Junk Food Should Be Banned From Elementary, Middle, and High Schools

Because Con has given me a lot to refute, I will begin my rebuttals now. Rebuttals Con begin by listing three issues with my stance. The first included the fact that students should be able to make their own choices. It seems I predicted Con's stance correctly, for I refuted this particular argument in round 2, when I said " I have come to the conclusion that he will ask the question of "Shouldn't the students be able to choose? "" I will repeat what I said, then add to it: Students have already been given the chance to choose. They have already been given the choice between eating a salad or eating a greasy pizza. When allowed to choose, the students choose the unhealthy choice. Therefore, they must be taught. Studies have shown that students who generally eat healthier meals are not as likely to choose unhealthier foods when given the choice. Not only that, but it seems that, according to New York Times, the government is already taking this effort. "Health education builds students' knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes about health. " It is highly important that students get the education they need when it comes to health. Con's next point spoke about this kind of ban would be ineffective. I beg to differ, for according to eduction. nh. gov, "[h]ealth education curricula and instruction help students learn skills they will use to make healthy choices throughout their lifetime. Effective curricula result in positive changes in behavior that lower student risks. " It is not ineffective because it teaches students these basic health rules that they should follow throughout life. Studies have shown that these tactics work. Finally, Con points out that restriction is better. Possibly, it may be, but students should not be consuming any junk food. According to The Telegraph, students "achieve lower scores in tests after eating takeaway meals such as burgers and chips more than three times a week. " This is a problem, because it means the students will not be receiving a proper education. "Researchers from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee tracked the eating habits of children aged 10 and 11 - then compared it to performance in reading and maths tests. " By doing this, "[t]hey found just over half of pupils had eaten at fast food restaurants such as McDonald's up to three times in the last week. One in 10 had eaten fast food between four and six times and two per cent visited restaurants four or more times daily. " That evidence shows that eating fast food does indeed effect the brains of students in a negative way. That shows that Banning, not restricting, can be advantageous for students. Why would we not ban junk food? "I'd just like to note that I'm not using this argument against all measures of authority. I recognize that school is full of authority figures, and that their actions require holding some authority over the students. However, I feel that this authority needs to be limited, and that bans and other such excessive actions should only be implemented in cases of necessity. " I also feel that authority needs to be limited, as I understand that not all children are immature. However, I do want to point out that some things, like eating habits, need to be enforced. Nevertheless, students are still developing mentally, which means they are still learning many of the rights and wrongs of their actions. That is why they go to school - to be educated. Students cannot learn everything if they are given too many freedoms. Conclusion It seems this is my last argument. Once Con has given his rebuttals, this debate will be in the hands of the voters. However, I would like to say one thing before I end this argument: Throughout the duration of this debate, I have taken the stance of making sure that students go down a healthy path, while my opponent has been taking the stance of allowing the students to make unhealthy choices and die prematurely. Two words: Vote Pro. MLA Citations "A Federal Effort to Push Junk Food Out of School. " Gardiner Harris. New York Times. Web. 16 March. 2014. <. http://www.nytimes.com...;. "Parents May Soon Outlive Obese Children. " Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 10 Sept. 2002. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <. http://www.dailymail.co.uk...;. "Why Health Education Is Important. " New Hampshire Department of Education. Web. 16 March 2014. <. http://www.education.nh.gov...;. "Too Much Fast Food 'harms Children's Test Scores'" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 22 May 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. <. http://www.telegraph.co.uk...;.