Jackson Free Press

Mississippi Department of Education board members last month voted to forgo a school vending policy banning all soft drinks—even diet versions—in favor of a national plan devised by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The Alliance plan, which includes input from groups from the American Heart Association to soft-drink vendors, allows soft-drink vending machines a presence on school property until 2009, with no cut-off point whatsoever for diet drinks.

The Clarion-Ledger quoted one board member storming out of the vote, calling it a political issue.

"I have never been on this board, in six years, where something has gotten political," board member Sondra Caillavet told that paper. The Biloxi teacher chaired the vending machine task force and become convinced that sodas should be banned from schools.

Jackson Public Schools parent Jenny Neal said the issue was probably less about politics and more about money.

"The schools get money from those machines, so I think they're seeing it as kind of a deal with the devil in that you know what soft drinks do to children, but we're also hurting for money," Neal said. "Yes I know soft drinks aren't good for you. No, I rarely keep a bottle of it in the refrigerator, but, yes, I know we need that revenue."

Jackson Public Schools, a highly populated but underfinanced district, collects about $140,000 annually from drink sales.

The soft-drink issue has been slowly brewing as public awareness of the damage carbonated, sweetened drinks do to health grows. A rat tooth dropped in a glass of some soft drinks will fizzle away into nothingness after a few hours, and medical reports reveal similar damage to tooth enamel with constant exposure.

Centers for Disease Control statistics indicate that an abominable 65 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and that Mississippi is one of the three states, including Louisiana and West Virginia, where 25 percent of adults are obese.

CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding, said in an earlier teleconference that the top five causes of death in the U.S. are heart disease, cancer, stroke, lung disease and accidents, though obesity is the top cause of the top three killers. In 2004, the CDC found that 9.5 percent of Mississippi's population has diabetes, which beats out the national average of 7 percent.

In 2003, Mississippi also had the distinction of having 15.7 percent of its high school population being overweight. This, too, beat out the national figure ranking most of the nation's kids as 11.1 percent overweight.

Public schools are also placing less emphasis on physical education. Calls to a random assortment of elementary schools revealed that some schools have either downgraded the number of recess periods, or done away with them entirely.

Galloway Elementary, for instance, has only one period designated for outdoor or playtime activity, while Isabele Elementary has no recess time whatsoever. Pecan Park Elementary integrated its only remaining recess time with a physical education class, and Walton Elementary has no official recess, leaving exercise up to the preference of the teacher over that class.

"This is very alarming," said Parents for Public Schools Executive Director Susan Womack, who partially blames the shrinking presence of activity time to renewed emphasis on test preparation. "What I saw launching with the (2001) No Child Left Behind Act, and the accountability that's designed into it to prepare children for standardized tests, is that schools began eliminating recess so that teachers had more time to work with students to get them prepared for tests, and I think that's horrible. Our children need a whole education, which means taking care of the whole child. They need recess time."

Womack added that before No Child Left Behind even hit the schools, districts were already cutting recess time completely out of middle schools.

"Imagine sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders with their growing bodies just sitting in class with all that extra energy. They need outlets for physical expression to concentrate in class, and they have absolutely no opportunity unless they're involved in sports," Womack said.

The vending-machine policy isn't finalized until one more vote, and not until the board makes room for public comment.

Previous Comments

ID

80339

Comment

According to a recent report, having an extra can of soda a day can make you gain 15 pounds in a year! It makes perfect sense because of all the corn syrup. I usually drink sodas in moderation, like if I go out to eat or I am at a party, and even then I aim for clear sodas unless there's nothing else available. Water is so much better for you, though. Soda was never meant to be consumed several times a day. It's right up there with cotton candy - enough sugar to frost a cake.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-08-10T00:54:52-06:00

ID

80340

Comment

Crap! Made my first trip to Fondren Beverage Emporium yesterday- drank and enjoyed a spicy Ginger Ale, and took home a mixed six pack of other stuff. Opened and enjoyed a "Cheerwine" last night- first one I've had in 44 years! 15 pounds a year, huh? Just might be worth it...

Author

Rico

Date

2006-08-10T01:08:13-06:00

ID

80341

Comment

Fondren Beverage Emporium? Might have to find that. I'd also question the "rat tooth dissolving in beverage", because it sounds like the Coke urban legends.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-08-10T08:42:05-06:00

ID

80342

Comment

Fondren Beverage Emporium? Might have to find that. I'd also question the "rat tooth dissolving in beverage", because it sounds like the Coke urban legends. That's exactly what it is: http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/tooth.asp Best, Tim

Author

Tim Kynerd

Date

2006-08-10T10:15:50-06:00

ID

80343

Comment

PS Fondren Beverage Emporium is at the corner of Duling and State, near the Pix, unless they've moved from the location they were preparing to open earlier this year. Best, Tim

Author

Tim Kynerd

Date

2006-08-10T11:22:24-06:00

ID

80344

Comment

The description of the rat tooth dissolving in a can of sugared soda comes from a personal observation rather than published material. During my 9th grade science/health class. My teacher dropped a tiny pebble, which he described as a "rodent tooth" in a sealed jar of popular soda (we won't mention the brand name here). Two days later, he then challened the students to find the pebble, which the class could not. While I can't say the experiment was professionally documented and reviewed by a jury of experts I'm not quite ready to dismiss my old professor as a fraud. I'd hate to think he was willing to mislead the class by quietly ferreting away the soaking tooth when nobody was looking.

Author

Adam Lynch

Date

2006-08-10T12:07:41-06:00

ID

80345

Comment

And that, my friends, is what we at the JFP call an "Adamism."

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-08-10T12:11:35-06:00

ID

80346

Comment

They should put treadmills in the back of every class, and make students work off all that energy. Also, I hope the rat tooth thing does work, because I'd like to think that if I ever had the misfortune of accidentally swallowing a rat, I could drink some Coke and spare myself the discomfort of passing all those teeth.

Author

GLB

Date

2006-08-10T12:49:49-06:00

ID

80347

Comment

Thanks for pointing out the loss of recess. It's ridiculous how little running time they get in the elementary schools as well, but my son's school wants to cut out pizza days. We're sending kids mixed messages. I'm all for having a healthier child, but my son is dying for a good game of tag as well. I've witnessed games of TWISTER passing for P.E. class becuase of lack of resources for phys. ed.

Author

emilyb

Date

2006-08-10T13:23:35-06:00

ID

80348

Comment

Fondren Beverage Emporium is at the corner of Duling and State, near the Pix, unless they've moved from the location they were preparing to open earlier this year. Mmm-MMM! Next time anyone is there, can you find out if they can get Ale-8-One? It's a wonderful caffeinated ginger ale, made in Winchester, KY. www.ale-8-one.com

Author

Lady Havoc

Date

2006-08-10T14:08:28-06:00

ID

80349

Comment

LW: This story on Foxnews from Junkscience editor Steven Milloy has some bad things to say about that study. Seems to suffer from the classic problem of researcher with axe to grind.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-08-11T11:31:07-06:00

ID

80350

Comment

that's junkscience.com editor Steven Milloy, I forgot to correctly add. And Adam? I haven't given up on the rat tooth yet... :D

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-08-11T11:32:25-06:00

ID

80351

Comment

I'd have to say the story on Fox"News" suffers more from "journalist" with axe to grind.

Author

Tim Kynerd

Date

2006-08-11T16:30:48-06:00

ID

80352

Comment

Maybe it's researcher with tummy to fill. The competition for research dollars isn't pretty sometimes.

Author

GLB

Date

2006-08-11T16:36:02-06:00

ID

80353

Comment

I forgot. Because it appears on Fox News, it is automatically a lie. Sorry.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-08-11T17:02:26-06:00

ID

80354

Comment

[quote]Fondren Beverage Emporium is at the corner of Duling and State, near the Pix, unless they've moved from the location they were preparing to open earlier this year. Mmm-MMM! Next time anyone is there, can you find out if they can get Ale-8-One? It's a wonderful caffeinated ginger ale, made in Winchester, KY. www.ale-8-one.com Posted by: Lady Havoc on Aug 10, 06 | 2:08 pm[/quote] Lady Havoc, we might go by there tomorrow so I will look but I can't imagine him *not* having it- he has everything! I thought that it was a strange idea for a business (still do in fact), but the place is really great. And it is something that I haven't ever seen duplicated anywhere else, even large cities! Worth a trip to Fondren...

Author

Rico

Date

2006-08-11T17:16:06-06:00

ID

80355

Comment

does anyone know when and where the public comment on this school board ruling is? i would really like to attend. it is a shame that for $140,000 we will sacrifice countless developments of Type II diabetes from the copious amounts of corn syrup the nations kids are consuming on a daily basis. That we care more about getting money for their "education" than preventing them from consuming a beverage that stimulates and agitates ones ability to focus. Allowing soft drinks into the classroom is a bad example to set. A school should be a place of holistic education. We are not just raising our kids to be good at the classic subjects, but through this process we hope to bestow upon them a sense of self-value, cooperation, empathy, creativity, and physical well-being. the american education is sorely lost and it will take more than outlawing a soft drink to fix a system of confused teachers, students, and administrators...but it would be a step in the right direction.

Author

daniel johnson

Date

2006-08-17T23:07:41-06:00

ID

80356

Comment

We could always follow Belgium's lead.

Author

millhouse

Date

2006-08-17T23:18:29-06:00

ID

80357

Comment

Our children are not even allowed to bring anything like Kool-Aid Bursts for snacks now. We get bottles of water to pack for them. The Kool-Aid was a nice diversion, though. As a little note... Fondren Beverage Emporium does indeed have Ale-8-One. They made this native Kentuckian so very happy!

Author

Lady Havoc

Date

2006-08-21T18:56:31-06:00