Milwaukee Public Schools and Special Inaugural Events

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

What should school kids be doing Tuesday when Barack Obama is sworn in as president of the United States?

Reading, writing and 'rithmetic?

Watching on TV?

Something else appropriate for the historic moment?

Milwaukee School Board President Peter Blewett has called a special meeting of the board for tonight to consider a resolution he is proposing that would encourage each school in MPS "to suspend the use of its normal curriculum and encourage teachers to develop appropriate activities and lessons focused on presidential inauguration activities" Tuesday.

Blewett's resolution comes as schools across the United States decide what to do on Inauguration Day, when Obama will become the first African-American president.

...In the Milwaukee area, at least some schools, both public and private, are planning celebrations.

MPS spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin said Keefe Avenue School is planning an inaugural ball from 3 to 6 p.m. Other examples: Students at Oliver Wendell Holmes School will watch the ceremony on television, and students at Elm Creative Arts Elementary School are being encouraged to wear red, white and blue to school.

Blewett says in his resolution that observance of the quadrennial event should be made a permanent part of MPS practice.

"Milwaukee Public Schools should instill in its students a keen awareness of the importance of the presidential inauguration as a sign of continuity or the peaceful transfer of power in our democracy and encourage active participation of schools in emphasizing the importance and historical significance of the Inauguration," Blewett wrote.

If John McCain was going to be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, I guarantee MPS would not be holding a special board meeting to determine how to observe the event.

If McCain had won the election, Sarah Palin would be the first woman to hold the office of vice president of the United States. That would be a truly historic moment, an American woman a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Do you think MPS would be acknowledging that milestone?

No chance. No way. Instead of encouraging kids to wear red, white, and blue, teachers would probably be in mourning and dressed in black.

If students watched the ceremony on TV, that would probably be followed by a Republican bash fest.

The inauguration would not be seen as a celebration. There would be no discussion of the significance of the first woman becoming the vice president.

Milwaukee Public Schools are Republican-free zones, aren't they? I think there's a zero tolerance policy in place.