Article - Kinda Long!

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Student bodies

BY JENN LONG Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2003

With the new school year just days away a new legislative act that

will require schools to record a student's body mass is attracting

support and criticism from parents and school officials in

Washington County.

Passed in April by the Arkansas General Assembly, Act 1220 of 2003

has only recently become an issue as parents get their children

prepared for the first day of school Monday.

The law demands that school personnel figure each student's body

mass index — calculated using a formula that uses height and weight

and compares it to other children — for inclusion on the student's

report card each year. Schools are also required to provide

pamphlets and other materials that explain the health effects of the

body mass index.

Local state legislators who support the bill contend that the new

requirement was intended to help battle childhood obesity, which is

increasingly becoming a health risk in the state and nation,

according to the United States Center for Disease Control. " We are

facing a crisis in this country and in Arkansas with obesity, " said

Arkansas District 7 Sen. Sue Madison. " I realize this is seeming

like a huge invasion of privacy but there is a concern because of

the health crisis and to some extent that crisis will be

[shouldered] by the taxpayers in the future, " she said referring to

potential long-term health care costs resulting from obesity.

According to the local school health officials, childhood obesity

can lead to diabetes, sleep apnea, coronary artery disease and

depression.

Parents and school officials have taken issue with the BMI

measurement, stating that calculating and recording the body mass

index goes beyond a school's mission and responsibility. " This has

absolutely nothing to do with educating my children, " said

Washington County resident Tyrun Bates, who has three children

attending Lincoln Public School. " Our schools have enough funding

problems that we should not spend one dime on something that does

not have to do with education. "

Prairie Grove Superintendent Tom Louks said the district is prepared

to implement the new requirement, but will do so with some

reservations. " We will do it if we are told to do it, " he said. " But

you can't legislate morality and you can't tell someone they can't

be fat. It borders on privacy issues. I think it takes the role of

parent and gives it to the school. "

Implementing the BMI assessment has been put on hold by the Arkansas

Department of Education until a health advisory committee, also

created by Act 1220, has developed recommendations for measuring and

recording BMI.

In a letter to the state's superintendents, ADE Director Ray Simon

told school officials that the Arkansas Department of Health and the

Arkansas Center for Health Improvement are working with the ADE to

seek funding for the BMI assessment and reporting.

The BMI recording is just a small part of Act 1220, which also

creates a child health advisory board that is charged with combating

childhood obesity. Other issues, such as limiting elementary school

students ' access to vending machines, are also addressed in the new

law.

The new mandate has attracted some parental support.

Jill Flood, a Fayetteville resident and parent of a second-grader at

Happy Hollow Elementary School, said she supported schools

calculating body mass index because of potential health risks

associated with childhood obesity. However, she did not believe the

measurement should be included on a report card, she said. " It is

just a gut feeling that it shouldn't be there. Report cards really

aren't private, " she said.

Several school officials have said they are wary of the mandate,

citing privacy and social stigma concerns.

Farmington Superintendent Ron said recently that measuring

and recording body mass index can create embarrassing situations for

young adults who are already dealing with self-image issues.

Selfesteem and confidence could be damaged at a fragile time, he

said. " I have talked with some of our counselors and they are

concerned because it would be taken at the worst possible time for

this group of kids. Their bodies are changing and they are already

dealing with adolescence and it is just a tough time for them, "

said.

Beth Passmore, Greenland Schools' head nurse, went a step further

with her belief that the new requirement could potentially cause

eating disorders. " There is already evidence of eating disorders in

middle school children here and in the older elementary school

students. Students can be cruel, " she said.

Passmore has been a registered nurse for 15 years, 10 of which were

spent as a school nurse in districts throughout the state. " BMI does

not really provide an accurate picture of a person's health in

regards to weight anyway, " she said, also noting that it would be

impossible for a school to take the measurements that would provide

a complete picture of student health.

According to the CDC, a body mass index measurement is " just one of

many factors " that create a person's health profile. BMI gives no

indication of a child's body fat percentage. According to the CDC's

Web site, a healthy person and an overweight person could have the

same BMI measurement, depending on muscle mass. " I think the

intention of the bill was admirable and there should be concerns

about health issues. However, I am not sure this was the way to have

gone about it, " said, noting that although report cards are

officially considered private documents, they are rarely treated as

such by students.

Some school officials question whether the measurement will help

battle childhood obesity. They argue that parents will already be

aware if their child has a weight problem and that a number listed

on a report card will not give them an understandable factor

concerning their child's health. " We all know about weight. We see

ourselves and our children. I think we can trust parents to make

that decision, " Passmore said.

Local superintendents have fielded few inquiries from parents

regarding the body mass measurement. Madison said she has received

two e-mails with concerns about the issue. Despite the small show of

interest, school officials said they are prepared to field

complaints once the first measurement is posted on report cards. " I

anticipate that once it does come out on a report card there will be

some people who have not heard about this and they will hit the

ceiling when they see it, " said.