A school fat letter was given to 11-year-old Lilly Grasso by her Naples, Florida middle school, and her mother became infuriated and furious after reading the news that her athletic star volleyball player daughter was, as the school letter claimed, overweight.
According to The Epoch Times, Lilly's mother got shocked and angry after reading that her 5-foot-3, 124-lbs. daughter was at risk despite claiming that she feeds her daughter healthy foods and encourages her to exercise daily.
"It says 'at risk," said Kristen Grasso on what the school fat letter contained, adding that the letter also suggested that she visit their website for more details.
Grasso then said on Today that when she visited the website, she was surprised that it stated her daughter was not only "at risk" but also was qualified as "overweight."
MSN News reported that Grasso speculated that the Florida Department of Public Health in Collier County may have committed a mistake in sending the "fat letter" to her daughter, who she thinks is absolutely healthy.
Gasso said that such type of letter could be demeaning on the part of kids nowadays, pointing out that they generally feel bad about being labeled as "overweight or fat even if they are healthy."
"This whole thing is stupid. It can hurt people. It can break their courage. First, I was hurt. Then, I was angry. Then, I just was concerned," Grasso said to ABC.
However, Public Information Officer of the Collier County Health Department Deb Millsap and Department Director Dr. Joan Colfer said that the letters handed on to kids who had undergone BMI screening were intended for parents that is why they are sealed and addressed to the children's parents only. Nevertheless, they said that it is up to the students whether they open the letter or not, although reading it would mean opening their "parents' mail."
BMI screening has been adopted in several states for couple of years now and this is just one of the many documented incidents thus far, according to recent reports.
"We do not want kids to have self-esteem issues," Millsap told Today. "Right on [the] letter it says sports may impact the results."
Experts then clarified that children and as well as adults who are into sports may slightly have a BMI variation - more often than not higher than what they are expected to be - due to the fact athletic people have more muscle mass compared to average people. MSN News reported that BMI simply gives doctors an idea on what they are dealing with, but the figures do not necessarily indicate a person's over-all health.
"Because of the obesity crisis, we have to have some tool. The CDC will say [BMI] is not perfect," Colfer said. "These are simply screen tests, it is not a diagnosis."
Meanwhile, Clinical Associate in Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine Dr. Michael Flaherty, in his published report titled "'Fat Letters' in Public Schools: Public Health Versus Pride," said that these "school fat letters" more often than not lead to "eating disorders or unhealthy eating habits" as well as an increase in student bullying.
Nevertheless, Flaherty told Today via email that these "fat letters" are also inappropriate because they are given to all students regardless of their weight.
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