Student Well-Being

Arkansas Faces a Weighty Issue

By Laura Greifner — February 13, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Stung by criticism from parents and some lawmakers concerned about children’s self-esteem, Arkansas is considering repealing part of its first-in-the-nation, 2003 law that mandates an obesity screening for all public school students.

Supporters of the law say the percentage of schoolchildren classified as overweight or at risk of becoming overweight has decreased since Arkansas adopted its school-based anti-obesity program. But opponents say that the practice of sending home “obesity report cards” has had unintended negative consequences, such as hurting children’s self-images.

The Arkansas House approved a bill Jan. 25 that would repeal the mandatory body-mass-index screening, but would leave intact other parts of the law, such as offering more fruits and vegetables on lunch menus and banning the use of food as rewards.

The Arkansas mandate was pushed along by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee, who made the anti-obesity crusade a focus of his administration. In 2004, a statewide study revealed that nearly 40 percent of Arkansas students were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

Since Arkansas enacted the screening requirement, several other states have begun similar efforts, and more are considering them.

But such programs have run into criticism elsewhere as well.

In Barnstable County, Mass., for example, some parents complained that sending letters home with students who had high body-mass indexes humiliated them and caused them undue stress. The Barnstable schools decided to send the letters to parents via mail instead.

In Arkansas, Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat who was inaugurated last month, has objected to some aspects of the current body-mass index screening system. He also noted that while parents can opt out of the screening, the law is less than clear about the process.

“As long as we let parents know that there are options to having their child participate in the Body Mass Index study, parents can make that decision for their own children,” the governor said in a statement released by his office.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the February 14, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Student Well-Being Opinion 4 Steps Students Can Take to Help Make Tough Decisions
When students feel stuck, they can harness the power of the nonconscious mind to help them move forward.
Kennon Sheldon
2 min read
Images shows a stylized artistic landscape with soothing colors.
Getty
Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Students Think Social Media Is Fine, But Teachers See a Mental Health Minefield
It's important for adults to recognize and understand teens’ perspectives in order to teach healthy social media habits.
8 min read
Custom illustration showing a young female student floating above a cell phone while in a protective bubble that looks like a split happy and sad emoji. Digital and techie textures applied to the background.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
Student Well-Being Q&A 'It Terrifies Me': Clinical Psychologist on Tech Overuse in the Age of AI
Lisa Strohman has dedicated her career to connecting the dots between tech overuse/misuse and mental health problems.
4 min read
Custom illustration showing a young female student wearing a book bag and standing inside a protective bubble that looks like a split happy and sad emoji.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Social Media Is Hurting Social-Emotional Skills. How 4 School Districts Are Fighting Back
A majority of educators believe social media negatively impacts students’ social-emotional skills, an EdWeek Research Center survey found.
7 min read
As part of a SEL lesson, 6th grade students at Swope Middle School in Reno, Nev., practice online safety measures.
As part of a social-emotional-learning lesson, 6th graders practice online safety measures at Swope Middle School in Reno, Nev., on March 19, 2024.
Emily Najera for Education Week