screw you Mayflower public schools !

[stealthycat]

I have a daughter, she'll be 5 years old this summer and just finished a Presbyterian pre-school and did well. My wife went to sign her up for Mayflower, AR public schools and you want to know what they told her ? My daughter is required to go to a physician and get a BMI - thats body mass index - and if she registers above the school/state I guess is suppose to step in and make reccomendations etc on what to do.

Are you XXXXing serious ? Do the fools have no idea how BMI can be off - and off big - depending on body type, structure, ammount of muscle etc ? I agree some kids are overweight but you know what , ITS NOT THE SCHOOL, THE STATE OR THE FEDERAL GOVT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT - ITS THE PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY, LEAVE IT THERE !

I got no problems being a hell raiser - and if I'm forced to send my kid to public school here I'll damn sure be one. But I'll say this - I'd put money on the table my kid will never step foot in that school. My wife came home with tears in her eyes just from being in the building - nothing felt right about it at all.

If this is the case with public schools across the nation - then we've got a mroe serious problem that I ever imagined and its getting worse.

Stupid , stupid, stupid [:@][:@][:@][:@]

[Rem. 222]

SC,
You can think our once overweight governor and our overweight Health Dept director, Mike Huckabee and Fay Boozeman. Just another example of conservative limited government.
One ? Why the big deal about checking body fat? I can tell you one better than that.
My daughter missed her lunch one day last week. Seems like one of the teachers had a soda stolen from her desk. The school resource officer and teachers searched the kids for the missing soda during their lunch hour. All of the sixth graders missed their lunch. To make a long story short the teacher had misplaced her soda, but still no lunch and no apology to the children for missing lunch.

Rem. 222

[Cougar Mag]

Rem222, it that had happened to my child, I would have been the first parent knocking on the principals's door, and I imagine a line of parents would be right behind me.

[Tazman]

Stealthy you need to move to Virginia where the majority of the Democrats on the state level are more conservative than republicnas in other states.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted by Admins]

[BenGarrett]

Welcome to the wonderful state of American education in the 21st century, the day of National Education Association-driven agendas. Our schools are trying to solve every social problem imaginable, then we all wonder why our kids can't score well on basic skills tests. Whatever happened to teaching the three Rs and leaving at that?

[stork]

That is just flat out wrong!

The schools need to spend more time and money teaching! I wounder if the privacy angle would stop this bullcrap. More than likely not because the government is in controle in this situation.

[Rem. 222]

ORIGINAL: Cougar Mag

Rem222, it that had happened to my child, I would have been the first parent knocking on the principals's door, and I imagine a line of parents would be right behind me.

Cougar, it does no good to complain. The public school system here is controlled by religious zealots. Cops stationed in the middle schools is another sore point with me. Sixth and seventh graders don't need to feel like they are imprisoned to learn.
The public schools here in AR are so worried about the socialist program No Child Left Behind all they teach is how to pass a standardized test.

Rem. 222

[stealthycat]

http://www.arkansaspta.org/arkansas_body_mass_index.htm


Arkansas Body Mass Index (BMI) IS:

Ø Determined with only height, weight, age, and gender

Ø Recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics for all children every year

Ø Informs parents about health risks of their children (for example diabetes)

Ø Identifies children at risk of being overweight or underweight (many parents not aware)

Ø Is supported by scientific evidence that helps parents

Arkansas Body Mass Index (BMI) Does NOT:

Ø Use calipers or cause pain

Ø Measure fat folds

Ø Determine body fat

Ø Compare children adolescents

Ø Label children as obese





Fact Sheet on Obesity in Arkansas



· Facts

Ø Over 60% of adult Arkansans are either overweight (BMI 25-29.9) or obese (BMI>30)

Ø One in four Arkansas high school students are either overweight (BMI>30) or at risk for being overweight (BMI 25-29.9)

Ø Overweight children are more likely to develop childhood diabetes, hypertension and lung problems

Ø Overweight school age children are 50% more likely to become obese adults

Ø Overweight adolescents are 70-80% more likely to become obese adults

Ø Obese young adults will die 5-20 years sooner than normal weight persons

Ø Obese adults have significantly higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, hypertension and arthritis

Ø In 2002, the United States spent an estimated 92.6 billion dollars on illnesses related to obesity



· Recognizing this epidemic, the Arkansas General Assembly and Governor Huckabee passed Act 1220 that addresses childhood obesity through:

Ø Creating an Arkansas Child Health Advisory Committee to make recommendations regarding nutrition and physical activity policy to the State Board of Education and the State Board of Health

Ø Limits access to food / beverage vending machines for elementary school students

Ø Reporting ALL money received from food and beverage contracts

Ø Convening an advisory committee to raise awareness of the importance of proper nutrition and physical activity

Ø Incorporating nutrition / physical activity goals into annual plans

Ø Providing parents with an annual Body Mass Index (BMI "“ calculated by taking the child"™s height and weight ratio and applying this number to an age appropriate growth chart)

Ø Providing parents with an annual explanation of possible health effects of BMI, nutrition and physical activity



· Reasons to perform BMI assessments of Arkansas school students

Ø Body Mass Index (BMI) screening is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for all children and adolescents

Ø Many parents do not understand the risks of childhood obesity

Ø Parents want and deserve to be informed if their children are at risk for developing health problems

Ø Many children do not make regular visits to the doctor, and when they do, most doctors do not routinely check BMI

Ø Screening for vision and hearing problems are currently conducted in schools. BMI assessment is a screening tool to determine if children are overweight, underweight, or at risk will be encouraged to seek counseling from their doctor, school nurse, or other healthcare provider

Ø Preventing and / or treating childhood obesity is more effective than treating obesity in adults

Ø Plans are being developed to perform BMI assessments and deliver reports in a way that will be private, confidential and accurate

· BMI assessment screening programs have been conducted successfully in other states (PN, MA, and SD)

Ø Body Mass Index (BMI) had been used as a screening tool for all children to assess health risks and discuss health habits

Ø Parents of overweight children in Cambridge, Massachusetts (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, August 2003) who received health and fitness reports planned to change their child"™s diet and physical activity

Ø Of these overweight children, 19% of parents planned dietary changes and 42% planned changes in physical activity of their children

Ø One in four of these parents planned to seek medical assistance for their children

[Rem. 222]

ORIGINAL: Ifferd

Stealthycat:

That's rediculous. What reason did they give for the BMI test? Can a kid be barred from school if they don't meet some sort of standard?

NC schools don't have anything mandatory like that for any age student. The main thing thing NC has lost its head over is standardized tests.

Our schools do have "Health Fairs" where kids vision, hearing, weight, blood pressure etc. are checked for free, but that's for middle/high school age and kids/parents can decline to participate if they wish. These fairs mostly goes on in low income areas where a lot of kids rarely if ever see a doctor.

Illferd,
The BMI test is a statewide program. They don't kick kids out of school for being overweight. It's just a feel good program instituted by our religious fanatic state health dept director to save us from our evil ways.

Rem. 222