School Watch: Help Stop the Sale of Our Kids

ACTION ALERT:

School Watch: Help Stop the Sale of Our Kids

Commercialism in the classroom is on the rise, and help is needed to stop it! Today, state-approved math books have students learn fractions by counting M&M's…

Exxon sends videos to science teachers purporting the environmental benefits of oil drilling… Principals install new Pepsi machines around campus to meet sales quotas… and the list goes on.

Some forms of advertising are blatant, while others are more insidious. Yet there exists virtually no committee to review and sift out the various forms of advertising from our schools.

Here's your chance to get involved!

School Watch Team members are concerned individuals from across the country who inspect their local public schools for commercial influence and work to put an end to in-school commercialism at both the community and national levels. For example, a couple in San Antonio, Texas discovered kindergarten curricula entitled, "Learn to Read Through Recognizing Corporate Logos."

They sent the Center for Commercial Free Public Education a copy and they passed it on to reporters nationwide.

The story ran in several major newspapers, alerting millions more to the situation! Furthermore, this particular assignment was altered so students could use noncommercial logos in their studies, and the entire school became sensitized to the larger issue.

Activities:

As a School Watch Team member, you may:

• Inspect your school for commercial influence by conducting a Commercialism Walk-Through. Tour the campus, peruse textbooks, talk to teachers, administrators, students and parents to find out what's going on in your neck of the woods.

• Draw public attention by rallying your local press to do a story.

• Take actions to remove commercialism from your school. Join the School Watch Team by calling 1-800-867-5841 for more information, suggestions and an introductory information packet.

• Send any photographs and actual samples of in-school advertising to: The Center for Commercial-Free Public Education at 1714 Franklin Street, Suite 100-306, Oakland, CA 94612.

The Center will also put you in touch with other concerned community members in New Mexico.

Together you can take charge of maintaining the integrity of public education and let marketers know that your school and children's minds are absolutely NOT FOR SALE!