An "important" letter from school today

[Embel]

In my state this a government mandate being carried out by the schools. I doubt they're any more excited by it than the parents are.

My preference for this program would be that the state mandate that schools have a yearly physical on file (currently bi-yearly) and then mandate that doctors have some sort of assessment criteria that involves individual examination as well as BMI.

I also think if you're going to stick your nose in...be part of the solution, so along with the letter can be an invitation to free nutrition classes & perhaps reduced fee gym memberships.

 

[goodeats]

I put 5'9" and 138 pounds in a BMI calculator and got 20.4, which is way in the normal range. So most likely they made an error in height and weight, or your home scale is way off!

A 12 year old weighing that much (i.e. before fully developed) could be overweight. Or on their way, which is the point of the letters. Of course some girls put some weigth before they grow height wise.

I think anything that can get parents to help their children eat healthier and exercise more is never a bad thing.

 

[DizBelle]

My child is "solid" because she is in a competitive sport. Her BMI is just barely below overweight yet her stomach is concave and I can count every one of her ribs. I can also see bones sticking out from her shoulders. On the other hand, her thighs are huge - solid muscle.

Please do not generalize. That's the problem with BMI to begin with - too much generalization.

The standard BMI chart is not suitable for all body types. At most, BMI can be an indicator that other health indicators need to be examined.

 

[Val]

I have to laugh sometimes at government mandates. My DD12 is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids. They made her go through the hearing screening at school- and made her take the hearing aids out to take the test. The volunteer mom actually HELD her hearing aids for her. Guess what? My DD12 is hard of hearing, and has been referred to the school audiologist....gee, who'd have thought that! Funny thing, since she already has an IEP and works with the teacher for the deaf, the school audi and the school speech pathologist.

Now WHY did they make my daughter go through the humiliation of failing the test? Shouldn't the HEARING AIDS have given them just a slight clue?

 

[Mermaid02]

saying my son is "overweight"! You have got to be kidding? Who sets these standards?

I worry about him not eating enough! I can see his ribs! He wears "slim" cut jeans. No wonder studies say unprecedented numbers of children are over weight, if these are the standards!

Cross out where it says "child" and write in the school nurses name and send it back to the office.... the letter probably came from her....

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

Both of my daughters were weighed this year. My oldest DD is 10 and extremely petite. She didn't want to be weighed because she hates being told that she is small. My youngest daughter is 8 and she was very embarrassed to be weighed in class. She is "curvy", but not fat. Her favorite snack is also carrot sticks and fat free ranch dip. She is athletic and is a cheerleader and plays soccer. I am not worried about her body. However her teacher called and said that she asked the students to write their new years resolution. My daughters was to lose weight to be skinny. What??? She is in second grade!!! She was concerned. YEah I am concerned too because if it were not for the scale being brought in class, my daughter wouldn't be thinking about that.
If schools now want to get involved with children's weight issues, for starters they need to stop serving what they do for lunch. It' s garbage.

Secondly, why do they only have gym once a week? It should be at least twice a week. But you know gym is always on the agenda to cut.

At 5th grade, they stop recess altogether. That is insane, these kids need to get outside and do some sort of activity.

Schools need to stay out of it and just worry about teaching. They require us to bring in a completed doctors form each year. If they have that, they know that a physician is involved.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

I see some of you saying contradicting statements. Some of you are saying, "SChools shouldn't be involved or concerned about my child's weight". But you are ALSO saying, "THey should offer more recess and gym class"... Well which is it?? If they shouldn't be concerned about your child's health, then why do you care how much exercise they get during school hours?

Kids are getting fatter...maybe not YOUR kid...but in general experts are saying that this upcoming generation of kids will NOT outlive their parents as far as average age is concerned. If parents aren't concerned, I'm glad somebody is....

 

[marcyinPA]

Our district does the BMI thing too. I hate it. My youngest has always been "at risk for being overweight". He's short and stocky, but NOT fat. Up until this past fall, he wore a "slim" too. Now that he's almost 11, he's starting to do that thing where they put on some weight and then sprout up. My oldest did the same thing.

One year, I got the letter for my oldest DS saying he was UNDERWEIGHT! Uh, nope! I double checked, and they had mixed up his weight and his height in inches. The swapped the two. Something similar happened to a friend of mine. In our cases, the nurse who input the numbers made a typo. I wonder how many of THOSE go home...

Our dr. has always told me not to worry about the school BMI thing. I trust my drs. over the school district.

 

[themilesfamily]

This is yet another thread that makes me so glad we homeschool.

I have nothing but respect for great teachers, school nurses, etc. -- we're not anti-public school -- but I just can't stand this kind of government intervention and how it plays out in people's lives. I'm glad to remove our family from it whenever possible. We're kind of "opt out" people, yet somehow we manage to live happy lives and function. Go figure.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I see some of you saying contradicting statements. Some of you are saying, "SChools shouldn't be involved or concerned about my child's weight". But you are ALSO saying, "THey should offer more recess and gym class"... Well which is it?? If they shouldn't be concerned about your child's health, then why do you care how much exercise they get during school hours?

Kids are getting fatter...maybe not YOUR kid...but in general experts are saying that this upcoming generation of kids will NOT outlive their parents as far as average age is concerned. If parents aren't concerned, I'm glad somebody is....

Children need physical activity. If they are at school for most of the day, the school has a responsibility to include physical activity.

 

[tonilea]

I can't blame the teacher or the nurse, it is state mandated.

According to the chart on the letter, DS was mid-range for overweight. I played around with an on-line BMI calculator and if I added 1/2 inch or subtracted 1/2 pound, it put him well within the "normal" range. Those are some pretty tight tolerances.

I am significantly overweight - but working on it (lost 36 lbs). I have always been vigilant about DS's weight. He eats very healthy and I never push him to eat more. He is very good about knowing when he has had enough.

Oh and yes, that is DS in my sig and thanks, I think he is pretty adorable too!

 

[mumto3girls]

We get these letters every year around this time although they do the measurements in October. I think they are mandated by our state--PA. The students are weighed and measured in gym class by the school nurse--I'm not sure how private that was-- and then the letters are sent home by mail months later. I don't think anyone is being singled out as I think everyone gets a letter sent home throught the mail addressed to the parent/guardian of xxxxx regardless of where that child falls on the chart. My kids are young-- 3rd grade and kindergarten-- and I don't even think they even know about the letters. My kindergartner hasn't gotten a letter yet so maybe it doesn't start until 1st grade although I think she told me she was weighed in the fall.

Although I don't think my kids are bothered about this at this point I don't like it for several reasons. First, although they don't care about being measured and weighed in public right now, the day will come when they probably will. I recall the humiliation of being weighed in school and I didn't have a weight issue, but it was a big deal to weigh the least and no one took height into consideration. Secondly, I don't think it is the school's business. My kids are seen by a pediatrician for a yearly well visit and that is the time and place for those issues to be discussed. I also don't like it because I am not sure how reliable their numbers are. My oldest had her bmi calculated in the DR's office in October 2008 the same week as the school did their measurements and their numbers weren't even close on the bmi scale. I'm not sure where the mistake was make--ped vs school-- but it doesn't seem likely that the difference in the amount of clothing she had on accounts for the disparity. Finally, getting the results 4-5 months later annoys me as it doesn't give me an accurate measure of where she is right then. Kids change a lot in that amount of time.

I am another one who thinks that if the schools--through the govt--want to be all about healthy living then they need to seriously look at what goes on in the schools food wise. Our school lunches are total crap. My DD would love to buy her lunch every day, but I allow it only once a week as it is so bad. And don't get me started on the strings teacher who gives out full size candy bars if they practiced their set amount of time and another one if the weekly class goes well. And that is just one example. We eat healthy at home (most of the time) and I pack a good, healthy lunch for her 4 days a week, but I always feel like I am fighting so many outside influences on that front and most of them come via the school.

 

[Becky2005]

And do you really think that parents who don't regularly take their kids for check-ups are suddenly going to become more responsible because the school sends a letter home? I think not.

That's what I'm thinking -- these letters are going to do no good. They are going to take one look at it and go "so"? I had the opposite problem with DS -- his came home "underweight" and my thought was "so?" -- what exactly do you want me to do about that? Feed him more junk food? Tell him to quit running so much?

My DD never got one home but I'm betting hers probably would have been overweight since she had been a gymnast. It should be interesting if we get one this year.

I can guarantee you if my kids get one that say overweight I would still go "so" -- as far as I know they don't have medical degrees in the school nor my kid's health history with their growth chart, etc...

It's not like the hearing or vision screening where they can go get glasses/hearing aide if that's a problem, plus in our school you only get a note home IF there is a problem.

 

[disfan07]

I am taking a health education class rigth now at college and as my teacher said, BMI is basically complete BS.

What really matters is body fat percentage, a healthy diet and regular exercise.

I'm 5'3 and 140lbs. That puts me right at the top of "normal" but my body fat percentage is in teh normal range, i eat a healthy diet (though i do love my root beer) and i exercise 4 times a week

I get blood drawn every other week for medication monitoring and they do a complete CBC, CMP, Lipid Panel, LFTs, etc and except fro my White blood count, everything is normal. As my internist said, besides my chronic medical problems, I am healthier than a lot of people she sees who are smaller than me.

Generalizing it to one thing is so ridiculous.

 

[EllaM]

Ah yes, the Fat Police at work again. And Congress wonders why so many people are against government-mandated healthcare?

What sort of crazy world is it when having a cheeseburger is more of a crime than smoking pot?

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I see some of you saying contradicting statements. Some of you are saying, "SChools shouldn't be involved or concerned about my child's weight". But you are ALSO saying, "THey should offer more recess and gym class"... Well which is it?? If they shouldn't be concerned about your child's health, then why do you care how much exercise they get during school hours?

Kids are getting fatter...maybe not YOUR kid...but in general experts are saying that this upcoming generation of kids will NOT outlive their parents as far as average age is concerned. If parents aren't concerned, I'm glad somebody is....

What I am saying is that schools should stay out of telling parents their kids are overweight. That's a physician's job. That is what we pay health insurance for.
I realize that kids are overweight even more today so If schools really want to help children, they can teach about healthy eating in health class. If they want to preach about exercise, add more gym classes and recess. Our school should take away the ice cream bars and cookies for dessert and add more healthy choices like fruit slices and veggie sticks. That is what schools can do.
Sending a letter home to parents is not going to help the situation, it's going to alienate parents even more.

 

[pilotwife_02]

Wow, I never realized sending my children to school would subject them to the "fat police". I know growing up I was always concerned about my weight and had issues in high school. Hopefully my boys won't have those issues, but I really don't want the school involved in that. That's why I take them to their pediatrician. Their pediatrician and I work discuss their diet and what they are/aren't getting enough of - it is none of the school's business. They have always been around the 50th precentile for their age and have both followed that curve from birth, but if she was concerned about them starting to fall below where they should be or getting to heavy then we would talk and come up with a plan, I would never rely on the school to tell me how to handle their nutrition or health.

Unless I'm neglecting my child, I feel that that the school should butt out. Of course people will ask - how will the school know since there are people who neglect their childre (and since people like to "play devil's advocate". ) Maybe they can have a section on all those forms you fill out every year, the physical form, etc. that shows you went over this info with your doctor so you don't have to the school do it (then the gym teacher or who ever they pick to do it who simply measures and probably may not even know how to do it correctly won't have to do it).

Also, what age do they start this? And do the kids see this? I don't think I like like kids seeing this? Especially since this is something that is being done by a teacher, not a medical professional, yet is a health/wellness concern and CAN effect the way a child/teen can feel about him/herself for years to come. I'd rather have a doctor discuss this my child, not have my child read this.

I guess the reason this bothers me is that I had and still do have issues with my weight (just look at my weight loss ticker below, I'm still losing the baby weight I gained while pregnant) and even though I'm losing weight and feel good about it, even when I was in high school and skinny I thought I was fat and was close to being anorexic and I don't want some government program that is supposed to "help" actually being something that actually hurts more.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

What I am saying is that schools should stay out of telling parents their kids are overweight. That's a physician's job. That is what we pay health insurance for.
I realize that kids are overweight even more today so If schools really want to help children, they can teach about healthy eating in health class. If they want to preach about exercise, add more gym classes and recess. Our school should take away the ice cream bars and cookies for dessert and add more healthy choices like fruit slices and veggie sticks. That is what schools can do.
Sending a letter home to parents is not going to help the situation, it's going to alienate parents even more.

I can agree with what you're saying...
but I think schools have taught about healthy eating...As I child of the 80's, I clearly remember learning about the food pyramid and the food groups and all of that. I also am actually impressed with the types of things off my daughter's lunch menu ... http://www.acps.k12.va.us/fns/menu-elementary-03.pdf ... brown rice, steamed veggies, turkey hot dog w/ whole wheat roll... Its not perfect, but its better than it was 30 years ago.

I think if one's child is overweight, people need to stop blaming the school and take personal responsibility for it. I think if a letter sent home could help a family think more responsibly as far as eating and tv habits go, then its worth it... it couldn't hurt, right?

 

[MariDisney]

I can agree with what you're saying...
but I think schools have taught about healthy eating...As I child of the 80's, I clearly remember learning about the food pyramid and the food groups and all of that. I also am actually impressed with the types of things off my daughter's lunch menu ... http://www.acps.k12.va.us/fns/menu-elementary-03.pdf ... brown rice, steamed veggies, turkey hot dog w/ whole wheat roll... Its not perfect, but its better than it was 30 years ago.

I think if one's child is overweight, people need to stop blaming the school and take personal responsibility for it. I think if a letter sent home could help a family think more responsibly as far as eating and tv habits go, then its worth it... it couldn't hurt, right?

Well, in my opinion, where it hurts is in turning another thing over to the institution of the schools that should reside with the family. To me it's a slow and dangerous shift of what is the responsibility of home and what is the responsibility of the school.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

Well, in my opinion, where it hurts is in turning another thing over to the institution of the schools that should reside with the family. To me it's a slow and dangerous shift of what is the responsibility of home and what is the responsibility of the school.

I agree that its a gray area...and where is the line drawn?