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June 29, 2005

School Board News roundup

This edition of School Board News takes a look at three different student health issues. First, schools' screening of student mental health is kicking up a storm among conservative Christian groups. SBN reports that "pressure by anti-screening forces has led New Mexico to pass a law prohibiting mental health screening in schools, and similar legislation has been proposed in nine other states, according to the National Mental Health Association." Further, "the Illinois Mental Health Act of 2003, and a series of recommendations mandated by the act, have become a lightning rod for opponents of screening. A conservative Christian group called the Illinois Family Institute says, 'Illinois schools are on the fast track to become the nation's testing ground for mental health.'"

The issue also explores what might happen if a school's food supply is attacked by bioterrorists. "The issue recently garnered attention when a federal official talked about the potential threat to school lunches at a conference of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)... . Although it's impossible to determine how many students could be threatened by a case of tampering, terrorists don't necessarily have to cause many deaths to achieve their aims, says David Lineback, director of the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, a cooperative program of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the University of Maryland." Read more here.

And, type II diabetes is a growing problem particularly among African-American, Hispanic, and Native-American children and adolescents. "At the local level, most school systems tackle the issue of diabetes in a peripheral manner: mentioning the disease as part of the health curriculum, while emphasizing good nutrition and physical activity as important strategies for a healthy lifestyle. Many districts also are helping fight diabetes indirectly by providing healthier fare in the cafeteria and removing junk food from vending machines." But some districts are taking additional measures. Read more here.

The award-winning School Board News is published as a service of NSBA's National Affiliate program.

Posted June 29, 2005 12:00 AM