An assignment given to third-grade students at Frank Allis Elementary School in Madison was rescinded Tuesday after teachers came under fire because of the nature of the project.

The assignment required the 90 Frank Allis third-graders to write one letter per day for 12 days supporting an end to the war in Iraq to other students, the state's delegates in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, President George W. Bush, the Secretary of the United Nations and the media.

If the war was not ended after the 12 days, the sequence was to be repeated.

Controversy over the assignment gained momentum as opponents said it was aimed at pushing a political agenda, while supporters of the letter writing argued its goal was to broaden students' civic awareness and writing skills and encourage the idea of peace.

"We designed [the assignment] to meet our social studies standards, which involve citizen action … and what the common good means," Julie Fitzpatrick, one of the 10 Frank Allis Elementary instructors who formulated the project, said. "We thought of peace as a universal value — and a way to work toward it would be to write letters."

However, the assignment, which was announced in a letter sent home to parents describing what the children would have to do, drew the attention of parents, relatives and even U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis.

Early last week, Green wrote a letter to Frank Allis Principal Chris Hodge urging her to throw out the assignment and issue an apology to the students involved, as well as their parents because he felt it was "blatantly political" and of a "biased nature."

"These are children, not political tools, and it is clear to me and the vast majority of the public — both war supporters and opponents — that these young people should have the opportunity to express their ideas on this question without the pressure of having to choose whether or not they wish to support the 'official' position of a class project," Green said in the letter to Hodge.

But Fitzpatrick said an option for students and parents who did not agree with the assignment was included in its description. The alternative assignment, she said, was to have students write about a person in history who had worked to further the common good and report on that person's accomplishments.

"We had a box at the bottom [of the assignment] that parents could check if they didn't want their child to participate in the activity," Fitzpatrick said, adding the matter was inaccurately portrayed by its foes and "blown out of proportion" by the media.

Robin Reynolds, a Vietnam-era Army veteran and grandmother of a Frank Allis third-grader, said she felt the assignment was politically biased.

She spearheaded the effort to get the project thrown out by contacting other parents and getting their assistance in the matter.

"The very first line [of the assignment] talked about ending the war in Iraq, and that has no place in elementary schools, regardless of how anybody feels about it," Reynolds said. Adding her grandson was upset by the assignment because they have three close family members that are currently serving in Iraq, Reynolds also said her grandson did not fully understand the assignment, either.

"They kind of bribed the kids by talking about how they were going to be on TV when they got done with it," Reynolds said.

After the decision was made to rescind the assignment, Green praised Hodge in another letter and suggested teachers give out a "replacement assignment" of writing letters of support to troops stationed in the Middle East.

"Surely, supporting our troops is something we can all get behind — regardless of whether one is a supporter or opponent of their mission in Iraq," Green said.

Even as the smoke clears over the controversy, Fitzpatrick said the core idea of the assignment is relevant in all walks of life.

"There are a lot of people out there who feel very strongly about peace," Fitzpatrick said. "The assignment did not say anything about withdrawal of troops; we were only encouraging peace."