State Orders Review Of Obama Song Video

The New Jersey Department of Education's commissioner has ordered an investigation into an online video in which students praise President Barack Obama, using a spiritual tune and substituting his name for that of Jesus.

The two-and-a-half-minute video – recorded last February as part of a Black History Month event and posted to YouTube this month with the title "School Kids Taught to Praise Obama" – shows about 20 second-graders at B. Bernice Young Elementary School singing at a teacher's direction.

The video has since gone viral, and a debate has erupted over student lesson plans, privacy and partisan politics.

Police confirmed Thursday night that threats had been received by the school. They did not say who or what was targeted.

On Friday morning, there was a larger than normal police presence at the school. Two police vehicles were parked in front of the entrance, and another officer was assisting a crossing guard nearby as national media crews descended on the quaint Central Jersey neighborhood.

FoxNews.com reported the song mixes campaign slogans with quotes from a spiritual tune and substitutes Obama's name for that of Jesus. (See the video at the bottom of this story, or click here to read the lyrics )

District officials have not returned repeated calls for comment.

The only comments early Friday came from a Department of Education spokeswoman, who said Burlington Township School District's superintendent has been ordered to investigate exactly how all of this happened, how the video was recorded, how it ended up on the Internet and who let that happen, Fox 29's Steve Keeley reported.

The state wants to make sure the school's students can, in the future, celebrate the achievements of African-Americans during Black History Month without inappropriate partisan politics entering the classroom and without violating their privacy, Keeley reported.

It was learned Friday that the teacher who led the song or chant, Elvira James, has since retired but is still a resident of the town. Fox 29 News did try to contact her, but there has been no comment from her so far.

That was the big thing for some parents. They wanted to know if the teacher was still in the school and, if so, they didn't want her teaching their children.

District Superintendent Dr. Christopher Manno and the school's principal, Dr. Denise King, said in the first of two letters to parents Thursday that "recording and distribution of the class activity were unauthorized."

The district's second letter Thursday refuted a local radio station's claims that the school building was in lockdown.

Among those who are debating the video – besides the national cable television and radio talk show hosts and syndicated columnists – are the parents.

"I don't see the problem. I don't see why it would be considered inappropriate or anything like that," parent Craig Smith said. "It's for the school kids. They should know who what a president is. I don't see anything wrong with that."

"After his speech with school and telling the school kids basically to stay in school and all that stuff, I don't think it's anything negative about it. I would think it's positive," parent Bob Juckett said.

But parent Leslie Gibson said, "I was shocked that the children would be reciting it in the way that they were and being fed the words, especially in light of it's a politician and I think that political views should be kept at home."

And parent Robert Bowen said, "I felt that it was reminiscent of 1930s Germany and the indoctrination of children to worship dear leader."

Bowen added, "I thought that if this was a civics class, it's a high school or upper-level middle school, it might be appropriate to discuss policies or politics. But as far as children in first-grade, second-grade, those types of levels, it's inappropriate to discuss how a president is changing the world after only six weeks in office, as contended in the video."

Administrative offices have been flooded with phone calls, and parents said the district's Web site seemed to be down for some time Thursday, leaving them unable to check for online updates.