Seattle School Board Can't Say NO to Coke
School Board Puts Kids' Health, School Funding at Risk

Ignoring a deluge of emails and calls from concerned constituents, the Seattle School Board voted tonight (4-3) to renew a controversial 5-year contract with the Coca-Cola Corporation that puts Coke products within reach of thousands of public school kids just trying to get an education.

The Seattle vote is being watched closely throughout the nation and abroad because of the potential risk of litigation involved. Prof. John Banzhaf, the well-known anti-tobacco attorney, informed the Seattle School Board two weeks ago that contract renewal could trigger a lawsuit based on Board members' responsibility for ensuring that they are not knowingly putting children in harm's way. In voting to renew, the Board has dismissed testimony from Seattle doctors, nutritionists and other public health officials about the serious health risks of child obesity, diabetes and related diseases, and the link between consumption of sugary beverages and such health risks.

The proposed contract was slightly revised so that carbonated soft drinks would no longer be available to middle school students during school hours. However, the district will continue to offer unrestricted access to non-carbonated sugary drinks such as Fruitopia and PowerAde in middle schools, and unrestricted access to a wide variety of carbonated, caffeinated beverages in high schools.

School Board candidate Brita Butler-Wall maintains that signing the contract is "reckless behavior." She argues, "We are not only risking children's health, but risking taxpayer money meant for the classroom in a potentially costly lawsuit." Butler-Wall says many Seattle parents are so angry about the Coke deal that "it's just a matter of time before plaintiffs come forward, and given Banzhaf's persistence and track record, such a lawsuit could be a disaster for our District."

Other large urban school districts have recently banned sodas altogether -- including New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The fight against the Coke contract was spearheaded by Butler-Wall's organization five years ago. The Citizens¹ Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools is a broad statewide coalition of local education, labor and community groups. Started by a handful of parents and teachers, the grassroots organization now has over 2400 individual supporters in Seattle and 120 communities throughout Washington State, including many local elected officials and community leaders.

The School Board voted to renew the Coke contract on Thursday, July 17 at a special Board meeting. Voting in favor of the contract were Jan Kumasaka, Barb Schaad-Lamphere, Barbara Peterson, and Steve Brown. Peterson and Brown are up for re-election in November. The vote comes just five days before International Boycott Coke Day, a protest of the corporation's involvement in murders of trade union organizers in Colombia.