Some students are receiving more than the traditional report card. According to an article on nytimes.com
The practice of reporting students' body mass scores to parents originated a few years ago as just one tactic in a war on childhood obesity that would be fought with fresh, low-fat cafeteria offerings and expanded physical education. Now, inspired by impressive results in a few well-financed programs, states including Delaware, South Carolina and Tennessee have jumped on the B.M.I. bandwagon, turning the reports -- in casual parlance, obesity report cards -- into a new rite of childhood.
As it is for adults, the body mass index for children is a ratio of height to weight, but the juvenile numbers are also classified by age and sex, and the word "obese" is not used.
In the article "As Obesity Fight Hits Cafeteria, Many Fear a Note From School", one parent complained that her child was so stressed out about the new report card that she was afraid to eat.
It is impossible to escape the news about obesity among Americans. Doctors are in the news daily advising us to eat healthier and exercise more. Of course, this is good advice for all of us, but is it a good idea for schools to issue body mass index reports for children?
It seems like we are adding more stress to our kids' lives on a daily basis. What about the student who leaves his B.M.I. report card on his desk and another student reads it? This could lead to a lot of teasing. Even the child who is underweight could be a target. Students already compare grades. Isn't that enough pressure? We all know that for some of us, stress only leads to ice cream and Big Macs.