FLORIDA COUNTY PREFERS MCDONALD'S TO EVOLUTION

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

[Seminole County, Florida, is a hotbed of opposition to teaching
evolution]

AD AGE - "This is a good day for parents and children in Seminole County
and anyone who believes that corporations should not prey on children in
schools," said Dr. Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a
Commercial-Free Childhood. "We are pleased that McDonald's is listening
to parents all over the country who believe that report cards should not
be commercialized."

The fast-food giant had agreed to sponsor the report-card jackets for
the county's elementary schools to cover a printing fee of $1,600. There
are 27,000 children in the school district.

On the jackets, McDonald's offered a free happy meal to any student with
all A's and B's, two or fewer absences, or good behavior in a given
academic quarter. Susan Pagan, an area parent, notified the Campaign for
a Commercial-Free Childhood, and an all-out public-relations battle
ensued by early December. According to the campaign, the school district
received more than 2,000 calls of protest. . .

"It was McDonald's decision to remove our trademarks from report-card
jackets in Seminole County, Fla., because we believe the focus should be
on the importance of a good education," said Bill Whitman, a spokesman
for McDonald's USA. "McDonald's, not the school district, will cover the
cost to reprint the report-card jackets."

http://adage.com/article?article_id=123176

CONSUMERIST - The school district that approved McDonald's-sponsored
report cards has a hot new partnership with Bus Radio, a friendly
company that advertises to kids as they ride to school. The company
serves a sonorous mix of inoffensive music, public service announcements
(buckle up, kids!) and a few harmless advertisements (maybe McDonald's?)
to over 1 million children in 23 states. Bus Radio is based in Needham,
Massachusetts, but lost its contract with the Needham school district
after uppity parents objected to the crass commercialization of
something as innocent as a bus ride. Seminole School Board members said
the benefits of the radio show seem to outweigh any drawbacks, but they
will evaluate Bus Radio's performance during the test run.

http://consumerist.com/346745/bus-radio-advertises-to-school+bound-kids

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||