Obamas discuss public school options

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama's family has discussed public school options for their two young daughters with District of Columbia officials, the mayor and schools chief said Wednesday.

In a release, the D.C. public school system said Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee have talked about what their system could offer 7-year-old Sasha and 10-year-old Malia. Earlier in the week, Michelle Obama visited well known private schools in the area.

"We've gladly discussed the many educational options at DCPS, encouraged them to explore all of the alternatives and in the end will fully support whatever decision the Obamas make," the officials wrote.

They declined to provide specifics of their discussions.

The Obama girls now attend a private school in Chicago. Sasha will be the youngest White House resident since the Kennedy administration, and many in Washington are speculating about where the girls will attend school.

On Monday, Michelle Obama visited private schools Georgetown Day School and Chelsea Clinton's alma mater Sidwell Friends School.

At the newly renovated Strong John Thomson Elementary School, a public school not far from the White House on the edge of downtown, Principal Gladys Camp said she would welcome the Obama girls if their parents chose to send them there. "I think Thomson is a great place for them to be," Camp said Monday.

Tiffany Hickman, whose 3-year-old boy attends preschool at Thomson, said she likes the school for its diversity.

"It's different nationalities. It's not just one color," Hickman said. "From what I know, it's got good academics."

Other D.C. public schools the Obamas could consider include a few that have been recognized nationally as Blue Ribbon Schools.