CBS: ‘Dangerous Precedent’ to Make Obama Speech Optional for Students

While reporting on President Obama’s Tuesday nationwide address to students on Tuesday’s CBS Evening News, correspondent Dean Reynolds highlighted one school that made it mandatory viewing: "At Betsy Ross Elementary in Forest Park, Illinois, today, they did not think the children were at risk....Opting out would set a dangerous precedent according to officials here."

Louis Cavallo, the superintendent of the school district located just outside Obama’s hometown of Chicago, explained to Reynolds: "We do not allow parents to decide what is to be taught and what is not to be taught on a day to day basis." Reynolds touted positive student reactions: "Many students who heard the President today gave him good marks." One girl declared: "I thought that the speech was really, really good." Another described: "He encouraged us to do our best at everything that we try to do." To which Reynolds added: "And who would argue with that?"

At the top of the broadcast, anchor Katie Couric called the speech a "back-to-school pep talk" and later introduced the report by lamenting "that’s created a bit of a political schoolyard brawl." Reynolds began his report by describing a Dallas school that made student viewing of the speech opitional. He then briefly mentioned the source of the controversy: "For days talk radio critics and others have charged Mr. Obama would try to brainwash the young....The attacks led the White House to revise a lesson plan accompanying the speech, which encouraged students to help the President."

Here is a full transcript of the segment:

6:30PM TEASE:

KATIE COURIC: Also tonight, a back-to-school pep talk.

BARACK OBAMA: Every single one of you has something to offer. You have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.

6:33PM SEGMENT:

KATIE COURIC: Now about that other presidential address that’s created a bit of a political schoolyard brawl. He offered students across the country words of encouragement today as they begin a new school year. Sounds simple enough, but even that was controversial. Here’s our national correspondent Dean Reynolds.

DEAN REYNOLDS: At a middle school near Dallas this morning, parents were divided on whether their children should hear the President of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN [PARENT]: Politics shouldn’t be brought into the school system.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN B [PARENT]: I’m fine with her hearing it here. I mean, he is our president.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN [PARENT]: My child will not see it, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN C [TALK RADIO HOST]: Pull your kids out of school on September 8.

REYNOLDS: For days talk radio critics and others have charged Mr. Obama would try to brainwash the young.

MAN C: Folks, this is indoctrination.

REYNOLDS: The attacks led the White House to revise a lesson plan accompanying the speech, which encouraged students to help the President.

JIM GREER [CHAIRMAN, FLORIDA REPUBLICAN PARTY]: That was wrong. That was inappropriate. They should never have done it. And they recognized that because they took the lesson plans down off the web site.

REYNOLDS: Some schools said kids could stay away if their parents felt that strongly about it.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL [STUDENT]: My parents are excusing me from class and I’ll probably leave campus so I’m not – so I don’t have to be here.

REYNOLDS: But in the speech, beamed to schools nationwide from a high school in Virginia, Mr. Obama delivered a rather common sense pep talk on the need to study and stay in school

OBAMA: What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you.

REYNOLDS: Nor was he the first president to address students.

RONALD REAGAN: We need, in other words, to introduce education to some free market principles.

REYNOLDS: At Betsy Ross Elementary in Forest Park, Illinois, today, they did not think the children were at risk.

LOUIS CAVALLO [SUPERINTENDENT, FOREST PARK, ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICT]: It’s a learning experience. And every kid should have the opportunity.

REYNOLDS: At this school district in the Chicago suburbs, the President’s remarks were considered a lesson, attendance was mandatory for first graders through eighth graders. Opting out would set a dangerous precedent according to officials here.

CAVALLO: We do not allow parents to decide what is to be taught and what is not to be taught on a day to day basis.

REYNOLDS: Many students who heard the President today gave him good marks.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL B [STUDENT]: I thought that the speech was really, really good.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL C [STUDENT]: He encouraged us to do our best at everything that we try to do.

REYNOLDS: And who would argue with that? Dean Reynolds, CBS News, Forest Park, Illinois.