In what can be seen as nothing less than a move toward a big brother society, the American Academy of Pediatrics wishes to ban soft drinks from schools.
In a new policy statement, the academy says doctors should contact superintendents and school board members and “emphasize the notion that every school in every district shares a responsibility for the nutritional health of its students.”
They believe that soft drinks are contributing to a current adolescent obesity crisis, and can only conceive of one solution: limit the fattening drinks altogether. But I have another solution: let the kids decide.
Besides, soda vending machines at schools provide a source of funding for numerous student activities, and kids who want their favorite illegal school drinks can consume them before and after a day of instruction. That is, unless the AAP wishes to send soft drink monitors home with every student to make sure they stay away from the evil beverages.