Are Schools Making Children Obese?

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From Kindergarten to 12th grade, children spend most of their time at school. School, what we adults think, is supposed to be the teachers of our children while we are at work. They feed them lunch, and possibly breakfast, five days out the week, keep them active, and teach them all about their body and health in health class. But, are they really taking care of them enough? Some schools fail to serve healthy foods, teach health class, or even provide enough time to be physically active. One in three kids are obese, that is reason enough to care about these children’s lives at school. Schools are one of the reasons that the younger generation has a fast growing obese rate.
Since the beginning of time, schools were always a place we could trust. A place where we could send our kid(s) off to without worry of what they may be learning, doing, or eating, but perhaps we should be. As the craving of fast food is growing, so is the demand for it. Some schools have taken advantage of this and brought fast food into their schools, providing it for lunch. A high school in California serves McDonald’s, Subway, and even Quiznos to their students for lunch (Lehmann). The school claims the kids are more likely to buy school food when they see brand foods (n.p.). Schools get money from the National School Lunch Program for every meal they serve, but that money from the government only covers so much (n.p.). To pay the rest of the lunch staff, facilities costs, and food, schools turn to the money they make by selling lunches and breakfast to their students (n.p.). Another school in California has even tried to mimic Round Table, a brand name pizza in their area, with healthier ingredients, but was only able to sell 250-300; when they sold Round T...

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...on of State Boards of Education, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Hellmich, Nanci. "Report: More PE, Activity Programs Needed in Schools." USA Today. Gannett, 23 May 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Lehmann, Deborah. "Why School Cafeterias Are Dishing Out Fast Food (page 2)." Education.com. Education, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
"Physical Activity Other Than Physical Education." NASBE Center for Safe and Healthy Schools. National Association of State Boards of Education, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
"Physical Education." NASBE Center for Safe and Healthy Schools. National Association of State Boards of Education, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Rochman, Bonnie. "Childhood Obesity: Most U.S. Schools Don’t Require P.E. Class or Recess." Time.com. Time, 07 Dec. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
"Teaching Health Education in School." HealthyChildren.org. Healthy Children, 11 May 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

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