Posted on 05/10/2007 3:00:54 PM PDT by Baladas
Four times during the school year in Campbell County, Wyo., the school sends report cards home. Anxious parents and worried students are provided with the typical grading categories -- academic performance, attendance and a work ethic score.
But here in Gillette, there's an additional grade that has some families up in arms.
It's called the body mass index, or BMI, a calculation based on height and weight that indicates whether your kid is too fat. The school chooses the word "overweight." If your child scores too high, it's the fitness equivalent of a bad grade. When Taylor Barbour came home with a BMI score of 32, seven points over the "normal range," his mother, Rosie Barbour, was none too pleased. Her anger was directed not at her 12-year-old son but at the school.
"It just doesn't have any place in the school," said Barbour. "It's fine if you want to teach them how to eat healthy, and make better choices during health class, but I don't think giving them BMI on their report card" is the answer.
'The Strong Kids Club' On top of that, the school district sent a letter in the mail inviting Taylor -- and 172 other kids with high BMI scores -- to join an exercise program three times of week. It's called the Strong Kids Club and came free to his family, with a promise that "it will be fun."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
OMG! what about their SELF-ESTEEM!!
How do they justify this I wonder? Do they consider this a type of health screening? Schools have screened children for hearing and vision problems for a long time, and require certain immunizations as a health matter.
They should put the kids through physical training, the same sort the military goes through, then grade ‘em on performance. The goal, of course, would be to train them up to military physical standards and better.
It would be good for the kids and good for the country.
I’m fine with it — as long as students are allowed to formally rate and document teachers on their own physical characteristics.
My husband, who taught for many years at a religious school, had to give a grade on the report card for “religious conduct.”
He always left that blank, saying “I’ll let G-D fill in that grade.”
One more example of the public schools attempting to take over the role of parent.
They've been doing it informally since the advent of schools.
Schools need to focus on academics.
I don't trust the BMI thing. There are just too many body types out there. I realize the issue is to deal with childhood obesity but I think there is too much lack of common sense in our schools to carry such a program out.
Two examples: I had a friend who was 6' 4" and really an "Amazon" type woman in regard to bone structure etc. She joined weight watchers (which I support btw) but their scale of appropriate weight for her was totally ridiculus and out of whack for her body type. Second: I have a nephew is looks perfectly normal in regard to weight and heighth. But you try to pick the kid up and he is as heavy as an anvil. I guess he is just really dense. And just for fun a third: It never fails that when I tell people what I weigh they say, "no way!". I've always downed myself because of my weight until finally a Dr. told me they don't consider me overweight...even though on their "scale" I don't fall in the weight range for my age etc.
They’re trying to cut the wrong fat from education.
Well, I guess if you’re of Samoan or Tongan ethnicity, you may as well give up.
This should a warning about how much our society is piling on the schools. Health Education is one thing, but evaluation of body type in a child just adds the hassles that the schools have to deal with in addition to testing and NCLB.
Classrooms used to a more fun, creative places, with a lot of leeway to accomodate parents and the latest teaching techniques. Now they are testing centers, and palaces to politically correct micromanagement.
I’m sure I don’t want BMI measured - I want military type physical training and grading based on performance. I think physical performance is more important that weight, BMI, etc.
Not that I think the BMI index is particularly accurate, but you have to be pretty heavy to get a 32. BMI = ( Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches ) ) x 703. Let’s say the 12 YO was 5’ 2” tall. To get a BMI of 32, he’d be around 175 pounds.
This man's BMI is over 40 in this picture. According to the ninnies at this school, he would receive a bad grade in fitness. In this pic, his body fat is somewhere less than 5%.
according to Bull**** the BMI was devloped by a 19th stastican and is irrelevant to actual fitness. I say we aim to change fitness programs in school to heavily focus on weight traning to mess up the socialist sissy’s grading.
There should be a grade that the parents can report back with in regards to “How do you rate the education of your child”?
all my kids get pudgy right before a growth spurt.
They get tub around their bellies, and then BOOM! they stretch and become thin again.
I wonder how that would affect their gpa?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.