When I called Woodstock Unit District 200 to find out how it is dealing with the request of the White House to broadcast President Barack Obama’s message to classrooms next Tuesday, Barb Banker, Director of Community Services, told me:

“We are making this optional for our schools, our teachers and our parents. What that essentially means is that our schools are aware of the opportunity and have made that option available within their buildings.

“In some schools there has been a choice to show the message, however, we’re still trying to take a tally of what will be done.

“Parents are going to be given the option to opt their children out and all of our parents will be notified of that opportunity.

“We are getting responses on both sides, to be frank.”

The Woodstock school district is the first I have found that plans to notify parents of their ability to request an alternative educational opportunity while the President speaks the day after Labor Day. That is the traditional day for starting school, but it certainly is not the first day anywhere around here.

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You see a picture of Greenwood School. The kids were at recess when we drove by on the way earlier this week.