It never fails at the end of the school year. Time for the obligatory “news” story about the “fat letters”, AKA Fitnessgram scores getting sent home. Many of our districts or even states have required that these reports get sent home each year, however, some people still don’t understand the basics of the reading and interpreting the results.
Let’s dispel an untruth. At no point, unless your version of Fitnessgram is different than mine, does the word “fat” appear. So the media and parents need to jump off that bandwagon. There is even a statement that says BMI results can be inaccurate for children that are very active. I guess people choose not to read the entire thing. Really, the language is pretty good for children not in the Healthy Fitness Zone. It discusses how it being too heavy or too lean can cause health issues and not all are at risk for health problems.
Now, let’s address the problem. I totally get parents not wanting to hear bad news about their kids. I’m a dad…….I understand. However, wouldn’t it at least make you take a moment to think about your child’s diet and activity levels? If you, as a parent, look at those and think that it is all ok, then move on. Fitnessgram is just one piece of information that does not encapsulate the entire picture of your child or their personal health.
Finally, in my opinion schools have two responsibilities if we are going to continue to send Fitnessgram info home (and I believe we should). First, the reports must be sent directly to the parents in sealed report cards or via the mail or email. A 10 year old should go over that information with their parent, not by themselves. Second, school systems need to remove the “food incentives” that permeate our classrooms and schools. No more Skittles for behaving, no donut parties for 100% PTA participation, no candy reward jars, no sodas for purchase for cashing in reward points in the classroom. I have seen all these happen first hand. A few schools in metro Atlanta are going all the way and banning the birthday celebrations. While I don’t agree with that, I totally understand the theory of not wanting your child to have 27 cupcakes during the school year. If we are going to hold our parents and students responsible, then we have to hold ourselves responsible, too, and not “feed” into one of the big causes of childhood obesity.
What do you think?