Should Vending Machines Be Allowed in School

George Ding
Anna
Grammar
28 August 2012
Should Vending Machines be Allowed in Schools?
In 1886 the first fizzy ‘soda’ was made when Joseph Priestley reproduced carbon dioxide in an experiment and dissolved it in water, noting its pleasant taste. From there on Dr. John Pemberton, Caleb Bradham, Charles Alderton and Charles Hires revolutionized his invention, and created four brands of soft drinks which are being sold all over the world, in convenience stores, vending machines, coolers, and in packages. Even schools all over America have added vending machines selling these soft drinks along with other snacks to their students, teachers, and staff. However, these vending machines should be banned from America’s schools because it delivers a variety of problems that can affect a student's academic performance, their use of money, and their overall fitness.
Aside from contributing to a number of health problems, vending machines can also interrupt academic performance, triggering behavior problems in the classroom. Medical research shows that average teens who don’t eat junk food, usually does better then teens that eats junk food. For the mathematics tests, students who consumed fast food 4 to 6 times each week had scores 6.55 points below average. Because students load themselves up on sugary treats during recess and lunch, they'll have a sugar rush - causing them to be hyper. So instead of taking notes regularly for the next quiz, the student would be so hyped up because of the sugar that he won’t be able to concentrate. This can lead to an overall drop in conduct and academic grades.
Vending machines can also create financial problems between the students. Already in the US, kids spend over 12 million dollars on junk food during the regular school year. Since junk food can be addictive, kids are always going to be begging for more. When the brain doesn’t get what it wants, the student may feel a sense of craving (similar to drugs) where they get desperate to buy food from the machines. When it turns out that they don’t have the money it leads them to borrow and even steal money from their peers. "Oh, you never gave me back the dollar I lent you," is a typical statement that can cause many fights between friends. Vending machines are not beneficial in any way to the school environment because they only lead to problems.
Vending machines only add to America's growing obesity rate. Already in 2008, the number of kids who have diabetes has increased by an alarming 30 percent. By selling an assorted amount of sweets, children are destroying their own bodies. The vending machines are no different from a miniature food store, where they can buy as much as they want. Because of this, students binge on junk food during school hours, and become victims of obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol. For example, if a student isn't allowed to eat junk food at home but binged all day at school, not only would she be disobeying her parents, but she would significantly affect her health by loading up on the junk food that was provided by the vending machine.
Overall, vending machines only supplies a myriad of problems for the students. Whether it affects student's academic performance, their use of money, or their overall fitness, vending machines should not be allowed in schools. Because of vending machines, kids have been wasting so much money, only to spend it on weakening their bodies to be more vulnerable to obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol. If vending machines continue to sell on the junk foods that kids crave, many issues that plague schools will never be solved.