Some schools are choosing to forgo the live broadcast of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony on Wednesday because of concerns about potential violence that could be broadcast to classrooms.
In Dallas, some school districts are avoiding showing live images in the classroom while Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are sworn in. The Keller Independent School District is allowing parents to excuse their children from attending the event, while in Plano, administrators decided not to broadcast the ceremony, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The Sheldon Independent School District, near Houston, sent a letter to parents explaining that students will watch clips of the event the next day.
Security in Washington DC has increased exponentially in the days since supporters of President Trump invaded the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in a deadly siege that ended with five dead – including a Capitol police officer – and dozens of prisons.
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A worker pulls cables while preparations are underway for President Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony at the US Capitol in Washington. Some school districts are choosing not to broadcast the ceremony live in classrooms, due to concerns about potential violence. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky)
Thousands of National Guard soldiers and police from across the country were sent to the area to protect the capital and ensure a peaceful transfer of power. At least 12 members of the Guard have been removed for suspected links to far-right extremists.
After the attack on the Capitol, the FBI was warned that groups were planning protests in capitals in all 50 states.
“[W]and we will not be attending the inauguration live next Wednesday at school with the students. Consider this a non-negotiable directive, “read an email sent by Education Week to a principal in Barrow County Schools, Georgia.
The Bangor, Maine School Department said it recognizes the historic event, but that the opening will not be shown in classrooms “due to the threat of potential violence,” reported the Bangor Daily News.
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In Norwalk, Connecticut, teachers were asked to show the opening with an hour delay due to the potential for violence if they chose to broadcast the event.
“Based on news footage from several weeks ago, we are doing this very cautiously, especially with our young students in mind,” Norwalk Public Schools communications director Brenda Wilcox Williams told The Hour.
The Ossining Union Free School District in New York State is also opting out of allowing students to attend.
“To guarantee the social and emotional well-being of our students, the meaning and impact of the inauguration and transfer of power will certainly be topics for discussion in our classrooms, but we will not broadcast the ceremony live in elementary schools”, Superintendent Raymond Sanchez said in a letter explaining the move.
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Other districts are taking a different approach. In Plam Beach, Florida, teachers were told that they could show the event if it referred to classes in the classroom. They would need to approach the issue in a “balanced and fair” way, reported WMFE-TV.