Some schools are now forbidding or restricting   bake sales in an effort to fight a rise in obesity among kids. In February,the New York City Board of Education ordered that only fruits,vegetables,and approved packaged foods be sold at schools. Many students and parents objected to the restrictions on bake sales , which have long been a way to raise money for schools and community causes , including athletic events and Haitian earthquake relief.New York City finally compromised,allowing each school to hold one bake sale a month.But California and school districts in other states still limit bake sales.Should all schools forbid bake sales?     Childhood obesity has been a growing problem for decades.The number of obese school-age children in the U.S.has increased by three times in the past 20 years.According to Eric Goldstein,the head of food services for New York City schools.40 percent of the city's 1.1 million pupils are obese.         "We have a big problem in the city,state,and the country with obesity,"Goldstein said."During the school day, we have to focus on what is healthy for the mind and the body." A. J. Juarez, a community organizer for the Massachusetts Public Health Association,agrees.Restricting the kinds of food sold in schools is ''about teaching kids good habits,"he said.         Nutrition experts believe schools are supposed to be a place where teachers and students set up a model environment,  and the last thing kids need is an extra source of pointless calories. But many parents and students  _ ."It's not fair. Bake sales have always been a positive way to raise money for school programs,and to make that against the rules is not appropriate," said a parent. "I don't think they should forbid bake sales,''Reese Butler,12,told The New York Times.A sixth-grader from Wrightstown,New Jersey,he reasoned that,"Money raised by selling cookies is sometimes used for field trips and for community causes,including Haitian earthquake relief." For Alyssa Howell,11,a fifth-grader in Ann Arbor, Michigan,the issue of choosing what to eat is about freedom."It is the child's decision to make the right choice."she said. What is nutrition expert's attitude toward restricting bake sales ?
Opposed Positive Disappointed Doubtful