Guest post by Julie Depenbrock
Where the president鈥檚 children attend school has long been a topic fraught with debate. Where the son of President-elect Donald Trump goes鈥攑erhaps even more so.
In Manhattan, Barron Trump attends the private, co-educational Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School鈥攚here he will stay put until the end of the school year, the Associated Press .
When Barron does come to Washington, his schooling is likely to be more of a personal decision than a political one.
鈥淛ust because Barron Trump is a high-profile first kid, he鈥檚 still entitled to find the educational venue鈥攚hether it鈥檚 public or private or New York or Washington鈥攖hat is the right one for him,鈥� said Steven Roy Goodman, an educational consultant in the Washington area.
Goodman said it鈥檚 important to remember: Barron is a 10-year-old.
鈥淗e has the right to focus on his math homework or his English homework, or whether or not he wants to play football or soccer, or if he鈥檚 interested in American History or playing chess or any other activity,鈥� said Goodman.
Goodman thinks the family鈥檚 decision, more than anything else, comes down to what鈥檚 best for the child.
鈥淏esides the Secret Service and the security, I think the first order of business is to find the right educational environment that鈥檚 going to help him grow as a student,鈥� Goodman said.
The last time a 鈥渇irst kid鈥� went to public school was during Jimmy Carter鈥檚 presidency from 1977 to 1981. Carter sent his daughter, Amy, to Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School and later Hardy Middle School, both schools in the District of Columbia with primarily African American student populations.
President Carter found that education valuable. He would ask his daughter , according to The Baltimore Sun:
鈥淲hat would improve the lunch program? How could we help the children who could not speak English? Were the students being immunized against contagious diseases? What was being done to challenge the bright students in the class or to give extra help to the slow ones?鈥�
Questions typical of any parent鈥攂ut Carter was 鈥渋n a unique position to act on the ideas,鈥� The Sun reported.
Since then, presidents with school-age children have chosen to go private. Chelsea Clinton, and Malia and Sasha Obama have all attended Sidwell Friends, a highly-selective, co-educational Quaker school, which has a main campus in Washington D.C. and a lower school in Bethesda, Md. The tuition at Sidwell is about $40,000 a year.
Catherine Cushinberry, executive director of Parents for Public Schools, believes presidents choosing public school for their children can send a strong message.
鈥淚 think that policies are more impactful when you鈥檝e lived them and have been impacted by them,鈥� Cushinberry said.
She likened the education question to when parents of children being sent to war would ask their congressman or senator: What if it were your child?
鈥淭here has to be some kind of connection,鈥� Cushinberry said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to understand the system, its challenges. You鈥檝e got to show some kind of investment in order to make decisions and policies that make sense for that system.鈥�
She realizes that it鈥檚 a difficult choice and that there are security concerns.
鈥淗owever, I also think that when you don鈥檛 have children in public schools, it can be very difficult for you鈥攚hether you鈥檙e the president or not鈥攖o understand the unique needs of public schools and to know how your time and resources could help strengthen public schools,鈥� Cushinberry said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e not there, I think it has a way of coloring your perspective about what most families deal with.鈥�
The new age of social media could make it harder for Trump鈥檚 youngest son to elude the spotlight.
鈥淲hen you hold public office, it is often difficult for the public to recognize where the line should be drawn in terms of your private life and your private decisions,鈥� Cushinberry said.
Leigh Ann Cahill, of Independent School Options, an educational consulting group, said the most important factor here would be Barron鈥檚 learning needs.
鈥淪ocially, I鈥檓 a little concerned for him,鈥� Cahill said. 鈥淚 hope wherever he goes, they see him for who he is鈥攏ot who his father is.鈥�
She believes that Barron will most likely end up at a private school鈥攑erhaps one similar to his current school in New York鈥攕omewhere like St. Andrew鈥檚 Episcopal School in Potomac, Md.
The good news for the first kid? He鈥檚 coming to the right place for variety.
鈥淲e have schools that are phenomenal for everyone. We have quirky, funky schools. We have schools for special needs. We have all-boys schools. We have STEM ... We have it all,鈥� Cahill said.
Though she says the chances of Barron attending a District of Columbia public school are 鈥渮ero,鈥� Cushinberry underscored the importance of the president鈥檚 private actions鈥攈ow they have the power to shape a country.
鈥淚 think when we look at our public schools and the challenges they鈥檙e facing鈥攅specially when it comes to issues related to segregation, division, lack of equity, lack of inclusion鈥擨 believe that anything a president can do to help bridge that divide, to bring parents of diverse backgrounds and cultures together, to think about ways to strengthen public schools ... has the potential to have a ripple effect across this country, within each state and within communities,鈥� Cushinberry said.
This item has been updated to give the correct locations of Sidwell Friends School.
Photo: President-elect Donald Trump motions to supporters as he and his son, Barron Trump, center, and wife, Melania Trump, walk on stage at an election night victory rally on Nov. 9 in New York. (Julie Jacobson/AP)