Fast Food on Report Cards?
Friday, December 07, 2007
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N
I saw a story in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday that was quite interesting. Kids in one of the school districts here in Orlando is getting their report card sent home in an envelope advertising fast food. McDonald's is offering a promotion to any student who has all A's and B's, no bad marks in behavior, or no more than two absences with a free Happy Meal. A child qualifies for the promotion by meeting any of the three criteria.
McDonald's does offer many healthy options, and a child can actually get apple slices and milk along with chicken nuggets or a hamburger and have a fairly healthy meal. However, how many children are actually going to choose that meal vs the french fries and soft drink? Not as many as we would like.
School officials in this case said that Pizza Hut was a sponsor for 10 years and just recently McDonald's filled in the spot. Some parents are upset because this promotion and the listing on the report card envelope put the parents into a position of having to deny their children the free meal if they do not normally take their children to fast food.
Some other school districts include coupons for free ice cream or other fast food restaurants in with report cards. The schools view these report card promotions as business partnerships rather than advertising, but many parents are upset that their children are now connecting good grades with free fast food and other high calorie items.
What do you think? Is it acceptable for fast food to be connected with report cards?
Photo of report card envelope courtesy of OrlandoSentinel.com
Labels: overweight. childhood obesity, Tara Gidus
2 Comments:
At Sat Dec 08, 08:10:00 AM 2007,
Elizabeth said…
When I first saw the news about improving the minds of young people...my thought was are they going to pump up their fries with Omega-3 fatty acids? Free fast food is not going to improve the minds or health of America's young people; if anything it will increase the obesity problems
At Thu Dec 13, 12:31:00 PM 2007,
Anonymous said…
Don't like the idea at all...for whomever it is suppose to be benefiting. In our house, the Pizza Hut coupon sometimes goes in the trash can...depending on the 'eating mood' of the house. And, no, I am not ashame or feel quilty for tossing it. The reward my children gain for good grades is the praise and love we give them as a parent, not a piece of paper deciding what we'll have for dinner. I say 'toss the idea'to the County School Board.
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