Federal Way students can't watch Obama's inauguration without parental permission

Via KING5, here's another stupid "administrative policy" from the school district that decided Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth shouldn't be shown in school:

Millions of people will be glued to the TV next week when President-elect Barack Obama takes his oath of office. But in Federal Way, students will need to get permission from their parents to watch the historical inauguration in school.

“I think that's a little overkill,” said parent Pam Ditzhazy. “Maybe it should even been required to see it. It's a huge event.”

Federal way principals received an e-mail notifying them of the rule.

Coming Soon to Washington, D.C.: The Inauguration of Barack Obama, Forty Fourth President of the United States, First African American to be Elected President. This event has been rated "R" by the MPAA for... betraying conservative values.

This decision is so ridiculous that it can't be boneheaded. But all the same, the district has tried to come up with an excuse to justify the policy:

The concern is that the televised inauguration was not listed in syllabus handed out at the beginning of the term. The district considers the inauguration a full length documentary, unlike some newspaper or internet reference articles which do not require pre-approval.

The televised inauguration of America's next president is not a feature film. It's a current event, one that everyone who has the opportunity to witness should watch. Our next Commander in Chief is going to speak to our future. Young people, especially, should hear his message.

KING5 asked school officials in Tacoma and Seattle if students there needed parental permission to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama. The answer? Of course not.

If you'd like to (politely) tell Federal Way's Superintendent to stop this nonsense, you'll find his contact information at the bottom of his official biography page.