Time for Schools to Retire Ronald

One day last year, my first-grade daughter came home after school with an offer to participate in the McDonald’s All-American Reading Challenge. For every ten books she read, she’d get a free Happy Meal.

Now I’m not a big fan of prize incentives to do schoolwork, but I trust that teachers usually know what’s best. I understand that different kids are motivated by different things.

But fast food? What kind of an incentive is that?

Turns out stacks of the offers had been dropped off in the teacher’s lounge. I can't help but wonder just which students might be motivated to read by the offer of a Happy Meal. And which students McDonald's was targeting by dropping off those coupons at our school.

We can no longer ignore the link between fast food consumption and health risks like obesity.

Isn’t it time Ronald McDonald was sent the way of Joe Camel? Corporate Accountability International thinks so, and is heading up “Retire Ronald,” a campaign to encourage McDonald’s to get rid of the clown who markets fast food to kids.

I’d add that the first step would be to kick Ronald out of the schools. He should not be in public schools giving presentations (even if the organizers claim that he’s there as a “public service” and that there is “no mention of McDonald’s products”); McDonald’s-sponsored curriculum should not be used in the classroom; and for goodness’ sake, stop asking teachers to spend what little free time they have luring families into McDonald's in order to raise funds for their school (why can’t a company just donate without the fanfare?).

It's time to retire Ronald. And especially keep him out of schools.

Photo credit: usuallyjusta