Fat Shaming’s Devastating Toll on Students
There’s an innate tension between school safety and students’ civil rights. The 74’s Mark Keierleber keeps you up to date on the news you need to know
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While fat-shaming may be among the last socially acceptable forms of discrimination, a new story in The Hechinger Report highlights the children who endure weight stigma at school — and its devastating toll on their well-being and academic performance.
“Do you want a cupcake?” one fifth grader recalled being asked by one of her classmates who routinely called her “fatty.” Teachers routinely fail to confront students who fat-shame their classmates — and play their own role in anti-obesity bias.
The 15 million U.S. children who are considered obese are more likely than other kids to have poor academic performance — a reality dubbed the obesity achievement gap. Now, new research suggests bias among teachers could be part of the problem.
“Teachers often perceive children with obesity as emotional, unmotivated, less competent and noncompliant,” journalist Kavitha Cardoza wrote. “That can lead to teachers giving these students fewer opportunities to participate in class, less positive feedback and lower grades.”
Schools nationwide have policies that prohibit bullying on the basis of race, gender and religion. Few mention body weight.
Read Cardoza’s latest story (which was also published in Teen Vogue) here.
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