With childhood obesity rising at meteoric rates, it's little surprise that unhealthy foods are the new bogeyman at Connecticut´s public schools. What is surprising is the way state legislators hope to deal with this issue, by entirely banning unhealthy foods in elementary, middle and high schools. A bill passed over the summer prohibits the sale of soda and sports drinks in schools and also strongly encourages schools to go further by eradicating unhealthy snacks.
The law offers incentives in the form of grants to schools which completely bar sugary foods. While this law may be well-intentioned, it is unlikely to have a positive impact. Good habits are often difficult to legislate and a wholesale ban on certain foods will do more harm than good. Under the new law, schools that hope to receive a slice of the state´s $4.7 million healthy food fund are no longer allowed to hold bake sales. If students have a school store, it cannot sell candy. Vending machines may dispense only water and 100 percent fruit juice. The ban is so pervasive that even teachers are prohibited from giving students sweets as a reward or for use in class exercises. Several school systems recently held fundraisers where students sold pies to family and relatives. When the pies were delivered to the schools, parents had to come pick them up - the students were not allowed to bring the pies home themselves. Lawmakers suggested students hold fundraisers to sell wrapping paper or candles instead.
It´s difficult to see exactly how this kind of reactionary legislation helps students. Undeniably, something must be done about the health of today´s students. According to the Overweight Teen Center, an organization that runs teen weight loss camps, about 15 percent of all teens are overweight and another 20 percent are at risk. Being overweight places students at a greater risk of developing heart disease, cancer, arthritis or diabetes. Additionally, studies have shown that eating habits developed as a child typically follow a person through his or her adult life, making it all the more critical for students to eat well. The state´s new school nutrition program, however, will not be able to reverse these trends. Unfortunately, few students learn their eating habits from school. Rather, parents hold the greatest influence over their children.
There is a strong statistical correlation between parents, children and obesity. Banning unhealthy foods from school doesn´t mean that they will eat well at home too. For better or worse, it is ultimately parents who control what their children eat. Additionally, not all students eat cafeteria food at school. Many students will simply bring lunch from home, especially when the school - sanctioned offerings are brussel sprouts and cod. By discouraging students from eating school lunch, whatever influence the state might have over their diet is lost.
The severity of the plan also limits its effectiveness. In the absence of scientific evidence conclusively linking bake sales and obesity, common sense holds that the occasional sweet won´t kill anyone. Completely banning junk food will only encourage kids to sneak contraband to the classroom. It´s not even clear that banning junk food carries any health benefits - often obesity is linked to overeating, not eating any particular food. Finally, it´s debatable whether the legislature truly has the authority to determine what students, particularly those in high school, eat.
Students of a certain age should be free to choose their diets for themselves. High school students are free to legally participate in plenty of other dangerous activities; they can join the armed forces and smoke cigarettes. It´s condescending and insulting to imply that these students cannot be trusted to make their own decisions with food. Fortunately, some schools have decided not to comply with the new nutrition program. In Ellington, the school Board of Education recently voted against participating in the program after analyzing the costs of eliminating junk food. The board calculated that they would lose over $30,000 in revenue between fundraisers, vending machines and lost inventory of unhealthy food. In return, the school would be eligible for $19,000 of state funding. According to board member Maurice Blanchette, Ellington schools still "favor healthy nutrition, however, the plan that was offered by the state is very complicated and very limiting." It is estimated that Ellington joins nearly 60 towns which are declining the state nutrition plan funds.
While well-intentioned, the nutrition bill is simply unrealistic and ineffective. Lawmakers should amend the bill so that it encourages healthy eating while preserving students´ and schools´ choices.
Staff Columnist James White is a 5th-semester English and journalism double major.
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