Dear Dr. X,Here's the response I got back. I think she's being snippy and rude. She didn't put a salutation on there, nor did she close or sign it. Nor does she tell me what a "character education program" is, or how much money is being raised. She also states that she's going to reprimand the teacher for materials that were printed on the school letterhead about the promotion. Absurd. The letter does indicate that she certainly has no intention of stopping the promotions:
I find it disturbing that little children are being pressured by the promise of "free recess" to go spend money at a fast food restaurant with atrocious nutrition. Can you please tell me whether this recurring marketing push for Chick FilA is sponsored by the school or the PTA? Who is gaining funding from this endeavor? What percentage of sales are being returned to the school? In discussions with parents who have children in other GISD schools, none of them experienced the same level of "push" as was experienced by children in Keeley.
Not only are fliers sent home, but corporate mascots are allowed on property, and we got a call from you via a system that I thought was designed for informational/emergency communications. When I picked up my son yesterday, all the kids were plastered with a branding sticker. Instilling brand imaging at this age is something that advertising people dream of being able to do. Study after study has proven that if you can inculcate brand imaging before the age of 12, that those people become "brand loyal consumers" for the rest of their lives. At a time when obesity is a national epidemic, do we we really want the school teaching that nutritionally poor food is the right choices?
Is our school funding at such a low point that we need to pressure children to "support their school" by eating poorly? Using the promise of "free recess" for the class that spends the most money on junk food seems like bad policy. If this is a purely funding issue, then we need to take examples of these marketing campaigns to our Senators and Congresspeople and show that their policies are doing are turning our children into consumer junkies just to fund their books.
It's not that I necessarily object to benefits being conferred, with those benefits sponsored by a corporation. What I object to is the innate "do thing X or your class loses and it's all your fault" mentality that occurs with these sorts of marketing pushes. Could we not have a more progressive fund raiser? Perhaps a walk-a-thon, or a read-a-thon, or some other sort of fundraiser that has some sort of academic tie-in, and doesn't involve junk food, candy, sweets or salesmanship on the part of little kids?
If the funding from these marketing pushes are flowing into the coffers of the school, please advise me as to the level of funding generated by this junk food barrage, and I will work (volunteering my time) towards finding an alternative funding stream. If these marketing pushes are not generating money for the school, then who is the beneficiary of this incessant push?
Thank you for your attention,
Chick-Fil-A nights are sponsored by XXXXXX four times a year, and they do not involve the PTA. The profits are used to fund our Character Education Program, and other materials for teachers and students. Chick-Fil-A has been one of XXXXXX's "Partners in Education" for seven years.So...next step...I'm taking it to the superintendent and the school board. I'm going to do some research and see what financial records I have the right to see and audit. My kid shouldn't be used a marketing demographic so the principal has spending cash for stuff that may or may not be approved.
The school phone calling system can be used for any purpose decided by the principal. It was not designed specifically for emergency phone calls. I often use it to communicate events at the school, and Chick-Fil-A night is one of Keeley's events.
Taking your child to Chick-Fil-A is a parental choice, not a school requirement. As for childhood obesity, that too, is a parental management choice. However, if you have checked-out the menu at Chick-Fil-A you have probably noticed that there are many healthy food choices.
As for children being "plastered" with stickers, I'm not sure how that happened. Every child was given ONE sticker as a reminder.
Based on the data from Mrs. (Teacher Redacted) room, only 3 students attended Chick-Fil-A last night, so the incentive of a "free recess" was not effective. However, I will speak with her about using recess to reward attendance at an event. There are many students who attend the Chick-Fil-A night, but do not eat food. Some kids just sign-in to play, have dessert, or socialize. Credit for the class is earned by simply showing up and signing-in.
posted by floam at 5:26 PM on November 12, 2009