Bryant Elementary Veteran's Day Program

As parents of students at Bryant Elementary School, we are distressed by your recent decision to remove the song, "Blowin in the Wind," from the Veterans Day program. The inclusion of this song in past Veterans Day programs has been a tradition that our children have enjoyed immensely. Significantly for us, it has provided to the Bryant community an opportunity to honor our nations war heroes while teaching our children to have compassion and respect for all of humankind.

While we understand there may be some who are opposed to the song, we believe that the need for tolerance and respect for all opinions is paramount. The elimination of Blowin in the Wind from the program without creating an open forum with the rest of the Bryant community, is not in the spirit of our shared principles. Further, it may even be considered censorship and runs counter to the values of tolerance and cooperation that Bryant has always taught.

We urge you to reverse your decision and to reinstate Blowin in the Wind to its rightful and traditional place at the Veterans Day assembly. If you decline to reinstate the song, we would like to have the opportunity to discuss this issue at school, as part of a special parent/school/PTSA event prior to the assembly.