Obama Song Creates Controversy

COLUMBIA, Md. (WUSA) -- Parents upset over a song their first graders learned at school want the Howard County School Board to review its policies.

The song was used in a first grade class at Longfellow Elementary School not far from Columbia Town Center. The lyrics were recently posted online when parents learned their children had been taught to sing the song. Some of them read like this: "President Obama says Yes we can. President Obama, I say Yes I can. The first black president in the United States. He's smart and he's so so good. He'll lead this country as he should."

On Thursday, some critics plan to protest the class project at the school board meeting.

"You could very easily change these lyrics and put George Bush in there and there would be an outcry," said Warren Miller, the Maryland delegate who represents Howard County. "I think they're over the top. I think there are other countries that I could name where the children are required to do this for their dictator leaders."

Miller was contacted by a concerned parent a few weeks ago after that person overheard his or her first grader singing the song. He says the school board needs to establish a policy to make sure this doesn't happen again.

"I can understand a high school class talking about politics but these kids aren't old enough to distinguish what some are calling indoctrination," he said.

School leaders did not return 9NEWS NOW's phone calls. However, a school spokeswoman recently said during a radio interview that the song was part of a technology project, according to Miller.

"We've also been told that the teacher or a student wrote the song," he said. "And we've been told that the song was part of the event with the President speaking to school kids. So I've heard four different versions of the story and I can't connect the dots."

Since this story got picked up by conservative bloggers, one teacher at the school was reportedly bullied by phone calls and messages. A blogger had posted her name and number online which prompted the hostility. Miller said these kind of emotions are inappropriate and unfortunate.

"That's one of the reasons we need to take politics out of our school system," he said. "So I guess my point is, if the school board acts correctly we won't have to look forward to this."