Should schools be allowed to advertise to help fund school related functions?...or is advertising their purpose?
Proposed Bill Allows Naming Rights for School Cafeterias
staugustine.firstcoastnews.com...
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A bill introduced in the Florida Legislature would allow schools to sell the naming rights for public school cafeterias to
fund schools' food service budgets.
"We actually allow advertising in our common spaces, athletic fields and last year our board added cafeteria," said Joseph Joyner, St. Johns
superintendent.
Joyner said the legislation has a positive approach, but there are concerns.
"You have a captive audience and the effect of advertising... whether the school districts would be endorsing that product - that would give people
pause," he said.
The above statement is what concerns me. The children at the schools are a captive audience. There is more than enough advertising that our children
are exposed to thru television and other media. Are schools the appropriate place for advertising?
The proposal is the brainchild of Florida Rep. Irv Slosberg, a Democrat from Boca Raton. "The bill is not for Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Aunt Jemima
pancakes. The bill is basically for places like Whole Foods, Publix, Fresh Foods and there would be a lot of filters," said Slosberg.
I am no fan of large corporations such as Coca-Cola or McDonalds, but when I have see these products being sold in schools, and vending machines
displaying their advertising, I do not feel that "filtering" works. These products still reach our children via schools.
If the bill becomes law, it goes into effect July 1, and the school districts will have the final say.
"I would be in favor of it as long as it was permissive, meaning that we would have the option to participate or not participate,"said Joyner.
Clay County School District Superintendent Ben Wortham said he is not aware of House Bill 1137 and will wait to see what happens.
Some of the questions I have regarding this are:
What are the effects on children's exposure to advertising in schools?
Are the use of advertising to fund school functions the best way to put money into the school system?
Are small businesses advertising their services or products more acceptable than that of larger coporations?
Instead of using school money to fund things such as sports, should the money be utilized to fund more valuable school functions, thus eliminating the
need for advertising?
Are these laws another conspiracy by our government to control people and the things the feel they need?
Is this just another unneeded law?
I fully understand that our schools are underfunded. Important areas of learning such as art and music are so often not recieving the funding and the
attention that they deserve. Most of the schools that I have seen do use local and national advertising to fund school related functions, but is this
really needed if the money recieved by the school system was used more wisely instead of wasting it on things that are secondary functions of the
schools. Learning is the most important function the school has, and focus needs to be on teaching our children. Do we really need our schools to be
billboards for selling someone's product or services?
....or is that what it is intended to be?
edit on 4-1-2012 by isyeye because: (no reason given)
