Janae Curtis can tell when her first-grader has been given sugary treats at school.
"He wasn't able to focus long enough to do his reading homework," Curtis explained. "If he'd had candy it would take 30 minutes to get through one paragraph. On the rare occasion that he didn't have candy that day, it would take five minutes and he could read me an entire book."
Curtis spoke to the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees during their regular meeting Tuesday night, as did Melissa Crowell, both expressing their concerns over children being given unhealthy food while at school.
"There is an issue that needs to be addressed," Curtis told the board.
She explained that her son's behavior began to change after school because the six-year-old, who doesn't have access to processed foods at home, was given "unlimited access to junk foods" at school, compromising his system.
"This is not just affecting my child," Curtis continued.
She referenced studies that have been done on sugar and its effects on the body and the brain, saying it can rewire your brain and is a toxin that is metabolized the same way as alcohol.
"We need to be more aware of the negative effects that sugar can have on the body," Curtis said. "We are inhibiting our children's ability to learn naturally."
Children should also be learning to be self-motivated, not dependent on rewards, Curtis added.
"Let's make a change that will help our children thrive in the future," she said.
Melissa Crowell also shared her concerns over children being given treats as rewards. She pointed out that the school district recently shared its wellness policy, which says the district seeks to collaborate with parents and health professionals to create a healthy environment where children can adopt positive lifestyle habits and achieve their academic potential.
"How does allowing teachers to reward children with candy and processed foods fit with this policy?" Crowell asked. "In fact, contrary to encouraging them to be self-motivated, we are training them to need external sources of motivation and impeding their brain's ability to learn."
Crowell pointed to the marshmallow experiment from Stanford and how it showed that children who could see the immediate reward had less self-control. She also said those children struggled more later in life.
"Instead of the instant gratification of constant feeding, we need to think about that life-long good health and well-being," Crowell said.
Rather than using food as a reward, Crowell believes there are better - and often cheaper or free - alternatives for teachers. She suggested using future activities, like being able to be a line leader or do special activities; using encouraging rewards, like class applause; and using appropriate, non-food physical rewards, like novelty pencils or small toys.
"Every kid is motivated by a different type of award, but none of these choices change their brain chemistry," Crowell said.
She asked that the district enforce their own wellness policy and change it to state that staff shouldn't use food of any kind as a reward.
"If we want children who succeed later, we need to train them to control themselves now," Crowell concluded.
Several board members thanked Curtis and Crowell for bringing their concerns forward.
"I appreciate you bringing it to the board in a dignified way but I also appreciate you bringing some data with it," Tom Wilson said.
"I think there's some more meetings being held this week to discuss those things," Board Member David Young noted.
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