Citizens' Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools

Archive of Past CCCS News and Announcements

Local Items:

• Seattle School Board Can't Say NO to Coke
  School Board Puts Kids' Health, School Funding at Risk
  More info here.

• Draft of a proposed beverage policy for the Seattle School District
  Feedback, questions, comments to: cccs@scn.org

• Soda Pop Lobby Beats Citizen Groups on House Junkfood Bill
  Soda Jerks Stop Vote on HB1866
  More info

• Soft Drink Industry Kills Senate Junkfood Bill in Washington State
  House Bill in Appropriations Committee
  More info

• Seattle Citizens Arrest Coca-Cola Corporation
  'Deputies' Enforce Ban on School Vending Machine Ads

  

  The Citizens' Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools made a mock citizens' arrest of the Coca-Cola Corporation after finding them illegally advertising on school vending machines for the past 15 months.
  More info

• SCHOOL BOARD CHALLENGERS CALL FOR END TO COCA-COLA CONTRACT
  School Board Set to Renew Tonight (July 17) despite Public Uproar!
  More info here.

• ACTION ALERT!!

  Call and email your Seattle School Board members NOW and oppose their outrageous plan to renew the 5-year Coke contract!

  BACKGROUND:
  The District cancelled their own public forum on foods and beverages in schools and has ignored the testimony and documentation we have given them from experts in public health and nutrition. They rejected an offer to make a 10-min. presentation to them on the real economics of the Coke contract and alternatives to it. They have COMPLETELY ignored our proposal for a beverage policy which we presented at a recent School Board meeting. NONE of the middle school principals they surveyed attended our recent Coke forum and may not even be aware of these issues

• CCCS Calls for Removal of Seattle Superintendent

• SB5436 'Foods Sold in Schools' Bill
  More info about the bill and how you can help!
  Revised draft of SB5436 (as of Feb. 28)

• HB1866 'Nutrition in Schools' Bill
  More information
  CCCS press release (Feb. 18, 2003)

• Military Marketing in Schools
  Under the 'No Child Left Behind' Act, school districts are now required to provide student names to military recruiters. But parents are allowed to opt out of supplying their children's names to recruiters, and federal guidelines require that school districts must notify parents of this fact. CCCS has taken a look at the Seattle School District's failure to provide this notification.
  Also, see Seattle Times article by Brita Butler-Wall and Nick Licata (Feb. 11, 2003).

• Report: Commercialism in the Seattle Public Schools 2002
  CCCS has just completed a walkthrough of all 11 Seattle Middle Schools to evaluate how well the District is doing in implementing last year's policies on advertising and commercial activities. This report summarizes our findings and compares the results with those of our walkthrough of 30 schools five years ago.
  Also, here's a 'report card' summary of findings (in pdf format).

• ************************************************************
  HEARING ON HB1866: NUTRITION IN SCHOOLS
  WED. FEB. 19
  6-8 PM
  O'BRIEN BUILDING, HHR B (main floor)
  OLYMPIA
  ************************************************************
  Please plan to attend this important hearing in the Washington State House of Representatives' Health Care Committee. Your presence alone sends a strong message that the issue of junkfood marketing and sales in schools is very important to people all over the state! CCCS will be testifying and we need you there!
  

• SB5436 'Junkfood in Schools' bill
  

  SB 5436 has been introduced by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles. Other bill sponsors include Senators Rasmussen, Jacobson, Winsley, Thibaudeau, McAuliffe, and Prentice. The bill will now go to the Education committee, chaired by Sen. Steve Johnson (R-47th from Kent). The short title of the bill is "Regarding foods and beverages sold at public schools."

  • Here's a summary of the bill.
    
  • And here are some talking points.

  If you are a constituent of any of the members of this committee, particularly Senator Johnson, please contact them and tell them:

  1. How IMPORTANT the issue of Junkfood in Schools is to you
     
  2. How the public/legislators NEED A HEARING on this issue
     
  3. How URGENT this legislation is in terms of children's health (we want state legislation rather than waiting years for all of the school boards in the state to figure out what needs to be done locally)

  When you call or leave a brief message, be SURE to mention if you are a constituent in that Senator's district and refer to the bill by number (SB 5436). As you know, Republicans control the Senate so calls to Republicans will be especially helpful.

  Groups supporting the bill include Washington State PTA, Children's Alliance, Joint Council of Stationary Engineers, Washington School Food Service Association, Washington Federation of Teachers, the Washington Public School Employees Association, and the Citizens' Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools.

• RALLY IN OLYMPIA
  Tuesday, February 18

  CCCS is rallying for our Junkfood bills in Olympia as part of the 'Have a Heart for Kids' Day sponsored by the Children's Alliance and we want to turn out 100 people for this event! The Children's Alliance has extended their registration deadline for CCCS supporters till Tues. Feb. 11 so it's not too late! (To register, see the Children's Alliance web site)

  CCCS is bringing stickers and signs -- this is a great way to get our message out that we want to get rid of junkfood sales and marketing in schools. Please take a day off work and come if at all possible, and let Brita (206-523-4922) know if you are planning to join us there!

• 'Things Go Better Without Coke', by Geov Parrish, Seattle Weekly, Sept. 25, 2002
  Geov has written a great article about CCCS's work to keep the Seattle District from signing a new contract with Coke and the frustrations of trying to communicate with the School Board.

• The first CCCS State Conference was great!!
  Approximately sixty supporters from around the state (including Bainbridge Island, San Juan Island, Mercer Island, Lynnwood, Kirkland, Snoqualmie, Olympia, Sammamish, Bellevue, Mukilteo, Lopez Island, Skagit Valley and Seattle) came together to organize and learn about working to remove commercial influences from our schools. We heard an inspiring keynote address from Gary Ruskin (Commercial Alert), a helpful informational panel with Shelley Curtis (Children's Alliance) and Adrienne Dorf (Public Health), and several animated, stimulating workshops.

  We gained four new community contacts ( Snoqualmie Valley , Lopez Island , Mukilteo/Snohomish County , Vashon-Maury Island), and many new committed volunteers.

  Participants included representatives from a wide variety of organizations (Coalition for Environmentally-Safe Schools, Island County Green Party, The Children's Alliance, Vegetarians of Washington, Public Health, Mothers Against the WASL, Washington Dairy Council, Washington DECA, Green Party of Seattle, State PTA, Community Alliance for Global Justice, Skagit Valley Greens, Action for Media Education, King County Labor Council, Gotham City Communications, Go-Tea )

  And, to top it off, great food! (No Coke!) A fun, productive conference!

• Seattle District urged to stop selling junk food in schools!
  A group of public-health experts, elected officials, labor leaders and citizen activists sent a letter to School Board President Nancy Waldman calling for an end to the sale and promotion of junk food to students.
  Here's the letter with supporting documents.
  Read the Seattle Times article. (July 3, 2002)

• Update on Coke contract in Seattle.
  Some background info.
  Some Coca-Cola issues and links
  More references about junkfood related issues
  Statement to the School Board by Sen. Kohl-Welles (Sept. 18, 2002)

• Seattle Times takes editorial stand against soft-drink sales at school!
  Full article

• 101 (noncommercial) Ways to Raise Funds,
  compiled from many PTA members' ideas

• NEWS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED ON SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S ILLEGAL MILITARY RECRUITING
  11:45 a.m., January 15, 2003
  Garfield High School, Room 210

  The Citizens' Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools has found the Seattle School District secretly giving student information to military recruiters in violation of federal privacy law. For more information, see our press release.

• SAN JUAN SCHOOL BOARD COMMERCIALISM STUDY SESSION
  Wednesday, January 15, 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the high school library
  If you have an opinion on commercialism in the San Juan Schools this is your chance to speak up!

  For further info, see this letter of invitation from the San Juan School Board.

• HELP STOP CORPORATE INFLUENCE IN OLYMPIA'S SCHOOLS!
  Olympia School Board meeting,
  Monday, January 13, 7:00pm,
  Rogers Elementary School

  Join the effort to convince the Olympia School Board to adopt a policy limiting corporate influence in schools!

  For more information, see these messages from CCCS member Stephanie Johnson and Olympia School Board member Russ Lehman (including a proposed policy draft).

• Seattle School Board Wins National Ad Slam Contest!
  Commercial Alert today awarded the Seattle School Board a $5000 prize in recognition of the recently-passed policy on commercialism in schools and honoring the efforts of CCCS!
  Read press releases from CCCS and from Commercial Alert.
  Also, a sampling of speeches given during the award presentation to the School Board.
  (June 12, 2002)

• Five Years Later: College Freshman Remember Channel One
  Some quotes from a survey sent to 30 students who had watched Channel One in middle school and who are now in high school or college.

• Many thanks to our fabulous phoners! Karen Farnsworth (with the help of Dave Jette) put together a terrific phone tree, with 20 people who each call 25 names from our database with action alerts!

• The Youth Leadership Development Program of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has made a strong statement against commercialism in schools and has endorsed CCCS!

• Naomi Klein (author of No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies) supports our cause with a letter to the Seattle School Board!

• Both the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer have taken editorial stands favoring the elimination of Channel One from District schools!

• Read "School Board to Vote on Commercials in Schools", by Ted Lockery, in the Oct. 25, 2001 Seattle Press.
  Also, "Too Much of the Real Thing; The branding of young consumers", by Colleen Foye Bollen, in the Oct., 2001 Sound Consumer .

• CCCS rates the School Board candidates.

• CCCS has been endorsed by the Gray Panthers and also by the
  Ravenna-Bryant Community Association!

• SYPP Board endorses CCCS letter
  The Seattle Young People's Project (SYPP) board of directors unanimously endorsed the CCCS letter to the Seattle School Board.

  SYPP is a youth led, youth driven, organization that empowers youth to express themselves and take action on the issues that affect their lives. SYPP provides youth with the tools, resources, experience, and support to effectively organize for progressive social change, and is dedicated to supporting projects which deconstruct all forms of oppression.

  We are very pleased to be working in coalition with this great group of students!

• SCCFT Passes Resolutions on Commercialism in Schools
  The Seattle Community Colleges Federation of Teachers recently passed resolutions calling for formulation of a commercialism policy for Seattle Community College campuses, and endorsing the CCCS letter to the Seattle School Board.

• The Seattle Education Association overwhelmingly passed a resolution against commercialism in Seattle public schools!
  Read the resolution , and see our press release for more details.

• How have the Seattle School Board Directors been voting on these issues?
  Take a look at our Commercialism Scorecard

• CCCS had an information table at the Nader rally at Key Arena on September 23.
  It was a great way to make contact with lots of motivated folks. We added hundreds of names to our mailing list!

• CCCS members presented testimony to the Seattle School Board on Sept. 6 (2000), urging the board to adopt a policy on commercialism in the schools.
  Here are some samples of the testimony.
  

  Some background info:

  In September, 1998, after meeting for a year, the Commercial Activity Committee, consisting of community members appointed by the Superintendent, submitted a report outlining recommendations for a policy on commercialism in the Seattle schools. The School Board, however, has never acted upon these recommendations.

  In the intervening years, the District has continued to get involved in commercial contracts (such as the exclusive contract with Coca-Cola) and has entirely ignored the Committee recommendations. CCCS members feel that the time has come to insist that the School Board deal with this issue! CCCS has also formulated a "Recommended Policy on Advertising and Commercial Activity in Seattle Public Schools", which we urged the Board to adopt.

  Also, please read our Sept. 2, 2000 press release on this topic.

  And here's a brief history of commercialism in Seattle Public Schools.

• CCCS held a demonstration at the Seattle District's 'back-to-school' rally
  Read the Independent Media Center report

• Letter from Ralph Nader and Gary Ruskin of Commercial Alert
  To Barbara Schaad-Lamphere, president of the Seattle School Board, concerning the exclusive sales agreement with Coca-Cola, Oct. 5, 1998.

• CCCS Endorses Education Initiative
  By a vote of membership at a regular meeting the Citizens' Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools (CCCS) endorses I-728, the K-12 2000 Education Initiative (www.k122000.org) and supports the efforts to pass this initiative.

  Adequate school funding is an important element in CCCS's goal of eliminating commercial influences on our children in their schools. The passage of I-728, if followed by a program of fiscal accountability to assure that the increased funding is devoted to instructional needs, could be a positive factor in our work to rid the schools of commercialism.

National Updates:

• The Surgeon General has issued a "Call to Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity"
  The section on schools calls for cutting student access to junk food!

• Madison School Board Votes to Leave Coke Contract!
  Becomes First School District to Enter, Then Leave Exclusive Contract

  Madison, WI- The Madison School Board voted Monday, August 28 to end the school district's exclusive cola contract with the Coca-Cola corporation. Madison was among the first school districts to sign an exclusive cola contract in June of 1997, and now becomes the very first to cancel an already existing deal.

  "This vote was very significant, and indicates the new trend of rejecting exclusive cola contracts around the country," said Andrew Hagelshaw, Executive Director for the Center for Commercial-Free Public Education. "Madison helped start a trend in 1997, and now will start another. Districts are realizing that these deals only take advantage of under-funded schools and turn students into a captive audience for brand name advertising and for an unhealthy product at that."

  Community opposition to the Coke contract in Madison had grown significantly during the last three years. A group of 60 parents, students, teachers, and community members showed up to Mondayıs meeting, several of which testified in opposition to the contract. Board members stated that they had received "overwhelming public opposition" to the Coke contract. The final vote registered 5-2 against Coke.

  Several other proposed deals have been rejected nationally this year, including a $43 million deal with Coke voted down by Philadelphia schools in January 2000. Sacramento (CA) schools recently voted down a Pepsi offer and are now investigating whether soda machines belong in schools at all. The Dental Associations of Michigan and Pennsylvania recently came out publicly in opposition to exclusive cola deals.

  --August 29, 2000 press release from Center for Commercial-Free Public Education

• ...but Eugene, Oregon district heads down the same path
  "Plan to put soda machines in high schools opposed"
  The board has requested a review and discussion of its policies on commercialism, but the district is set to sign the contracts. Sound familiar?

• Report by General Accounting Office Shows Most Kids Are Not Protected From Ads in Schools
  The GAO report, "Commercial Activities in Schools", was released on Sept. 14. It shows that few states or local school boards make any real effort to protect students from the drastic increase in commercial advertising in the public schools, and that "in-school marketing has become a growing industry. Some marketing professionals are increasingly targeting children in school, companies are becoming known for their success in negotiating contracts between school districts and beverage companies, and both educators and corporate managers are attending conferences to learn how to increase revenue from in-school marketing for their schools and companies." The report found that only "19 states currently have statutes or regulations that address school-related commercial activities, but in 14 of these states, statutes and regulations are not comprehensive..."