By Todd Starnes
Fourth grade students at a public school in a battleground state were ordered by their teachers to write letters to President Obama, according to an outraged parent.
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The parent said his child is enrolled in an afterschool program called “PLACE” at Seven Oaks Elementary School in Pasco County, Fla.
“My daughter told me that the PLACE teachers made all of the children write a letter to Barack Obama,” the unidentified parent wrote in an email. “My daughter told them that she did not want to write a letter to Barack Obama but she would like to write a letter to Mitt Romney instead.”
The parent said the teachers told her no.
“The PLACE teachers told her that they were sorry but everyone was to write a letter to Barack Obama,” he said.
The parent said he and his wife were voicing their concerns and objections to school officials.
“We don’t appreciate them insisting that our daughter write a letter to someone that we do not support,” he said. “Is there anything else that can be done to stop this attempt to indoctrinate our children?”
The Pasco County School district has been rocked by allegations that volunteers from Organizing For America were allowed on high school campuses to register hundreds of teenagers to vote.
Obama campaign volunteers at one high school allegedly told teenage girls that if Mitt Romney was elected president, he would take away their birth control and outlaw abortion.
An Obama volunteer at another school, who was identified as a former teacher, was given permission to deliver highly partisan speeches to a number of senior high school classes.
When Republicans asked for equal access – the school district denied their request.
Neither officials at the school nor the school district returned calls seeking comment.
Todd is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America – Culture War Stories from a Gun-toting, Chicken-eating, Son-of-a-Baptist. The book is endorsed by Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. Click here to get your copy!
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As far as I can see, the kids weren't told WHAT to write to the Prez. I would have had my kid make good use of their words if they were told to write a letter to him
There are a few things they could have written, aren't there? Like why have you made it so hard for my daddy to find a job, why is gas so high we can't go see grandma any more, why are you forcing to eat all this trash that even YOU wouldn't eat, and why have you given us so much debt that I will have to pay the rest of my life?
Just some starter questions . . .
Paul Robinson I wrote letters to both Presidents George H.W. Bush and then Bill Clinton when I was a kid, and I really judged them by what they sent back to me. Bush sent me a letter addressing my 6 year old "serious" concerns, and attached a picture of him smiling while washing a car or something. It was great. Bill Clinton wrote back when I was in the fourth grade a standard "DEAR CITIZEN" letter, and attached an 8×12 close up portrait of himself. Gee thanks a lot, Mr. President.
omg like its from Fox news so it isn't true! consider your source!!! ?P Sorry still a little miffed on what happened with my share.
If there was no force to write whatever they wanted to write, then I would suggest to this parent to tell the child to ask Obama WHY he was so intent on destroying this country by making up his own laws and rules, and ignoring The Constitution of the United States of America, and WHY everything he has done has been without the Republicans, and only the Democrats? What would be the teachers' answer to this? We ALL know the answer to this, now, don't we.
Janie-Jason Giltner – grow up already.
She was being sarcastic, dude.
Sandi Lyn Bunch Thank you, I missed it…I love well placed sarcasm.
the schools should of asked the kids to write a letter to they're favorite person, not the teachers….
Right. Maybe then they would have learned that it's 'should have', not 'should of', and that the first word of a sentence is capitalized and only one period ends a sentence.
thats all you have to say about this???how about teachers pushing they're values on the students.how liberal of you…
No, how grammatical of me. You're all upset over a simple 'write a letter to the President' exercise, which will teach the kids the grammar, punctuation, and spelling that you so sorely lack. And it's 'their', not 'they're'.
No Lewis, it was not that type of letter. How liberal and naive of you to believe that it would be grammatically based.
Lewis Neidhardt /i dont give a rats ass how you phrase it.this president needs to ship home to kenya,and the school teachers need to be teaching without bias….typical liberal behaivor as always…go back to cleaning the woodshop.
I remember having to write the President when I was little, and it was more of a lesson in formal letter writing than anything else. I'm not sure what the issue is here, exactly, unless the teacher was forcing the students to praise BO some how. I agree with Sandi that if they were not told what to write, then the child should have complied and written whatever she wanted to write. She could have written BO and told him that she hopes Mitt wins. =)
True, but that's not the case any longer. I'm quite sure that if the child had wanted to ask Obama why he was destroying the America that has been around for 232 years? Betcha that letter would NOT be allowed.
And she couldn't have learned to write a form letter by writing to Romney ?
The only politics that have a place in our schools is the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Yep. The only way to get it? Get rid of the Teachers' Union. There isn't another way.
Come on Todd…you're just making this stuff up right? This kind of systematic indoctrination just does not happen in this country. We would never subject 9-year old students to political intimidation. Our teachers would never browbeat children, placed with parental trust in their care into supporting the finest president we have ever had. (Insert profound sarcasm here.)
I need to ask these "teachers" and "administrators," why would such a magnificent and flawless leader, require such obedience and support from children? Why are they pushing such a monarch on the most impressionable and innocent of the non-voting public? (A rhetorical question).
To the parents that are intelligent enough to ask, "what should we do?" – remove all of your children until those idiots are all fired; since the school district cannot afford to be without students, they will act accordingly. You must remember, YOU still have the ultimate power but it is only effective if you exercise it.
I don't see a big problem with a TEACHER having students write letters to the president, as a class activity – as long as the teacher does not pressure or try to politically influence what they write or think about the president, his opponent, or the election. However, since the PLACE program is just an after-school care program, I am a bit surprised they "ordered" this.
Kaylea told us last night she had to write a letter to Barack Obama at school. But they didn't tell her what to write or anything. They have been practicing letter writing, and they have been studying ALL of the presidents. It was not political.
There is no problem with writing letters to the president…but it is just a start of the real problem:
The original article:
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/school-lets-dems-register-students-to-vote-but-not-gop.html
More specifics:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/fla-school-district-lets-pro-obama-group-register-students-to-vote-deliver-speeches/
Some additional confirmation:
http://riehlworldview.com/2012/10/pasco-county-fl-schools-let-ofadems-register-students-to-vote-but-not-gop.html
Perhaps now you won't be so surprised.
A simple letter writing (to the president) class activity is not the same as having one party come in and give speeches for their candidate, and register students to vote. Kids have done that for decades.
Nothing wrong with writing to the President, as long as they were not coered into writing specific dialogue.
Nothing wrong in teaching out kids to be civic minded.
I agree with you on both parts, also nothing wrong with saying the pledge of allengiance, or wearing a cross or saying a prayer But, the schools (some of them & some teachers) have become dictators to the kids, …. look at the news (all news) law suits with school teacher over T shirts with Romney on them for gods sake….Parents are tired of it…….
Exactly. How about equal time? Whatever happened to majority rules? Kid's can't even talk about Christmas without fear of "offending" someone who doesn't celebrate. I know I learned more about other cultures as a kid by being INCLUSIVE, instead of politically correct.
How do most get a job being a teacher OR a job in the school system? IT'S WHO YOU KNOW, and you MUST BE a liberal, or you won't be hired. And, these Public Unions (not including military, police or fire – people who actually put their lives on the line every day, but teachers do not) don't "understand" why the people in this country are NOT in their corner? No one believes anything the Teachers' Union says any more – at all! They have proven who, and what they are. Most all of them are liberals – placed there by the Democrats through the years. However, if there was no force to write whatever they wanted to write, then what would happen if this same child wrote to Obama and asked him WHY he was so intent on destroying this country by making up his own laws and rules, and ignoring The Constitution of the United States of America? We ALL know the answer to this, now, don't we. That letter would NOT be taken by these people, and the child would have been reprimanded, and FORCED to write something neutral, or in support of something Obama has done. WE NEED TO GET RID OF TEACHERS' UNION NOW!
This is a non story. This has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with the office of the President. Writing a letter to the President is not endorsing a candidate or indoctrinating students. They didn't tell the students what to write. Had the teacher reprimanded her for saying negative things in the letter, then that would be a problem. This looks like some blowhard parent looking to make a big stink over nothing. If the parents had any sense, they would have told her to write a letter explaining why she supports Romney, or why she disagrees with the President.
Did you read the story? She asked to do something else and was told no.
She asked to be allowed to write a letter to Romney instead. The teacher told her no. This has everything to do with politics!!!!
Evidently you have not read the story or the related stories and consequently you are clueless. Try this:
The original article:
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/school-lets-dems-register-students-to-vote-but-not-gop.html
More specifics:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/fla-school-district-lets-pro-obama-group-register-students-to-vote-deliver-speeches/
Some additional confirmation:
http://riehlworldview.com/2012/10/pasco-county-fl-schools-let-ofadems-register-students-to-vote-but-not-gop.html
Perhaps it can add the context and perspective that you are lacking.
Anthony De Rubeis Additional information on the story: http://bit.ly/PLACE_LTP
Odell Harwell It wasn't a TEACHER, but rather an employee in the after-school program. http://bit.ly/PLACE_LTP
Gil Gonzalez – I understand that such letters have been written by students for decades and have stated that I have no issue with the practice. But given the other related issues in FL schools and around the country, politics in classrooms is inappropriate. The current and growing level of indoctrination and intimidation in HS and college is equally unacceptable.
Further, schools must sanction anyone and everyone that appears on campus to address students. All materials must be reviewed and approved…in the case of Obama volunteers showing up with material and attempting to register voters, this obviously did not happen, so it is ether gross incompetence or willful negligence.
Apparently when I wrote a letter to Bill Clinton in 5th grade as a class assignment my teacher was indoctrinating me, which is why I vote Democrat now. Makes sense.
Do you know the difference Between being a Democrat and a Republican? Do you know the difference between Democracy and Republic?
Seems like a normal letter writing exercise to me. I would allow these kids to write the letter and take whatever they say whether complimentary or non-complimentary. As for the student that wanted to write a letter to Mitt Romney, that is her right.
It is her right on her own time, but students do not have the right to alter a teachers assignment because they do not like the topic. I think the teacher should of allowed it, but hey that was the teachers call.
This was an after school program, not regular classroom curriculum.
So it was voluntary and the students could of left and refused to write the letter then. So what is the problem?
WOW
My forth grader just came home with a sticker that looked nearly identical to Obama's campaign symbol , with the words " Vote for Change " on it. I wasn't pleased and plan to make a visit to the school shortly.
Learn to spell 'fourth' and you may get a gold star.
Do you feel better about yourself now that you pointed out a typo ? . Have a good day .
Interesting…I was just thinking about how the Romney graphic looks a whole lot like a vertical version of the Obama graphic on their posters. I don't think campaigns have a copyright on the use of red, white and blue stripes. And as far as the words go…unless it specifically said Obama on it, I would think you could interpret the words "vote for change" to mean "vote for someone new that isn't in office already" just as easily. Obama doesn't hold a copyright on the word "change" either.
Its the subliminal message that is the issue. Its associative..like the Mcdonald's Arches.
You think it looks like 2 Rs ?
Hey Lewis, have you ever heard of a TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR? Quit being so fastidious that you can talk only to a small circle of readers.
Miriam Climenhaga Sorry Miriam, "Hope and Change? is now associated with Obama for the forseeable future!!!
I stand by what I said. I don't think of Obama every time I hear the word "hope" or "change". But I am aware that that doesn't mean that you don't. I wouldn't worry so much about Steve's kid suddenly deciding they are going to grow up and vote for somebody different than who their dad thinks they should, just because of a sticker. The indoctrination we get from our parent's is far stronger than the indoctrination we get from school or stickers. Actually, what I really think is that if Steve simply left it alone and threw away the sticker…his kid probably would never notice, nor care, because he/she is a kid…so going and discussing it w/ the school just seems like a big waste of time on both his part and the school's. My point about the logo is that they have taken a similar approach w/ the style, size, and red, white, and blue of those two R's as they have taken with that big O that Obama uses. Of course, I can tell the difference, I'm just saying that stylistically it looks like the hired the same person to come up w/ the logo. Just my opinion though…just like anyone else…
This is why we homeschool. For all you naiive ones who see no problem, it is clear that they were promoting an agenda and thus indoctrinating when they denied equal time to Republicans.
The children should be taught to write to the President, the Governor, and all of their elected officials. This should be entirely non-partisan. He's your President and he's spending your money and making decisions that affect you whether you voted for him or not.
I would agree that they should be taught and encouraged, but not forced. The correct way (IMO) to have handled that would be to let the girl write to both of the candidates.
Jim Giercyk Promoting a particular political party should not be allowed. But Barack Obama is not just a candidate. He is the sitting President. If the intention of the class is to show the students that they have power and influence over their government, then it should be mandatory. Everyone needs to understand that concept. If the intention is to promote a particular ideology, then it shouldn't be allowed. But if the class were about writing candidates, then the students should have been allowed to pick one of the 12 that are on the ballot, or a write in.
By the time these little people had even picked up a learning pencil, I had already exchanged Christmas gifts w/ the Governor of TN, Lamar Alexander and also been encouraged to write my sitting President Reagan… which I did twice. Anyone w/ a proper education is NOT FORCED to do anything. If the girl wanted to write to Romney, then her parents should have allowed that opportunity. Writing a letter to the sitting President is NOT uncommon and if a child doesn't agree w/ that sitting President's policies', then one can only turn and look at the parent(s) inept ability to keep their adult political theories to theirselves and out of an innocent child's mind.
It seems odd that Republicans are the only ones mentioned in this article. The Libertarian Party of Pasco County has been fighting for equal access as well and while the local newspapers have chosen to be objective and include the LP in their reporting Fox News has chosen to be a shill for the Republican Party again.
Wow, and whatever happened to writing to Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? This is ridiculous and stinks of political correctness. This is clearly an attempt at indoctrination at this obviously government- run and taxpayer funded school where Big Gov'ment seems to have the final say as to what other peoples kids are taught or forced to do that runs contrary to the values that parents teach them at home. Its just sickening how politics enters the school system where one philosophy all of a sudden trumps the other in a show of partisan favoritism. Yes, in the school house, there's no dissemination of differing ideologies, just a requirement that one, and only one becomes a childs mantra and motto, ingrained in there minds and chiseled on their hearts in an act of sworn allegiance. There's no room in the schools for two opposites, just the one with a leftward negative impact. When it gets like this, its a sign of desperation on the part of those progressives who have the upper hand in transforming America and our future through the classroom, overriding parental authority in the process. In the meantime, in this politically hostile enviroment, the mood seems to be an indicator that there can be no opposing philosophy or ideal to counter what the Left intends to commit to through its ambitiously dangerous agenda. I'm not opposed to kids learning how government works, but what I wholeheartedly disagree with is the attempt to change their minds with something they don't understand at such a young age. I would say to let them enjoy their youth and let the parents partake with their kids about what they themselves stand for or support, and let the kids make up their own minds. Hell, I'm in college working on my second career, I wish my instructor would make my class write to McKenyan, because unlike other students, I don't play nice and I will not conform to the Left leaning thinking expected of students these days.
I think the problem has to do with the timing. The teacher picks an election year, at election time, at one of the MOST BIASED TIMES this country has ever seen.
I live in Pasco County FL. This child is in my daughter's dance class. I spoke with the Mom tonight. These PLACE workers are after school day care workers and are not there in a teacher capacity (even if they are a teacher). There are no formal lessons taught, only help with homework, playing games etc. The child politely asked if she could write a letter to Governor Romney and she was denied the opportunity and was told she could only write to Obama.
This to shall pass. Don't be surprised at blissful ignorance. Do not surprised at the depth of evil in the heart of makind.
The letter should have stated.. Where is the budget? Why has gas doubled?, Why are you golfing when people are attacking American embassies. Is your wifes 6.5K coat warm? Why is the food in the lunch room so crappy now? Why do I have to start out thousands in debt do to your policies?
My God, people, kids have been writing letters to the President since George Washington. I wrote one to Dwight Eisenhower, but never to Adlai Stevenson.This isn't a conspiracy, it's a writing exercise. If Romney wins the election, they'll be writing him next year.
Wow! I had several posts on this article reference it shoddy reporting and lack of corroboration and facts. Strangely, they all got deleted. Seems the author rearranged some text and removed the only verifiable source(the 9 year old's mother) and replaced it with unidentified parent. That's not helping Todd. William Randolf Hearst would be proud of you.
Ah… I found it. The story was rebranded "Parents Say School is Turning Kids into Obama Activists" Same story with a more inflammatory headline. What a piece of work……
Unfortunately there are very few true journalist. Almost everyone injects their agenda into stories. And I agree, Fox News is biased… they are way too liberal
You liberals are EVIL and trying to destroy America!!
Correct headline: Fourth Graders Ordered to Write Letters to the President.
Glad you no longer consider registering high school students to vote a part of the culture war.
When the OFA does it illegally in Pasco County, Florida, I do
When the OFA does it illegally in Pasco County, Florida, I do
Story says nothing about illegal activity.
In Pasco County, OFA employees lied about being from the Supervisor of Elections office and registered to vote HS students.
I don't mind HS kids being registered to vote. I just think they are too stupid to vote
No mention of WHAT the students were to write or the purpose of the activity. I say activity, because this is a before/after school program and the "teacher" you state in the article is not a teacher. PLACE employees are not teachers at the school. If the 4th graders at this school were learning about the branches of government or anything that pertained to being president, then why would you write someone "running" for president rather than the man who has held the office the past 4 years?
This is strange, isn't it? Something is not adding up.
I hate that anyone who works in a school is called a teacher. It sells more papers that way. I understand the parent being upset, but report the facts!
Kids have been writing letters to the President for years. This is not anything new. I don't recall being asked to write to the person running against him.
Kids have always written letters to the President.Why is this President seen so differently? I wonder.. whatever happened to national pride and respect for the office.We are in a lot of trouble as a nation.
Kids have always written letters to the President.Why is this President seen so differently? I wonder.. whatever happened to national pride and respect for the office.We are in a lot of trouble as a nation.
Mr. Starnes,
You are a sensationalizing idiot. Here's the REAL story. http://bit.ly/PLACE_LTP