Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on October 6, 2005

Click here to view bill details.

This is a great idea. I wonder why no one thought of it before. Parents will have black and white proof their child is obese or getting obese, and it will not cost the schools anything.

Requiring schools to measure, calculate, record and report body mass index for each student will cost the schools a bunch. Since this proposal provides for no funding to cover those costs and compensate schools for providing the service, it must be dumped.

This is an issue between a physician and parents/patients. It has no place in the public school system.

This idea is the biggest waste of taxpayer money. I can't believe Michigan legislators cannot find something more worthwhile to do.

BMI is a POOR way to determine health/fitness for ANYONE. BMI is no different from height/weight charts of old--it just uses a formula. School kids have enough pressures on them--they don't need to have this added. If Mr. Lemmon is so concerned about the health and wellness of school kids, he should introduce legislation that improves the nutritional value and choices of school lunches, and get soda pop machines and candy bar machines out of the school, and mandate physical activity classes!!!

Rather than measuring a student's BMI, I have a very NOVEL idea. How about measuring how much a student learns? Of course, that would be asking too much of our superior educational system. >>sarcasm off<<

So what do you planning on doing with these fat kids?

Maybe they will send them to re-education err to re-fitness camps. I have a better idea. How about we add a politicians IQ score to every ballot?

If you are athletic and have a fair amount of lean muscle, then you will show up on BMIs as being obese. Likewise, you can be moderately fat, but your BMI will be low if that fat is spread out over a tall body. BMI is not a valid measure of health for many people. Just one more reason why this bill sucks.

It is such an important issue and concern. I think this is great. We will not be grading on the BMI, but we will let the parents know and understand. Some concerns with using the BMI is that every child does not have the same body frame, but it gives the family an idea and how that can impact their childs health.

Right now, we have elementary age children with gym once a week because that is all the district can afford. We have third through fifth grade children only getting one recess in the afternoon because administrators and teachers say there is no time because of the demands of the MEAP and the changing curriculum. Let's get these children active. The fact of the matter is the BMI will most likely be higher for low income children because it costs more money to eat healthy food. We cannot control what children eat at home but let's at least give their body that chance to be active at least twice a day while they are at school. The legislation should be for mandatory recess and a minimum of three gym classes per week.

I'm sorry that the health and fitness of our public is being addressed in schools. There is no way that schools can provide the needs of a body for adequate fitness and provide a through education. In reality, the parents should be assisting the kids in proper health practices, not allowing them to come home, sit around, munch all day and do nothing. Kids will need to learn this for their future, since most companies don't have manditory fitness time, it will be their responsibity to maintain their bodies in the future. Early habits will stay through adulthood, mostly. Parents need to stop putting the resposibilty of raising their children on others, including the public and governmental systems.

Kids weight has been going up for the last 20 years. This is also about the time video games and computer games have been getting more popular. This is also about the same time frame in which lazy teachers have been talking parents into drugging any kid that actually has some energy and wants to run and play.

If you can't tell that your kid is fat without help from the nanny government then you need more than a diet plan.

>This is also about the same time frame in which lazy teachers have been talking parents into drugging any kid that actually has some energy and wants to run and play.< Poppycock. Why does every discussion about new -- and often cockamamie (like this one) -- legislative proposals to dump new tasks on our public schools have to turn into a teacher-bashing forum? Teachers are not responsible for children becoming obese. Or becoming emaciated, either. The kid’ parents are. Period. End. It’s parents who have to take charge on their child’s weight issues. The parents should be the ones imposie dietary and related behavioral discipline on their kids. Schools should be supportive, in properly and appropriately supervising kids whose parents actually try to deal with their kids’ weight issues, but only within the framework of the academic-educational task. That’s collaboration between parent and school. Schools can’t be held responsible or accountable for the child’s success or failure in losing/gaining body weight. And It should not be the schools’ new responsibility to identify and institute measures to correct a kid’s problem with weight. HB 5625 should be soundly rejected.

bmi is not accurate and teachers have enough to do trying to teach the changing curriculum. yes, schools should support kids health. however, its up to the parents to be - PARENTS. if a parent has questions regarding their childs health, the parent should be able to get support from the schools health/gym teacher. the teacher doesnt have to do the work or diagnose, just give the parents sources. if the parents arent going to set the example by leading a healthful and active life then the child wont learn or respect. the best thing a school could do is learn about nutrition in health class and REQUIRE AT LEAST 3 DAYS OF GYM CLASS EACH WEEK. all health/fitness/doctors agree that at least 3 days each week (30 minutes each) is best so why not require it from the beginning?

If you are a parent and can't tell if your kid is fat or not then said child should be removed from your custody ASAP.

Do you think we are all stupid? A parent knows if their child is overwieght. Embarassing a child by measuring their body fat is cruel. Sending a report of how much fat they have to their parents is not going to make the parent suddenly realize their child is overwieght. If they haven't started giving them healthier food, your report won't make them start doing it, all it does is make a child feel bad about themselves. Should we just walk the streets measuring peoples body fat?! Maybe adults don't realize they are overwieght either?! It is NOT your business to harm children this way, it is a parents responsibility to have healthy food around. I hope this bill is shut down and never approved, how dare you pass judgement on children that way. There are other ways to help overwight children besides squeezing their fat to see how much their is and telling their parents. You should be ashamed of yourself Mr.Lamar Lemmons III. Shame on you!!

First of all, measuring BMI does not squeeze any one fat. It is a height-weight measurement. Secondly, you think that these kids will be embarressed by the results being sent home? Don't you think these kids are already embarressed by their weight? Maybe this help kids tell their parents that they want something better for their lives. Maybe it will help parents realize that they need to start helping kids, by feeding them healthier food and getting them to move more.

If parents can't see that their children are fat, maybe you'd better send them back to school also. And while they are there they can eat all the garbage snacks that the schools sell. What a waste of money.

The government has taken it appond themselves to fix everything. Nobody is responsible for them selves anymore. Heck what do we need school for anyway, just let the government take care of it and the mess will get bigger.

the snacks or cans of Coke that kids drink. It's the fact that most are couch potatoes for the rest of the day. When we were young it was nothing to wear out three or four bike tires in one summer. Now the kids don't even know how to ride a bike. As long as parents keep using the computer and video games as a cheap babysitter and the teachers keep requesting that the active kids be drugged into submission the kids will be fat.

We call child protective services if we see other neglect. Oprah calls you out on national TV if you are neglectful about weight with a child. We screen for scoliosis. CPS is on speed dial, unfortunately. I hate to call. Sometimes things like this need to be done for the good of the child. This IS wise leadership. There should be required parenting courses we often say, well this information supplied to parents is a solution. IT'S BOLD, not DISCRIMINATORY. As long as the information is sealed, goes right to the parent (like they have to sign for it to so they received it) or it is mailed or something, then how is a school or teacher going to discriminate against fat kids. Please! It's time for American parents to wise up. We thought the earth was flat at one point. This is great legislation. Thank goodness we no longer have the Inquisition for good scientific ideas!

The government should help guide parents in good choices for their children. Not all of our parents are educated enough know what is healthy or good parenting. Sorry! It's true. Maybe you are, and good for you. It's obviously a national problem is SO FEW children make the standards. Let the government enlighten us. This is not about control.

This legislation is proactive and shows foresight and caring for our citizens. We once put lead in our paint, and that wasn't very bright, and now we know better! The more we know about BMI the better. With better screening for dyslexia and more efficient tutoring for those students, less children will be held back from gym to catch up, too! We ought to look into that for the state as well. It is part of the issue and unfortunately discriminates against dyslexics because they don't get the same opportunity for exercise as their peers. The same is true for the amount of lunch recess that they get because they so often have to stay back at lunch. Harsh but true.

--The government should help guide parents in good choices for their children. --Not all of our parents are educated enough know what is healthy or good parenting. --Let the government enlighten us. This is not about control. Where to start? Why should government help guide parents in raising children? It doesn't help pick out you kids clothes each morning, and yet many kids suffer needless embarrassment by not choosing the propert kinds of clothes. Of course not every parent is as intelligent as you are and, therefore, must be making the wrong choices. Someone should force them to do it your, er, the right way. Your last line is self-contradicting. Let the government enlighten us. It's not about control? It's all about control. Parents may not raise kids the way you want, so they must be taught how, and if they don't want to learn they must be forced. Why else are there comments here about reporting to child protective services so that the child abuse of improper diet can be stopped. Your intentions may be good, but your cure is worse than obese children.

The government does not need to tell parents that their child is fat. If a parent can't tell that their child is fat, then they should invest in a good pair of glasses. This should not be the province of the schools. The schools have enough to do without losing valuable instructional time measuring fat. What then do the sponsors of this bill want next? The schools measure the kid's fat and inform the parents and then what? Do they expect that the schools will then put the kid on a diet? Kids (and adults) will continue to be fat until they turn off the electronic babysitters, get active and make better food choices. That is not the role of the government or schools. That is the role of the parents.

I've been working with learning disabled children for many years now and have never heard of such a claim. No special ed teacher I have ever encountered has done this (even if they wanted to, they were not allowed to pull a kid from a special). If this is truly happening to your child, you need to contact the teacher regarding scheduling.

What ever happened to leading by example. Many teachers suffer the same BMI issues that some children face. I believe we start from the top and trim the fat there first. Set an appropriate example by staying healthy in front of the class first.