McClatchy Newspapers – With public schools cutting back on spending for physical education, some members of Congress want to intervene, worried that the nation’s schools are churning out too many fat kids. The cutbacks are happening across the country.
A group of 250 retired generals and admirals has joined the cause as well, arguing that about a quarter of all young Americans weigh too much to join the military.
The group, a non-profit organization called Mission: Readiness, is worried that too many schools have eliminated physical education and aren’t serving enough healthy lunches. It wants Congress to reconsider its November decision to allow school cafeterias to continue serving pizza and French fries, when lawmakers rejected a plan by the Obama administration that would have limited servings of starchy vegetables and tomato paste.
