PTA News
A bit of a roundup of PTA news. (Please keep in mind that I am a long-time PTA parent. I think, on paper, PTA is a good thing but it doesn't always play out the way you might hope in practice.)
First up from the Washington State PTA, news from their upcoming convention. You may recall that they have teamed up with McDonald's for sponsorship of the convention. I recall that, at the time, it seemed like an odd pairing given the childhood obesity rates in this country and the food that McDonald's serves. But The WSPTA offered a spirited defensive saying McDonald's was making an effort to provide better choices to parents. That may be true but it doesn't make McDonald's fast-food into health food.
Now I see that in their PTA convention materials that not only will McDonald's have a presence at the convention, they actually will be presenting at the convention. Their "director of nutrition" has a spot in the convention lineup of speakers.
At the same time, the national PTA is all about healthy snacks at schools and said that parents should let the USDA know this:
Current national standards for snacks and beverages sold in schools participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are out of date and don’t address calories, saturated and trans-fat, salt, and sugars, which are key public health concerns for child nutrition and obesity. While some states and schools have made
First up from the Washington State PTA, news from their upcoming convention. You may recall that they have teamed up with McDonald's for sponsorship of the convention. I recall that, at the time, it seemed like an odd pairing given the childhood obesity rates in this country and the food that McDonald's serves. But The WSPTA offered a spirited defensive saying McDonald's was making an effort to provide better choices to parents. That may be true but it doesn't make McDonald's fast-food into health food.
Now I see that in their PTA convention materials that not only will McDonald's have a presence at the convention, they actually will be presenting at the convention. Their "director of nutrition" has a spot in the convention lineup of speakers.
At the same time, the national PTA is all about healthy snacks at schools and said that parents should let the USDA know this:
Current national standards for snacks and beverages sold in schools participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are out of date and don’t address calories, saturated and trans-fat, salt, and sugars, which are key public health concerns for child nutrition and obesity. While some states and schools have made