L.A. Teachers to McDonalds: Stay Away From Our Students
L.A. Teachers to McDonalds: Stay Away From Our Students
This week, Los Angeles teachers made it very clear: it’s time for McDonald’s to stay away from their students and schools. “Across the country and in Los Angeles, McDonald’s is exploiting our schools and teachers to market its unhealthy fare to children,” said Cecily Myart-Cruz, vice president of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).
McDonald’s and the junk food industry have long preyed on the basic vulnerabilities of children to market unhealthy food to them and turn them into customers for life. One distressing and unconscionable marketing tactic McDonald’s uses is McTeacher’s Nights, where the corporation has teachers work behind the counters in local stores selling burgers, fries, and soda to students and students’ families. McDonald’s claims McTeacher’s Nights “help raise funds” for local communities, but it’s a thinly veiled marketing tactic.
A growing number of parents and educators understand this, which is why last month, UTLA, whose 31,000 members make it the second-largest teachers union local in the country, announced a resolution condemning McTeacher’s Nights. The resolution decried the events and urged UTLA members not to participate.
Read more: http://www.beyondchron.org/l-teachers-mcdonalds-stay-away-students/