Doctors Slam New Order Telling Teachers To Dob In Obese Kids To Child Protection

Doctors have slammed a recent order for teachers to dob in obese kids to child protection, saying it’s the parent’s job.

In a bid to combat child obesity, a new Education Department order has told teachers in NSW to report to the Department of Community Services if they think a child may “be at significant risk of harm” from being overweight, The Daily Telegraph reports.

All staff in state public schools “” including teachers, administrative workers and groundskeepers “” are being given mandatory training “focused on obesity as a child protection issue”, the department has revealed.

But, doctors are not satisfied. Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon told the paper that schools should keep out of kids’ lunchboxes.

“The role of the state does have limits and this is an issue that belongs in the kitchens around Sydney.

“I think we need to find that balance before asserting that teachers, headmasters and schools should be giving parents advice on how to look after their children. We need to tread very, very carefully so we are not interfering too far in the right of parents to decide what’s right for their children,” he said.

The Health Department has told a parliamentary inquiry that at least one in five NSW school students is overweight or obese. Kids now get over a third of their kilojoules from junk food and drinks, and only 28 per cent are “adequately active.”

Obesity rates among children from poor families also rose from 27 per cent in 2010 to 34 per cent in 2015.

The Education Department released a new “Healthy Schools” canteen policy last month, with fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, pasta and stir fries making up at least 75 per cent of tuckshop menus.

Sources: Dailytelegraph.com.au and Kidspot.com.au