Students in Nebo School District who were barred from hearing President Barack Obama's speech to students across the nation on Tuesday will get to hear him after all on Sept. 17 if their parents do not object.

The speech was carried to schools via the Internet.

In hindsight the school board called its decision to block the speech a mistake. At Wednesday's board meeting a statement was read expressing regret that students were not allowed to hear Obama, but also excusing the decision on grounds that not enough information was available in advance about the speech's content.

"In hindsight, we realize that this decision may not have been the best one possible and may have sent a message to students and patrons that we do not respect the office of the president. This was never our intent," the statement said.

The speech was controversial from the moment it was announced. Several conservative organizations and concerned parents warned that Obama was trying to sell a political agenda to youngsters. That concern arose in part from an accompanying administration lesson plan encouraging students to "help the president," which the White House later revised and Education Secretary Arne Duncan acknowledged was wrongheaded.

In the end, the Tuesday speech steered clear of politics. Obama challenged the nation's students to take pride in their education -- and stick with it even if they don't like every class or must overcome tough circumstances at home.

"Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer," Obama told students at Wakefield High School in suburban Arlington, Va., as other children watched on television in schools across the country.

Some who addressed the board on Wednesday complained that the decision had harmed students.

Bart Thompson, a teacher at Salem Hills High School, said that hearing the speech days after it occurred was a poor substitute for hearing it live. And one parent, Rebecca deSchweinitz of Springville, accused the board of encouraging political intolerance in a county dominated by Republicans.

The written statement from the board is expected to be circulated today.

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