Baltimore Catholic Schools opting in to Obama schoolchildren address

Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore are opting in to Obama's speech intended for public school children, but Archbishop O'Brien is also respecting the decision of some parents to have their kids skip the President's video presentation. This from Abp. O'Brien:

Since news of the address was first reported, the Catholic Center and several Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore have been contacted by parents, teachers and others expressing a desire that parents be given the opportunity to request that their children be excused from viewing the address.

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, Archbishop of Baltimore, acknowledges the historic significance of the President’s speech and is fully supportive of the educational messages the White House says the President will deliver. However, he agrees that parents should ultimately have the right to choose whether their child views the address and will ask Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to communicate this to parents.

“We respect the rights of our parents to decide what’s best for their children in this matter and our schools will be asked to make arrangements for children not watching the program in an alternate venue in order to offer an opportunity for discussion about the role and responsibilities of the presidency and the value of education,” the Archbishop said.

Is your Catholic school signing-up to watch Obama's speech? Are you opting your children out of the presentation?

Related: "When Bush spoke to students, Democrats investigated, held hearings"