Letter From Buncombe County Board of Education

Dear Ms Franzi,

The video clip in question is :55 seconds of a 26-minute program–the only portion of the program involving the President. You are welcome to come by and see the entire program on DVD–I guarantee that you will be left with a different impression than you were by a truncated clip which in itself was used for someone else’s political gain. The program was not. Here’s the background:

On February 19, 2009, the third grade at one of our schools presented a wonderful and educational evening program for parents that included readings, skits, poems and songs about famous Americans throughout history. The program was the outgrowth of the children’s study of leaders of all cultures and backgrounds as part of the North Carolina Course of Study (see description below).

As part of the program, biographical data, phrases, philosophies and character traits associated with each person were worked into the fabric of the presentation. The segment on President Obama concluded the evening, and incorporated verbage found elsewhere in the program that was unrelated to him (Hope, Education, One person can change the world, etc). The segment was less than 1-minute in length out of a 26-minute program which featured famous Americans of all colors and creeds, including George Washington, Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton and Martin Luther King Jr. As the first African-American to be elected President of the United States, it was entirely appropriate to feature President Obama in the program along with other famous American leaders.

It should be noted that parents viewing the program in February gave the students a standing ovation, and registered no concerns then or during the ensuing seven months since the program was presented. That is, UNTIL their children’s privacy was violated and safety placed in jeopardy with the posting of the 1-minute segment on YouTube, and subsequently shown on electronic media of all types around the country. They are very concerned, saddened and distressed over that aspect…not over the program itself.

Below is a verbatim description of relevant curriculum, available on line at the North Carolina Department of Instruction:

NC Standard Course of Study: Social Studies: Elementary School Citizenship: People Making a Difference

This study “is designed to expand the students’ concept of “leaders” in relationship to their communities. Students study people of diverse groups, their cultures, religions, traditions, and contributions to the community. Students compare aspects of familiar communities with those of other cultures and other times. They are introduced to problems that leaders and communities confront and how conflicts are resolved. They investigate the contributions that these individuals have made to society.Students make connections between deeds leaders perform and the character traits each hero possesses.”

We appreciate your concerns, and hope to have allayed them somewhat. Again, you are welcome to view the whole video before passing judgement, just let me know.

–Jan Blunt, Director of Communications

Jan Blunt

Director of Communications
Buncombe County Schools
175 Bingham Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Office: 828.255.5997
Mobile: 828.775.5517
jan.blunt@bcsemail.org
www.buncombe.k12.nc.us