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August 23, 2004

Direct your school nutrition concerns to your school board

As BoardBuzz has said before, the problem of childhood obesity is severe, and school districts understandably are being asked to help fight the problem by modeling healthy nutrition. It's another case where many communities want their public schools addressing more community aspirations than just academics, even if it will cost money. But Seattle teacher and activist John F. Borowski recently took NSBA and others to task for opposing proposed federal legislation to address what he views as the peddling of sugar to children by school districts.

Community concerns over these issues are appropriately directed to the community's school board, exactly as Borowski suggests. That's what school boards are for. And school board organizations are helping to provide leadership on these issues. Here is the School Health Programs part of the NSBA's website, which includes a wealth of resources on this and other issues. Check out the California School Boards Association's (CSBA) highly regarded Healthy Food Policy Resource Guide, which details ways school boards can avoid the false choice between balanced budgets and healthy children. Martin Gonzalez, CSBA's Assistant Executive Director for Policy Services, was named as this year's recipient of the Excellence in Work/Advocacy award by the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors for his leadership on these issues. He's also been appointed to a state task force on childhood obesity convened by California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.

Nonetheless, Mr. Borowski is correct that NSBA does not think the answer is more sweeping unfunded mandates and restrictive prohibitions from the federal or state governments. NSBA's position statement on the reauthorization of the School Lunch Act explains why. Cash-strapped school districts need the discretion to decide how best to reconcile their financial challenges with other crucial priorities. And it's more than a little unfair to blame schools for a society-wide phenomenon. That's why we thought the reauthorization of the act was right to avoid tying school boards' hands.

Posted August 23, 2004 12:00 AM