Other than educating children and offering healthy foods, I really don't think the schools are the right place for this kind of monitoring.

If they check the height and weight of EVERY child....with the child in a PRIVATE area and facing AWAY from the scale readings.....that's fine.

If they want to send home letters to ALL parent explaining the dangers of overweight and obesity in children along with guidelines and places to go for help, that's GREAT!

But the children themselves do NOT need to know the numbers....and they must have privacy. No comments from the ones weighing, nothing.

When I was a kid, we were weighed and measured at the beginning of the school year. Of course, back then we also had a nurse in the schools and had a yearly "physical" by the school nurse.

The weight and height was done in the nurse's office with the door partly closed so no one else could see anything.....and the nurse simply wrote down the numbers, never told us what they were (although we could see for ourselves).

Since we all did it and it was done so matter of factly, I don't think it had an impact on us. I was overweight as a child, even in elementary school. And I was never embarrassed during the yearly weigh-ins....even in high school!

I seriously think that the parents and pediatricians should be the ones handling this. If the schools have concerns about severe obesity, they should follow-up with the parents and/or pediatrician.....but that's it!

Teach the kids proper nutrition, put restrictions on foods available in the schools...but otherwise it's not their job!

Use the money they get to TEACH, not monitor weight, growth and development!