Firms’ Presence in Schools

As an educator of more than 26 years, I could not help but shake my head at “ ‘A’ Is for Ad as Firms Gain Hold on Campus” (Nov. 23). I agree that grade school is not a place for subliminal advertising, but until society is willing to pay for the quality education that our children deserve, we will see more examples of “corporate” fund-raising. Lumping Channel One in with Coke, Toshiba, etc., also seems to miss the point. It provides 10 minutes of daily news aimed at teenagers. The programs are well produced and written. For many teenagers, it is the only news they get on a regular basis. This and the equipment are paid for by two minutes of commercials, which most students ignore.

R.J. RING

Pasadena

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By highlighting the problem of corporate invasion of public schools, your article has also raised the seldom-asked question, “What are we feeding our schoolchildren?” Every day, approximately 26 million children are fed through the National School Lunch Program nationwide. Congress created this program to improve child health after many World War II recruits failed their physical exams due to nutritional deficiencies. Results from a new draft UCLA School of Public Health study suggest that while fewer children now suffer from malnutrition, many have developed serious diet-related health problems.

A decline in funding has led many school district food services to emphasize revenue generation over nutrition. One manifestation of this is the displacement of school kitchens by centralized preparation facilities. Thus, local school communities have lost control. We need to bring parents and youth back into the school food decision-making process. School districts should serve healthier meals that are culturally appropriate and appealing to students so children learn to make healthy choices early on. These good habits can help prevent a lifetime of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

LUCIA SANCHEZ

MICHELLE MASCARENHAS

Community Food Security Project

Occidental College, Los Angeles