If I learned anything from spying on my brothers playing Dungeons & Dragons in the basement with their friends, it’s that Mountain Dew is often the preferred fuel of choice for staying awake and making sharp decisions. That being said, a Florida elementary school was getting a heck of a lot of criticism for giving kids a dose of the stuff before taking high-pressure tests.
A grandmother of a child at the school complained to local media about the practice, where the school served students trail mix and about three tablespoons of Mountain Dew before administering the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test each day, reports Florida Today.
That complaint caught the attention of the school district and has raised concerns among parents, among them, the risk of kids crashing from their sugar highs in the middle of the test. It’s also an interesting practice considering state law prevents schools from selling soda.
“Once that was brought to our attention, we eliminated that practice,” a spokesman for the public schools said, adding that they’ve advised the school to only provide water to drink.
The practice goes back 10 years, when the school principal read about it in an education journal.
“She felt that it was a professional practice and implemented it,” the spokeswoman explained. “Since then, there’s been new information (about what’s best for students).”
The principal still seems to think it was a fine idea, as the amount of Mountain Dew administered wasn’t very much, and was part of an overall program of encouraging kids to get ready for the FCAT withh a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast.
“We don’t think we were giving them enough to really get into” negative impacts of sugar highs and lows, she said. “We’ve done it for years. The kids look forward to the treats.”
That being said, if parents or others are worried, she can respect those concerns, she added.
Meanwhile, some enterprising fourth grader is probably setting up a black market trade in Mountain Dew.
*Thanks for the tip, Kelly!
School stops serving Mountain Dew before FCAT after complaints [Florida Today]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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