WASHINGTON - In a speech that drew fire even before he delivered it, President Barack Obama is telling the nation's schoolchildren he "expects great things from each of you."
"At the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents and the best schools in the world," Obama said. "And none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities."
The White House posted Obama's remarks on its Web site at midday Monday. He's scheduled to deliver the talk from Wakefield High School in suburban Arlington, Va., Tuesday. It will be broadcast live on C-SPAN and on the White House Web site.
Obama's planned talk has proven controversial, with several conservative organizations and individuals accusing him of trying to pitch his arguments too aggressively in a local-education setting. White House officials, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, have said the allegations are silly.
Obama got a bit of a boost from former first lady Laura Bush on Monday when she said she supported Obama's decision to address the nation's school children.
"There's a place for the president of the United States to talk to school children and encourage school children" to stay in school, Mrs. Bush, a former school teacher, said in a CNN interview.
When told some parents were keeping their children home because of the president's address, she said "that's their right ... to choose what they want their children to hear in school."
She added that it was "really important for everyone to respect the president of the United States."
Several Indiana school districts allowed students to opt out of watching President Barack Obama's address.
Jasper High School in southern Indiana's Dubois County won't show the speech live, but school officials will download it and let teachers show it later in the day.
Students who don't want to watch can go to the library while the speech is shown.
"If a student doesn't want to view it, he or she doesn't have to," said Principal Bob Hacker. "This country was built on democracy. We are going to practice that and give our students a choice."
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. said it would record the speech and show it Wednesday morning instead. Parents could request that their children not participate.
Communications director Marsha Jackson said the decision to record the speech and show it Wednesday was based on conflicts with lunch schedules. The delay also allows parents to preview the speech and decide whether they want their children to see it, she said.
Warrick County schools left the decision on showing the speech to teachers. Parents could opt out of having their children see it.
Superintendent Brad Schneider acknowledged that concerns have been raised that the speech could be used to spread a political message.
"As superintendent, I do not feel politics belong in our schools," Schneider said.
In Fort Wayne, some parents vowed not to send their children to school the day of Obama's speech.
Amy Riecken plans to go to Imagine MASTer Academy and watch the speech with her two sons, who attend the charter school.
"I'm afraid there's going to be some attempts at brainwashing," Riecken said.
Fort Wayne Community Schools spokeswoman Krista Stockman said some teachers plan to incorporate the speech into their lesson plans for the day. Parents who don't want their children to participate can send a note requesting they be excused.
But Stockman said students who miss school Tuesday solely because of the speech will be given an unexcused absence.
"To pull a child out of school for an entire day for this, they're going to miss a lot on that day," Stockman said.
In a Labor Day speech in Cincinnati, Obama mentioned his upcoming address. "I'm going to have something to say tomorrow to our children telling them to stay in school and work hard 'cause that's the right message to send."
"It's a sad state of affairs that many in this country politically would rather start an "Animal House" food fight rather than inspire kids to stay in school, to work hard, to engage parents to stay involved, and to ensure that the millions of teachers that are making great sacrifices continue to be the best in the world," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday. "It's a sad state of affairs."
In the prepared remarks, Obama tells young people that all the work of parents, educators and others won't matter "unless you show up to those schools, pay attention to those teachers."
Obama made no reference in his prepared remarks to the uproar surrounding his speech. Nor did he make an appeal for support of tough causes like health care reform. He used the talk to tell kids about his at-times clumsy ways as a child and to urge them to identify an area of interest, set goals and work hard to achieve them.
The president also warned students that if they quit on school, "you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country."
Obama acknowledged that "being successful is hard," but told the students the country badly needs their best effort to cope in an increasingly competitive global economy.
"What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country," Obama says. "What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future."
The president noted that he was raised by a single mother who made him buckle down and work harder at times. He said he's glad she did.
Some conservatives have urged schools and parents to boycott the address. They say Obama is using the opportunity to promote a political agenda.
Schools don't have to show the speech. And some districts have decided not to, partly in response to concerns from parents.
Duncan's department has also taken heat for proposed lesson plans distributed to accompany the speech.
On Sunday, the secretary acknowledged that a section about writing to the president on how students can help him meet education goals was poorly worded. It has been changed.
"We just clarified that to say write a letter about your own goals and what you're going to do to achieve those goals," Duncan said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Former Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush delivered similar speeches to students, the White House has said.
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