Lawmaker Wants Teachers In Hawaii Weighed For Obesity

[Kadie]

Lawmaker Wants Teachers In Hawaii Weighed For Obesity
Teachers Union President Calls Resolution 'Offensive'

UPDATED: 9:17 am PST March 28, 2005

HONOLULU -- A state lawmaker has suggested Hawaii's public schoolteachers be forced to weigh in as part of the fight against obesity in students, KITV in Honolulu reported.

State Rep. Rida Cabanilla introduced a resolution in the house requesting that the Board of Education establish an obesity database among public schoolteachers.

"You cannot keep a kid to a certain standard that you yourself is not willing to keep," Cabanilla said.

It's been documented that more than 20 percent of Hawaii's children are at risk, or are already overweight, according to the station. There are no statistics on teachers.

more...
http://www.thekcrachannel.com/education/4322022/detail.html

[Guckert]

1. They should have the lawmakers take drug test, because they are obviously

HIGH!!!!!

I say they weigh the parents also. that would be a great idea....DUH

[Endangered Specie]

2. The lawmakers should have IQ tests (110 or higher cut off)

See how they like that! :grr:


edit: and while we are at it, lets have a tax record contest for our little politicians.

[elehhhhna]

3. .." a certain standard that you yourself is not willing to keep"?!!

Who said THAT? Sounds like GW!

This man has no business meddling in Education until he GETS ONE.

[Toots]

5. What ..you is not willing to give him a break

:shrug:

[Midlodemocrat]

8. Reminds me of that famous quote by our great leader

Rarely is the question asked, "is our children learning"? Yes, indeed, it is rarely asked.

[tridim]

4. No poi for you!

It just never ends.

[Hello_Kitty]

6. I'm so against any mandatory weighing

Kids or adults. Humiliation and shame are NOT an effective way to get people to change their habits.

I remember being in the Navy where this was practiced. We were weighed and measured in front of everyone twice a year to see if we were within standards. Those who failed were placed on a "remedial" program. Everyone knew who was on it. For a while, I actually had to administer the program for the command. It was awful. I had to weigh these poor folks weekly and watch them run (painfully) around a track. Rarely did anyone actually lose weight. At least with the military it's understandable that there should be standards but bringing this crap into the schools is ridiculous.

I'm not sure what the answer to the obesity problem is, but this isn't it.

[katsy]

12. Maybe eating foods...

like our grandparents ate.

Someone was talking about that on the radio the other day.

Get rid of everything fast and fried. Use natural ingredients, real oatmeal, sugar.

Sounded interesting.

How about funding schools properly so they don't have to cut PhysEd programs?

[freestyle]

7. In this legislator's case, standard English is the problem. n/t

[elehhhhna]

9. Here's her bio & photo. She doesn't appear to be so thin herself...

RIDA CABANILLA (D)

Age: 51

Occupation: Registered nurse; major, U.S. Army reservist

Family: Divorced, two adult children

[TahitiNut]

15. Did you find that photo in the dictionary under "fathead"??

I've noticed (KSOTO) that "lawmakers" never call for such draconian 'testing' of themselves. I've never heard of random drug testing in any legislature. I've never heard of smoking bans for any legislature. The people who're covered by the most generous and comprehensive health insurance in this nation never seem to require any "healthy habits" of themselves.

"Representatives"??? I think not.

[elehhhhna]

16. They seem to get lightly for DUI's also.

[starwolf]

10. Actually this makes a perverse kind of sense

Schools are being postulated as the best place to fight obesity. No sodas, only healthy foods for lunch. Administrators/law makers in Pennsylvania, New York, Georgia, and Texas have advocated adding a student's Body Mass Index or other health information on their report cards. If we are going to inflict that on the students, then the teachers should set a good example, or least feel the same pain. In our local school they pulled sodas from the vending machines everywhere but the teachers lounge. Real great leadership there.

Double standards are inappropriate. If educators get that stupid with the students, it should also be felt by the adults as well.

[elehhhhna]

13. Uh, the parents are responsible for their own kids eating habits.

And the legislators set an example, too. Why not weigh them?

[tabasco]

"Perverse kind of sense" = idiocy. n/t

[starwolf]

19. Glad you agree

It is total idiocy, a nanny state mentality run amuck coupled with a do as I say, not do as I do mentality. Absolute insanity.

When they were pushing for drug test for students where I went to school to include nicotine use, a number of us argued strenuously that it should also apply to the staff. Major upset with that suggestion. Claimed it would require a change to the teacher contract. When the contract was up for renegotiation, the district refused to push for it. Double standards really drive me nuts.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

11. But who's going to determine

if the obesity is due to poor diet, medications or is a cause of medical problems?

Not everyone who is obese is like that for purely food-related reasons.

[kokofitz]

14. I wonder if a codicil should be added....

Since so many people have eating disorders he needs to add information for teachers who are underweight from such things as bulemia etc. as they too would not meet "standards".

[Mizmoon]

17. It's all a self-esteem trap

We've done to ourselves - there are delicious, high calorie foods everywhere. And they are so cheap anyone can have them. Fast food is cheap, candy, sodas, all that stuff is cheap and easy. And we advertise it non-stop using the best psychological experts that money can buy. They find the most effective ways possible to make their foods irresistable until we're all quivering at the knees with desire for a 750 calorie "snack".

Then we tell ourselves and our children that you can't have any of it and that if we do indulge, that we're fat-assed losers.

No wonder it's getting ugly.

[insane_cratic_gal]

18. Why is the blame not going

where it belongs?

For me it belongs in 2 areas. 1 with the individual person, families,

What about school lunches?
What about the amount of sugar in our diets?
what about the hormones in milk?
what about cows on steroids
what about pesticides in your food
how about the cost of healthy food vs junk food

What about where your food comes from? Are you sure it's from the farm down the street or even in the next county about in the US.. how about is from within Us borders?


"You cannot keep a kid to a certain standard that you yourself is not willing to keep," Cabanilla said.

What about getting Coke and Pepsi out of the school lunch hall? Snickers and m&m's out of the vending machines. How about feeding them salads for lunch vs Pizza and fries?

What about the standards of the parents? not the teachers? what about the inactivity produced by Online games? Nintendo.. or chat rooms (du excluded lol) TV..

There are so many places to put the blame, all equally guilty, including kids.

Re educate! Rethink school lunch.. re-teach dinner ettique, it's not about cleaning your plate off, its about eating only until your full. Eating for pleasure is great so long as it's good for you.. a meal. I've found that snacking for pleasure is bad! Instead of having them bake cookies in home-ec what about teaching them about how junk food and sugary foods effects their blood sugar, how that effects your body. Push water not soda, get rid of the fruit drinks!

why are these not things FDA are pushing on schools?

If you haven't seen Super Size Me rent it.. rather interesting perspective.

[Bridget Burke]

20. They think the kids don't notice when the teacher's chair breaks?

Of course not, children are much too gentle & kind....

Obesity is a problem; eating disorders are also problems. Healthy diet & exercise should be encouraged for everybody.

Singling people out for humiliation won't work.

[Vidar]

21. Teachers (former in my case) want politicians euthanized.