Health Publications

How schools are failing our kids; childhood cases of obesity and asthma have hit record levels. Meanwhile, public schools serve hamburgers and fries, eliminate gym classes, and use pesticides. Are schools setting our kids up for a lifetime of poor health? - Exclusive Report

Natural Health, July, 2002 by Katherine Gallia

Adding to this possible health hazard are the pesticides sprayed on school grounds. These outdoor pesticides are usually more potent and stay around longer than pesticides used indoors, explains Port. And children are right in the line of fire. Says Lent: "Kids play with the grass and soil and play structures that get sprayed with pesticides, and thus have direct contact."

What You Can Do: Instruct your children to wash their hands after coming in from recess, and ask their teachers to help ensure their compliance.

Ask school administrators if wood in the playground is pressure treated with CCA. If they don't know, ask them to test it. Schools can purchase $20 test kits from the Healthy Building Network either by calling 202-232-4108 or visiting www.healthybuilding.net. Suggest the use of nontoxic alternatives like recycled plastic or redwood and cedar, which are pest-resistant, says Lent. The EPA recommends applying a coating product, like an oil-based semitransparent stain, to pressure-treated wood on a regular basis. (Studies suggest this can reduce the amount of CCA that leaches from wood, according to the EPA.)

Learn more about how to introduce the concept of integrated pest management, which aims to minimize or eliminate the use of toxic pesticides, to your school by visiting the EPA website at www.epa.gov/pesticides/ipm.> Schools that Shine

Not all public schools are failing our children. Check out these stars.

STAR EXAMPLE

Berkeley, Calif., School District

How It Shines: In 1999 it adopted a food policy that teaches students lifelong healthy eating habits.

The Details: As part of its food policy, the district is striving to serve nutritious, organic foods from sustainable local farms as much as possible. To start, three of the 11 elementary schools have salads bars, and if current negotiations with the local farmers market pan out, those will soon become organic. Nutrition education is part of the curriculum, and all the elementary schools have organic gardens, which the children tend. They also use the produce to prepare healthy snacks. Karen Candito, director of nutrition services for the district, envisions a day when the schools will cook their own organic meals, which will be affordable for all children.

STAR EXAMPLE

Houston, Texas, Aldine School District

How It Shines: Makes physical education (PE) appealing to kids.

The Details: Ten years ago, students in this district would do anything to skip PE. "Back in the early '90s, our assistant principals were spending a significant amount of their days with discipline problems related to physical education," says Sharon Sterchy, who has been the district's PE and wellness director since 1991. "My first day on the job, I cried my eyes out on the way home," she says. "I thought, `They're just too far gone.'" Today, however, PE classes are enormously popular because Sterchy has made sure children can choose an activity that they enjoy. Offerings include kayaking, inline skating, and rock climbing. "1 felt that it was important that we get everybody an opportunity to find something that they're passionate about," Sterchy says.