BLOOMINGTON -- President Barack Obama spent 17 minutes telling students to stay in school, and apparently many stayed in class rather than watch the 11 a.m. Web cast on Tuesday.

The speech fell during some lunch periods at Olympia High School, so not all students were in class. Some social studies and government teachers planned to use it as part of their curriculum, said Lance Thurman, principal of Olympia High School in Stanford.

In Twin City school districts, teachers were given information and then allowed to make a choice.

"Teachers very much appreciated the choice of showing the speech or not showing it," said Bloomington District 87 Superintendent Bob Nielsen, who forwarded the speech's text to teachers on Monday. "Several teachers thanked me for the option of choice," he said.

The White House released the text after parents and others criticized the speech as partisan.

In Normal-based Unit 5, teachers were encouraged to record the speech and then watch it before showing it to students, said spokeswoman Dayna Brown.

Most area school administrators had received some phone calls last week from concerned parents, although other parents thought it was a good opportunity for their children to be inspired by the president.

Thurman said students in government classes talked about the controversy last week.