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President Obama's "Back to School" Address to Students
 MEDIA CONTACT:  GaDOE Communications office, (404) 463-1487, dtofig@gadoe.org  - Follow us on  Twitter  and  Facebook       At noon, on Tuesday, September 8, President Barack Obama will deliver a "back-to-school" address to students. The 15-20 minute speech will be broadcast via the web and on C-Span. You can learn more about this event at  http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html .      The White House and the U.S. Department of Education did not involve the Georgia Department of Education in the planning of this event. A letter inviting students to view the speech was sent directly to principals and local superintendents, not to the GaDOE.     There is nothing in state or federal law that would require or prohibit a school from showing this speech to students and the decision lies completely with local school officials.     Instructional time is a valuable commodity for schools. If a decision is made to show the video, it is important that its viewing and any subsequent discussion be tied directly to the standards being taught at the school. Also, it's important that students who do not want to watch the video have that option.     If it is decided not to show the video to students, then please be aware that the speech can be viewed online after school hours at  http://www.whitehouse.gov/mediaresources/ .      If parents have questions about the video, we would encourage them to contact their local school or school system.
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