School sends home obesity notices with students, parent upset

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9news reports that her daughter Isabel was sent home from the Centennial K-8 School on Monday with the health notice. It listed height, weight and body mass index which measures body fat. Underneath the listing it had a marking next to the status "overweight."

"The part that upset her the most as she started reading it, there it stated that she was overweight and she started to cry saying, 'Mom, that school tells me I'm fat.' So, it was very heart wrenching," said Flaurette Martinez.

"My daughter is big boned," said Martinez.

The mother does not have a problem with what the schools are doing. She thinks that that type of sensitive information should be mailed directly home to parents. And we all know kids read letters sent home by the schools.

"If she would have dropped this letter, a student may have found it and may have exposed it to other students," said Martinez. "Anything specific to the child should be mailed. It should not be given to the child."

Alex Sanchez, the DPS spokesman, says schools do that all the time. Report cards, as well as disciplinary notices and letters from the principal are commonly sent home with students. Sanchez says it is cheaper for the district to send these things home with students instead of mailing them.

Martinez says that such a decision is what is causing her daughter emotional distress

"Most of the information that we get sent to us through the kids is basically newsletters, but nothing this sensitive. This is a sensitive issue for everybody," she said. "It's real upsetting for me to see her worried so much about her weight issue when it's not really that big of a deal. She's not that overweight."

But on Thursday the school issued this statement:

"In an effort to help ensure our students' health, Denver Public Schools provides parents with their child's hearing, vision, and body mass index (BMI) results in a sealed envelope that is sent home with the students. DPS feels compelled to inform parents about these very important health screening results and provide information about making healthier choices. The health of our students is very important to us and we wish to be part of the solution, given the nation's childhood obesity epidemic."

When asked by 9news if sharing Isabel's identity and her health information will make things worse. Martinez said she wanted people to see her picture so they would know Isabel is not that big. She also says the damage had already been done when she read the notice. Martinez says her daughter is OK with this information being released.

I have to say I agree with mom. It is hard enough for kids, without schools labeling them fat. This school has become part of the problem now. Yes, it costs more to send it. How about a parents email? So, you see, there is no excuse really.