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.
