West Virginia PTA Calls on Congressional Delegation to Put Children First

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 Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - 02:01 Special to HuntingtonNews.Net

The U.S. Congress recently missed an opportunity to unite our nation in the fight against childhood obesity and hunger when they passed an agriculture appropriations bill that included language to weaken the USDA’s school nutrition standards. Unfortunately, while engaging in partisan wrangling over whether tomato paste constitutes a vegetable, Congress missed the big picture—the health of America’s children.

Unless we take action and put our children’s health first, our children will be the first generation in American history with a shorter life expectancy than their parents. As adults, we have a responsibility to all the children of our nation to give them the same chance at a long, bright future that we had.

Our nation’s school lunch program has not changed significantly in 15 years. Meanwhile, childhood obesity has reached alarming proportions: One-third of American children are overweight or obese. More than 12 million adolescents suffer from obesity. West Virginia currently ranks 10th in nation with almost 19 percent of children being obese. West Virginia PTA is disappointed with the process and the politics involved in doing what we all know is right for our nation’s children.

The work did not stop when West Virginia PTA joined millions of PTA members across the country in successfully advocating for the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, a law that improved the nutrition quality of all foods served in schools as well as increased access to vital anti-hunger measures. Moving forward, West Virginia PTA looks forward to working with our Congressional Delegation to ensure that the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is implemented as the law intended. West Virginia’s children rightly deserve no less.

West Virginia PTA, which is the largest child advocacy association in the state, includes 8,000 members from across the entire state. Founded in 1923, West Virginia PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

Justin Raber, West Virginia PTA President-Elect

Justin.raber@suddenlink.net