August 22, 2003
This Northwest Arkansas Times article is a week old, but not much has been said about it yet:
With the new school year just days away a new legislative act that will require schools to record a student's body mass is attracting support and criticism from parents and school officials in Washington County.
This is insanity. Somewhere along the way, the notion that schools exist to educate kids has been lost. Students are graduating without adequate reading or math skills yet the schools still feel the need to take time out to make sure they know everyone's body mass index so obesity warnings can be delivered to kids who are the wrong size. The public school system in this country continues to major in minors and minor in majors.
Passed in April by the Arkansas General Assembly, Act 1220 of 2003 has only recently become an issue as parents get their children prepared for the first day of school Monday.
The law demands that school personnel figure each student's body mass index - calculated using a formula that uses height and weight and compares it to other children - for inclusion on the student's report card each year. Schools are also required to provide pamphlets and other materials that explain the health effects of the body mass index.
