President's Address to the Students

The following is a letter put out by our Superintendent regarding the President's address set for tomorrow at noon. This letter will be posted on the website (http://www.bensalemsd.org/) first thing tomorrow morning:

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dorothy D. Call Administrative Center
3000 Donallen Drive Bensalem, PA 19020

William J. Gretzula, Ed.D. Telephone: 215-750-2800; ext. 4100
District Superintendent E-Mail: wgretzula@bensalemsd.org

September 7, 2009

Dear Members of the Bensalem Township School District Community,

President Obama will address the school children of America in a live broadcast on CSPAN at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. The webcast will also be available at http://www.whitehouse.gov. I am sending this communication in an effort to answer questions that have arisen throughout our community.

Last week, school districts in Pennsylvania received information from the United States Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Education on how to access the President’s address. I forwarded this access information to our building Principals to share with our teachers so they could consider the instructional value of the address. This was not a directive, but rather an extension of an educational opportunity for classrooms.

The President’s remarks have been posted on the White House website. Much like the mission statement and core beliefs of Bensalem Township School District (BTSD), President Obama plans to recognize the following:

• Students should be challenged to work hard and be supported by the entire community including adults who students can trust;
• Students have a personal responsibility to accomplish their personally developed goals or personal definitions of success;
• Second chances are important for student learning; and
• Students should be engaged in learning activities in, and beyond, the classroom.

Though the intent of the message seems appropriate for our students, the timing of the address presents problems for live presentation to our students. Many students will not be able to see the address at that time of day. As a result, BTSD intends to maintain a regular school routine. The following directives have been issued to our staff:

• Elementary classrooms will not view the President’s speech live during the 12:00 broadcast time. Parents are encouraged to view the message at home in the evening with their children as a re-broadcast or at the http://www.whitehouse.gov/ website. Teachers may choose to show excerpts of this speech at a later time, if, after review, they believe it connects appropriately to the content for their classroom.
• In Middle School and High School classrooms, teachers will have discretion to view this message with their class during the 12:00 broadcast if there is a connection to the curriculum content of that course. Archival copies will be available to staff who may wish to use the address at a later time for courses that have a direct connection to the content of the speech. No student will be compelled to view the address. Parents are to be informed if parts of the address are used in the classroom.

Welcome back to classes at Bensalem Township School District. We look forward to an exciting 2009-10 school year!