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Filed under: Teens & tweens, In the news, EducationFor the past few days, everywhere I go I hear people talking about our new President-Elect Barack Obama. The overwhelming majority of these overheard conversations are between excited young people, thrilled with his victory and giddy with excitement over our country's future. I have also heard conversations between McCain supporters who are disappointed with the way things turned out and apprehensive about what will happen next.However you feel about Obama's victory, it is good to know that here in America, we are free to celebrate or criticize to our heart's content. Well, most of us are. Some students in Mississippi have found that the mere mention of Obama's name can get them in trouble.The ACLU has received complaints from students and parents in that state claiming they are being told not to say Barack Obama's name or wear shirts or other items expressing their support for the President-Elect. At Pearl Junior High School, two students were kicked off the bus for daring to utter Obama's name. Players for the girls' basketball team were told they would be suspended if they spoke Obama's name. And at Puckett Attendance Center, two students were informed that Barack Obama was only to be discussed in history class, not in other classes or in the halls.Why would these so-called authority figures want to silence conversations about our soon-to-be president? I am going to resist the urge to speculate on that. Let me just quote, in part, from a memorandum sent to high school teachers in Magee, Mississippi: "Seeing history in the making and being a part of that process is a wonderful thing. Many of you are excited because of this. Others are not. It is absolutely critical that we not use this election as a divisive event." Because haven't we had enough divisiveness? Read | Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Posted on Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST at http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/09/oba...i-schools/
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