Do Coke's school guidelines go far enough?
 

YES
Linda Ulrich-Hagner:
It’s PR, pure and simple

Coca-Cola’s recently announced guidelines for in-school sales simply mislead school boards and the public while masking the vendor’s underlying objective. The company’s bottom line is profit, not our students’ health and well-being, as the guidelines seem to suggest.

The guidelines put a pretty face on what has been a dismal experience with soft drinks in schools. Among the rules the guidelines spell out: timers on vending machines to restrict access to sugary soft drinks and having soft drink alternatives (such as juice and bottled water) in every machine. Certainly Coke is feeling the pressure now that grass-roots groups, concerned about widespread childhood obesity, are fighting back against products that perpetuate this health issue. But has Coke suddenly “got religion” when it comes to the problem? I doubt it.

Each school day, young, impressionable learners are bombarded by vending machines with signage that equates to small billboards in schools. If Coca-Cola really wants to impress, perhaps the company should issue guidelines calling for bottled-water-only machines. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the new rules, however. All over the nation, Coke and other vendors hoodwink school boards into believing that vending machine placement in schools is a benign source of education revenue. The company found ways to discourage healthy drink choices even when ordered by my home state of New York to offer soft drink alternatives. The company responded, all right: by offering a bottled-water selection that was more than three ounces smaller than the sodas on sale in the same machine. To make matters worse, the water was slotted as the bottom choice in most machines. What kind of a message is that sending? Apparently the wrong one, suggest the new guidelines, which would discourage offering water in smaller sizes to students.

What’s at stake here couldn’t be more important. Obesity has been declared a national epidemic. There are multiple reasons for this, but an increase in daily caloric consumption tops the list and should be on the minds of Americans every time they pass a soda machine in the schools—a practice that the guidelines would not change. Soft drinks pose health risks both because of what they contain—mainly sugar—and because they replace important nutrients in the diet that provide protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients needed to maintain lifelong wellness. These dangers aren’t lost on the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recently called for a ban on soda sales in schools.

Now the company is reinventing itself as a concerned corporate citizen through new school guidelines. But “the new Coke” isn’t much different than the old one: The guidelines are simply a sham and another form of corporate advertising that continues to deceive and mislead.

AFT member Linda Ulrich-Hagner retired from teaching two years ago after a 33-year career as a family and consumer sciences teacher at the Kenmore Town of Tonawanda Schools in New York.

NO
Jaymie Reeber Kosa:
Guidelines strike a balance

The Model Guidelines for School Beverage Partnerships is a good resource for schools that work with beverage companies. By providing a wide variety of beverages, offering technology to limit access at certain times of the day and minimizing marketing activities, the guidelines will lead to beverage programs that can be supported by parents and others in the school community.

That said, concerns about nutrition and commercialism aren’t going to go away. I believe that childhood obesity is a complicated issue driven by many causes. These include the phasing out of physical education, family genetics, the sedentary nature of kids’ lives, and the fact that too many kids aren’t getting enough guidance about balanced diets. While Coca-Cola is doing the right thing by providing a wide variety of products, including waters, sports drinks, milk products and juices, I think it’s also important for schools to focus on the placement of foods in their cafeterias. Healthy choices are essential, and as evidenced by the beautiful salad bar right in the middle of the serving area at my school, schools can provide more options.

And while I also believe that fast foods and the occasional piece of candy are acceptable in children’s diets as long as moderation is practiced, schools need to be more vigilant about restricting access to these types of foods. Putting these treats within easy reach in the cafeteria line at school—where hungry students are most prone to buy on impulse as they wait to pay for their lunch—is a recipe for snack food overload.

I also understand how concerns about commercialism have led some people to question business involvement in schools. But with billions needed to support the people of Iraq, the spiraling cost of healthcare, and the budget deficits in states and cities across the country, educators face tough competition in getting the financial support we need. Virtually every teacher is feeling the pinch right now, and I think the vast majority appreciate support from the business community. But these partnerships generate more than money alone. By providing mentors, internships, technology and other education benefits, business partnerships can enhance the educational experience without excess “branding” of products and services.

It’s also significant that while other companies may be tempted to take advantage of schools’ desperation for dollars, Coca-Cola is scaling back its commercial presence and working collaboratively with parents and educators. By giving the leaders of education organizations the opportunity to shape the guidelines, Coke is responding to the challenges faced by principals, school boards, parent-teacher organizations and school business officers who have to bridge the gap between what students need and what education budgets are generally providing. This is an example that every school/business partnership should follow.

Jaymie Reeber Kosa is a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certified teacher of seventh- and eighth-grade performing arts and media literacy at Thomas R. Grover Middle School in West Windsor, N.J.

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