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This week’s story about the difficulties many children have with getting drinking water at school prompted a lot of interesting comments. My interest in this story began in December after reading through the actual legislation that President Obama signed into law on that day.
Many people, especially those in politics and media, often make a big deal about the number of pages that make up federal legislation like health care reform, but what always strikes me is the opposite: How little is written to change so much. Think about it – the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 defines nutrition policy for America’s schoolchildren, and it’s 200 pages long with only 25 lines per page. That’s much less text than the book you’d read while sitting on the beach. And the section mandating that every public school across the country provide free drinking water? It's just eight lines long.
It’s so brief in fact it’s easy to miss – but when you think about what it's saying, it's a huge deal. Why is it in there? What is it trying to accomplish? That’s what led to the earlier article, and to all of your comments. Here are just some of the reader comments that struck me, grouped into similar themes.
Many readers shared their personal experiences with dehydration in school.
This is a non-issue. I simply have a glass of water before school and a soda with lunch and i've been fine all day. Do we really need to mandate on a federal level that drinking water be required?
I think we should burn those, they're very expensive and make our kids dumb and weak.
I think the article is also saying that adequate water is not available at appropriate times. I would consider lunch time an appropriate time. If students aren't allowed to drink in class then they need to be able to drink at lunch and before and after school.
If someone's brain is dehydrated as a child, will they lack sense as an adult? Tell us, toddflanders.
And people wonder why our country is going to hell! I can't believe we have produced a generation of children that need to have water with them all the time. People obviously have no clue about dehydration. You don't get dehydrated if you don't drink for a few hours. It would also teach you to drink at appropriate times. Time to grow up
Oh and I meant to say that I have never heard of a school including water in a no food or drink policy.
I know in my school you are allowed to have water with you as long as it is seellable
I'm in my last year of a Canadian high school, and I have never heard of water bottles being banned from school. Every person I know at school keeps a reusable water bottle in there locker, they are all either the 500ml metal bottles or 500ml or 1l BPA free plastic bottles, I swear by my 1l nalgeen bottle which is easy and light plus it only needs to be filled once a day
My daughter had the same issues at her school about carrying her own water supply, even WITH a doctor's note (she is on medication that increases the risk of dehydration). They expected her to buy her water from their machines at $2.50/bottle! Now I have the law to back me up–if they don't let her bring her own, they need to provide it.
See if your kids would like Talking Rain. It's just flavored carbonated water, and it comes in a can or in a plastic bottle. It's naturally flavored, so it does not contain aspartame or any calories. It also curbs my craving for something carbonated, but doesn't make me nauseous from the syrupy sweetness of soda. My favorites are Tangerine and Lemon Lime. Give it a try
The CITY PARK that most CHILDREN play at in my Town had all the Drinking Fountains Removed so that the ONLY source of Water to Drink – was from Bottle Vending Machines to collect Money for the City. I and many other Parents found this UNACCEPTABLE and made the City put the Fountains Back.
Sounds like its time for a PTA take-over meeting. Insist on real options, and insist that sugar drinks like soda or gaterade are NOT replacements for water. A school that can't provide enough water for its students is either stupid or ridiculously hard-headed.
You might need to consider tolerating the warm water. After all, room temperature water is actually better for your entire body than cold water (although, I agree, the cold water tastes better).
Excuses. If what you're carrying is "warm and stale" when you get to class, you need a grown up thermos, not one with Hello Kitty on it. A proper thermos will keep coffee piping hot for HOURS, and keep an iced drink cold for just as long. Toss some ice in with your water and it'll be cold and fresh at least half the day.
My children don't even have a water fountain available near the cafeteria in their high school. They take their lunches but the only beverage allowed in lunches is canned beverages because anything else can be opened and refilled with alcohol. So basically the school insists my kids get soda pop or nothing to drink as my kids have problems with milk. I think schools should make cups of water an optional beverage for lunch even if they don't let kids drink water all day long. Both my sons have suffered from constipation and body odor problems since they started school. They don't have the problem in the summer when they are home drinking water all day long. But the school won't even allow water in their lunch with a doctor's note. The school does sell soda pop and gatorade (in bottles) in the commons area.
I have had similar problems, my daughter comes home with a headache if she doesn't take a water bottle, but if she does, the teacher and all the students watch very closely to be certain that she hasn't put in a sugarFREE additive, with little color, to sweeten the deal! What a ridiculous world we live in. The additive adds flavor to encourage drinking it instead of juice or soda. The teachers don't want it because of spills,which I understand, but it is not sticky and non staining because it is virtually colorless! As an educator I am saddened. There are also students having constipation problems all over this country that doctors and parents see as "accidents" later, but it is caused by children's bowels becoming so impacted that they leak bowel out without knowing it. The embarrassment that this causes the children is huge. It could ALL be avoided with water and more understanding when allowing the use of the bathroom. It is the LAW. Signed- Tired of educating Educators
Wait, that's not quite right. The proper math comes out to a whopping $200.00 for 10 months of water in school.
If I'm thirsty in class, which I often am, I can't just keep leaving the room to go to the water fountain. Not when I'm involved in university-level courses at a high school level. I can't afford to miss class time to hydrate myself. And the fountains taste terrible.