Stop the Practice of Weighing our Children in Schools

Texas Education Code, 38.101 and 38.103, requires that the fitness levels of all students in grades 3-12 be assessed at least once annually and that school districts submit the results to the Texas Education Agency each school year. The TEA identified FITNESSGRAM® as the assessment tool to be used by all school districts starting in the 2007-2008 school year.

Part of the FitnessGram includes weighing children. In many schools this information is given to the students who then share their weight among their peers. This leads to bullying and harms children prone to eating disorders.

In March 2009, it was reported by the TEA that the study found that cardiovascular health, measured by a walking/running test, had a higher correlation to school success than did the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a measure of body fat based on height and weight, adjusted for age and gender.