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'Fat letters' sent home to students cause a stir

WHDH-TV -By Susan Tran, WHDH

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. –Schools in North Andover are trying help students dealing with obesity issues, but some families say the schools are going too far.

Cameron Watson, 10, isn't just a strong athlete; he's also a tough fourth grader who didn't let a “fat letter” sent to his home get him down.

For the full story, click here to read it at WHDH.

“I know I’m not obese so I didn’t really care about the letter. I just crumpled it up,” Cam Watson said.

The letters were sent to plenty of homes throughout the Commonwealth.

The Department of Public Health says 32 percent of our students have a Body Mass Index that shows they're overweight or obese, and the letters are supposed to be a helpful tool for parents.

Cam Watson’s father says they're a waste -- they don't take into account muscle mass.

“No one wants get letter saying they’re obese. That’s a very strong, uncomfortable word, and we didn’t see if fitting with our son who is very active, he’s very strong,” said Matt Watson, Cam’s father.

While Cam Watson continues to wrestle in elite clubs, his mother –a selectwoman in North Andover -- is working with state representatives to stop these fat letters.

“I don’t think all of a sudden we have to wake up and say that people in Massachusetts need to be told everything to do with their kids whether to feed them a cupcake or to feed them broccoli,” said State Representative Jim Lyons.

For Cam Watson, he says he has the self esteem to overlook a label –but he's more worried about his friends who might not be as strong.

“I don't like my friends getting their feelings hurt,” Cam Watson said.

The Department of Public Health is also sending letters home to students who are underweight. The department says all families have the option of not having their children screened for their Body Mass Index.

So who's the douchebag?

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I voted for the Dept of Health in this case. A lot of these kids will hit a growth spurt and everything will
change. To be judging 10 year olds seems a bit premature to me. I used to be a chubby kid at that age
but like the kid referenced in the article was strong like bull. By high school I turned out just fine and
played varsity sports. Of course after college I decided to get lazy and got big again but I am working on
it. BMI seems to be a bad way to judge a person in general. I think it is a baseline to start with but there
are some flaws with it. I think at 6'1 I am supposed to weigh about 175 lbs. I weighed that as a senior
in high school when in the best shape of my life. I did one of those calculators and if I got to my own
personal ideal weight it would still consider me high on the overweight scale.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

The Commonwealth

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This is why I'm sending my kids to a private Catholic school. Being fat isn't a sin.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

But there is a strong correlation between childhood obestity and adulthood obesity--and the health problems that accompany being overweight.

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Fair enough. I am judging this as someone that has no children and knows very little about kids in general.
If this is a growing problem then it should be monitored in some way, not sure this is the right one.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I agree, T-Bone. But I find it incredibly disturbing that so many communities in this country have cut school gym programs, recess, and playground budgets. One of the great joys of my youth was our daily softball and fastpitch games during recess or gym. Adults are not only making kids fatter--they're also making them less happy.

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Once again I plead ignorance on school curriculum, but agree if they are taking it away that is not right. Playing
tag, football, basketball and generally goofing off at recess and gym were moments to live for back then. The fact
that kids under 10 that I do know of or have seen have almost unlimited access to video games and their own iPads
is a bit out of whack as well which could contribute to less activity ( not blaming the kids for this, to be clear).
Just an outsiders point of view.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Not only do I have to worry about public high schools passing out abortions to my kid but I now have to worry they are going to give my kid gastric bypass surgery! My parents had it so easy.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Do the North Andover schools have soda and candy machines? I hope not.

The problem is so much bigger and certainly will not be solved by letters from the HD.

Proliferation of video games, the interwebs, and a zillion choices of what to watch on TV.
Proliferation of fast food; dual working parents, no time for proper, nutritious meals.
Changed infrastructure design: As kids we could ride our bikes to stores, etc. Now there are no sidewalks, the stores are mega malls and you would be killed trying to get there.
School program cuts and little/no recess.
Highly competitive leagues vs. "everyone makes the team"
Little/no education on how to eat, how to read labels, etc

I could go on...

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"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

Yes but the only way to solve any of this is to send 10 year olds letters saying they are fat

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Health Department is the DB

Who sends letters anymore?

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This is my signature...

This sounds like a job for Wonder Woman!

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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Well, let's see the kid before I decide.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

BMI is the douchebag. It sets unrealistic levels.

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That's just an excuse that fat people say.

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Unless things have changed in the many years since I enjoyed the pleasure of recess, the truly obese kids did not participate in recess sports and generally dreaded those required for gym class. Personally I always looked forward to gym but if the choice is dodgeball or science/geography/history etc then I would rather schools stick to book learnin'.

Except for extreme circumstances a kids health is the domain of the parents and their doctor (who should be the one to lay the hammer down if necessary).

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

Yes but there is some truth to it as well. I would classify myself as fat. I'm certainly not obese though. I've lost 22lbs this year and I am still classified at the obese level. If I lose another 30, I'm still classified as overweight. Give me a fucking break.

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I think you're presenting a false dicthotomy. Gym and recess are known to have positive effects on the mood and self-image of children; these benefits facilitate classroom learning. Not to mention that they also help settle kids down, another important factor in advancing academic progress. Physical and mental health are not antagonistic to one another; they are complementary.

There are entire towns in the United States--particularly in the South--where the childhood obesity rate is over 70%, and in some cases approaches 90%. In many of these areas, there is no gym, no recess, no playgrounds. And the kids don't do particularly well from an academic perspective. But they do show signs of diabetes and heart disease from age ten and up.

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This is my signature...

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Yeah, BMI isn't the best way to classify people health/size wise. It is just a very general calculation, very general and not specific at all. No accounting for fitness levels, blood work, body fat levels etc.

According to the BMI Index I am obese.

And let me tell you little tofu eating twinks a little secret.....SomeGuy is not obese, instead he is a red meat eating, heavy iron lifting madman who will rip your stupid head off and shit in it.

I have no problems getting within the proper weight for my BMI

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Uh, Ok, what's your point?

Nothing, fatty.

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REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL FUNNY

I thought you people were supposed to be jolly. #Truth

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GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH

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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”