Bellevue School District has joined an increasing number of schools from across the country that are not airing President Barack Obama’s Tuesday back-to-school address. A notice announcing the decision has been placed on the district’s website.”President’s Speech: The Bellevue School District curriculum department has decided to tape President Obama’s September 8 speech. It is our understanding that the President will be advising students to work hard in school, persist, and stay focused on achieving educational goals. Following this, the tape will be made available to any teacher who wants to use it in a balanced discussion, so long as it fits within the education objectives of the class.” The speech has drawn criticism from parents claiming that President Obama will try to indoctrinate their children and also conservative media types calling for a boycott, including Fox News talk show host Glenn Beck and columnist Michelle Malkin.A letter from Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the nation’s 14,000 school districts insisted that the speech was purely inspirational and – divining public backlash – stressed that it’s not a “policy speech”.”During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.”Students are also being “invited” to respond by creating YouTube videos describing the steps they’ll take to improve education and the role it will play in their lives.Texts of the speech are being provided to educators on Monday, a day before the televised address.Bellevue joins schools from at least six other states, including Texas, not airing the speech. It is likely one of the more prominent districts so far. The affluent Eastside school district was recognized over the past two years by Newsweek magazine for having five high schools that are the Top 100 in the country.Update: A call to Superintendent Amalia Cudeiro’s office, seeking information about the decision making process to ban Obama’s speech went to voice-mail this Labor Day Monday. Cudeiro was hired by the Bellevue School Board last March and began work on July 1.

Update: The White House has released a transcript of President Obama’s speech. The full text can be read at the White House website here.As advertised, the address is a rather innocuous affair encouraging school children to take responsibility for their education and study hard.”Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class.”