To read the tribute to SFC Marcus Muralles, please click here
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, filed a bill this week that would require school districts to measure and report student's body mass index on their regular report card.
Yes, childhood obesity is becoming a problem. And children need to get off their collective rumps and play outside more- that would probably cut the problem in half. But parents know if they're children have problems with their weight- they don't need some well-meaning school nurse to tell them. If anyone should talk to parents about a child's weight, it should be the child's doctor, not the school district.
"We should be just as concerned with students' physical health and performance as we are with their academic performance," said Van de Putte.You see, evidently, we parents are so stupid we can't tell if our kids are overweight. We don't know that little Johnny might have a problem with the Twinkies if we're buying "huskies." We haven't quite figured out when "baby weight" becomes "a weight problem". Main Stream Media hasn't drummed into our heads the importance of eating a healthy diet. We need the school district and the all-knowing State to tell us that our kids need to drop the spare tire.
When the measurement, which calculates body fat based on height and weight, indicates a student is overweight, the school would provide parents with information about links between increased body fat and health problems, Van de Putte said.
Yes, childhood obesity is becoming a problem. And children need to get off their collective rumps and play outside more- that would probably cut the problem in half. But parents know if they're children have problems with their weight- they don't need some well-meaning school nurse to tell them. If anyone should talk to parents about a child's weight, it should be the child's doctor, not the school district.
