McCullough announced Monday that he also will not be allowing 600 fifth-graders to attend a Super Bowl event next week featuring former President George W. Bush.
McCullough made national headlines – and issued an apology - last week after it was discovered that he didn't allow students to watch Obama's speech live, but that the district had previously approved a fifth-grade field trip to the new Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 21, where Bush is scheduled to speak during a Super Bowl XLV kickoff event.
On Monday morning, McCullough announced that he has changed his mind about allowing students to attend the Super Bowl event, which he said has become a "local and national issue and a distraction for the AISD."
"I have informed the North Texas Super Bowl XLV host committee that the AISD will not participate in the kickoff event on Sept. 21 in order to maintain our focus on instruction," McCullough wrote.
McCullough said last week that he didn't allow students to watch Obama's speech live Tuesday because he didn't want to disrupt the school day. After district offices were flooded with calls from parents and media about the district's plans to allow students to hear Bush speak, McCullough issued an apology.
"In retrospect, I can see the district's decisions concerning these two events could be seen as favoring one event over another," McCullough said last week. Twenty-eight fifth-grade classes were scheduled to attend the Bush event.
Arlington was among many districts that did not set aside class time for Obama's speech. The district did, however, allow students to miss a half-day of school to watch it elsewhere and the speech was recorded for classroom use later.
And who suffers the most....the kids. They are just pawns in the middle of grownup political BS.
mmcdonald@star-telegram.com
Arlington ISD cancels 5th-grade field trip to see Bush
Six days after drawing fire for not showing President Barack Obama's speech to schoolchildren, Arlington Superintendent Jerry McCullough announced Monday that he also will not be allowing 600 fifth-graders to attend a Super Bowl event next week featuring former President George W. Bush.
McCullough made national headlines – and issued an apology - last week after it was discovered that he didn't allow students to watch Obama's speech live, but that the district had previously approved a fifth-grade field trip to the new Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 21, where Bush is scheduled to speak during a Super Bowl XLV kickoff event.
On Monday morning, McCullough announced that he has changed his mind about allowing students to attend the Super Bowl event, which he said has become a "local and national issue and a distraction for the AISD."
"I have informed the North Texas Super Bowl XLV host committee that the AISD will not participate in the kickoff event on Sept. 21 in order to maintain our focus on instruction," McCullough wrote.
McCullough said last week that he didn't allow students to watch Obama's speech live Tuesday because he didn't want to disrupt the school day. After district offices were flooded with calls from parents and media about the district's plans to allow students to hear Bush speak, McCullough issued an apology.
"In retrospect, I can see the district's decisions concerning these two events could be seen as favoring one event over another," McCullough said last week. Twenty-eight fifth-grade classes were scheduled to attend the Bush event.
Arlington was among many districts that did not set aside class time for Obama's speech. The district did, however, allow students to miss a half-day of school to watch it elsewhere and the speech was recorded for classroom use later.
And who suffers the most....the kids. They are just pawns in the middle of grownup political BS.
