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Old 03-04-2010, 06:39 AM
 
Location: Michigan
29,391 posts, read 55,391,254 times
Reputation: 22042

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Report Calls on State to Monitor Kids' Weight; Some Parents Say 'Fat Chance'

Amy Oztan is one of thousands of parents who got a letter from school bluntly pointing out that her son is fat. She promptly threw the letter away.

New Tool in Obesity Epidemic: Congress, States Consider Electronic Surveillance of Your Kids' BMI - ABC News
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Old 03-04-2010, 07:37 AM
 
1,476 posts, read 2,017,376 times
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Could the schools just go back to teaching the 3 R's? Maybe if the kids could actually be taught to read and do math, they could figure out their own BMI and be smart enough to figure out if there's a problem and do something about it themselves.
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Old 03-04-2010, 08:30 AM
 
43,011 posts, read 107,605,736 times
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I don't see how this is worse than parents getting a dental report that gives parents X amount of time to take their children to the dentist.

For some reason, society puts up with schools doing that.

As a matter of fact, parents who gets the dental report run to the dentist for fear of CYS charging them with neglect.

The dental reports are sent home to any parent whose child has a cavity noticed between routine 6 month visits. Yet parents fear it.
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Old 03-04-2010, 08:49 AM
 
758 posts, read 1,865,380 times
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I have never heard of a dental report. Are you saying your schools actually check children's teeth at the school? I am confused, if you could elaborate a little more that would be appreciated.

I noticed in the article that Michigan is one of the states to try this out. Can't say I'm real excited about this and I probably wouldn't be real excited about the dental reports either. The BMI is not a good indicator of actual weight problems and poor nutrition. I would much rather they put more emphasis on healthy living programs than a program that just tells you your child is overweight, so do something about it.
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Old 03-04-2010, 08:52 AM
 
Location: Denver 'burbs
24,012 posts, read 28,334,257 times
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Never heard of a dental report here either.
And I agree with skahar....teach healthy living and bring back PE.....Having the schools be responsible for one more report is ridiculous.
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Old 03-04-2010, 08:52 AM
 
2,605 posts, read 4,673,217 times
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We don't have any dental checks here, but the PE department is excessive about the president's fitness program.

I agree with Gotta. Schools need to stick to the basics. They have gotten to be so involved in every aspect of a child's life that they aren't teaching much of anything, just doing all their monitoring.
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Old 03-04-2010, 09:13 AM
 
Location: Texas
14,076 posts, read 20,448,470 times
Reputation: 7806
Remember how some of y'all have continually supported the health-freaks going after smokers? Remember how we tried to warn you that it wouldn't stop at smoking?

Well..here it is and I see there are some who still don't get it.

Let me help you out a little. We find this in that story:

"Environment and behavior are the things we need to pay most attention to," he said. "If you just look at weight, you miss the more important issues of what need to be measured tracked and corrected -- the things that lead to being overweight."

So, there are other things which need to be measured, tracked and corrected? By whom? And what are those things? You find the answer in the next paragraph:

"Doctors say the problem is that children watch too much TV and play video games instead of going outside. Parents don't model good eating habits and schools are cutting back on physical education programs and recess."

Do you see the import of that? Those are things done in the HOME. YOUR HOUSE. They involve YOUR PARENTING of YOUR KIDS.

Now...put those two quotes together and someone tell me where this is ultimately headed if it's not stopped right now.

And by the way...The school systems in the State of Arkansas have been measuring the BMI of it's students for some years now. They send home letters to the parent informing them that they need to take corrective action, then follow up on those letters. They also teach kindergartener's "body awareness." Those are things the Legislature mandated at the behest of the former Governor, Mike Huckabee. Remember ol' Mike? Former "conservative" Republican candidate for the Presidency, current Fox commentator and darling of the Evangelical right?

Consider this: What happens if the parents ignore those letters? What happens if they don't take corrective action?

Nothing...right now. But every law must have a hammer included to compel compliance and you can bet it's forthcoming. How? First by "measuring" and "tracking" what parents do in order to gather the data necessary to justify "correcting" the way they raise their kids.

I may sound like a voice crying in the wilderness, but I've said over and over again that this "health" obsession is a direct threat to our liberties and freedom. So far, it's pretty much fallen on deaf ears; ears beguiled by the latest talk of some "crisis" which needs to be fixed.

Anybody listening now?
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Old 03-04-2010, 09:14 AM
 
Location: Powell, WY
992 posts, read 2,364,160 times
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I think that perhaps the schools have gotten so heavily involved because sometimes parents don't get involved.

I never mind that my children remark about the health factor of certain foods. Of course, in our home candy is not allowed, nor are soft drinks. Those items are "special occasion" items. The sweetest thing we have in our house is usually vanilla wafers or pudding.

I feel so badly when I see a highly overweight child. Of course, we don't know if it's genetic or diet related, but it can't be easy to be an overweight child. A lot of times those children are targets of bullying or ridicule. Let's not forget how widely spread the obesity epidemic is. I see that many "healthy" foods are more expensive than the ready made, processed foods and I find that annoying, but as parents, we are responsible for not only nourishing our child, but to do so responsibly as well. It's not always easy, but it's the right thing to do, instilling healthy options early on.

I was an overweight child, and it was not easy. I wasn't enormous, and comparatively speaking, when I look back on photos I wasn't that big, but I was called "fat" "orca" "thunder thighs" by not my peers, but my own family. That's devastating. It stays with you.
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Old 03-04-2010, 09:15 AM
 
43,011 posts, read 107,605,736 times
Reputation: 30709
Quote:
Originally Posted by skahar View Post
I have never heard of a dental report. Are you saying your schools actually check children's teeth at the school? I am confused, if you could elaborate a little more that would be appreciated.
In my state, Pennsylvania, the schools check students' teeth at certain grades. They also do a physical exam to check for scoliosis, can't remember if they happen the same years as the dental checks or not. I THINK parents can opt out of the school dental check by sending proof of a recent dental visit to the school. But I recall the visit has to be within a month so if a child was at the dentist four months ago, that visit isn't good enough to get out of the dental check. I never received a dental report on my children, but my sister received one for her daughter---who had terrible teeth by nature, not by neglect. My sister was horrified at being seen as an unfit mother. She ran her daughter to the dentist to correct whatever was in the report. You have a certain period of time to send proof that your child received treatment. I'm not sure what happens if you don't follow through, but I do know that the fear is CYS will come knocking on doors. That fear is probably unfounded. I think the reality is that the school dentist will do the work if you don't get the work done by your own dentist.

I did a quick google search and found this about school dental health laws:

Quote:
Two states, Kansas and Pennsylvania, have dental screening laws dating to the first half of the twentieth century--but these two states form an exception. For the most part, dental screening laws are a recent phenomenon; Illinois adopted one in 2004, California in 2006, and Iowa and New York in 2007. More and more states are considering such laws in response to evidence of an epidemic of tooth decay among the nation's children. According to a 2008 report by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors and the Children's Dental Health Project, states considered nearly 70 laws to improve oral health in the 2007 legislative session.

While some of the recently passed laws require dental exams, others require screenings; most states will accept both. An exam is generally performed by a dentist; screenings may be conducted by hygienists, sometimes school nurses, and sometimes (as in the case of Kentucky's law) other healthcare providers. New York, for example, requires that students be examined by a licensed dentist; in Georgia, students may be screened by a dentist, hygienist, or school nurse.

The dental screening programs in Pennsylvania and Kansas are also unique in that they provide for school-based dental care, which almost none of the more recently adopted programs do. The primary aim of the more recent programs is instead to encourage widespread dental screening of all students in the public school system. Some states require a one-time exam upon entry into the system; others require proof of examination at periodic intervals. New York, for example, requires proof of examination prior to kindergarten, second, fourth, seventh and tenth grades. Some programs are supported by state funding; others are not. Many apply only to children in public schools, though some apply to children in private schools as well. Nearly all of the laws allow parents to obtain waivers to the requirement. With the exception of Illinois's law, most programs do not penalize parents or students who do not comply. (Illinois's law has a provision that permits schools to withhold report cards from students who don't show proof of required periodic dental screenings. )

Mandatory screening and examination laws have received some criticism for failing to address the high cost of medical care for the uninsured and the dearth of providers who accept Medicaid. Kentucky's law follows on changes to the state's Medicaid reimbursement fees and covered dental services for children. Other state bills currently under consideration are also attempting to address such hurdles. South Carolina, for example, is currently considering a bill to establish a program that would begin to offer free in-school dental check-ups to students in public schools in the state's poorest counties. This approach is also expected to partly address another critique of mandatory screening and exam laws, which is that most of the current laws in general don't collect data on follow-up, treatment and referral following mandatory exams.

HealthPolicyMonitor | Surveys| Emory University - USA| 13| Steps to Improve Oral Health in Kentucky
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Old 03-04-2010, 11:13 AM
 
2,855 posts, read 10,385,949 times
Reputation: 1689
School is meant for teaching children, reading, writing and math.

I think they need to butt out of all else and let us parents raise our children.

I think the parent is aware as to how much their child weighs, as they go to the doctor, and a doctor is the one who should be bringing up a weight concern, not a school!!!
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