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May 16, 2008 6:43 pm US/Central
Arlington Schools Consider Banning Energy Drinks
ARLINGTON (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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Popular and pervasive energy drinks, designed to stimulate, may be a thing of the past in Arlington schools. Some school officials want the energy drinks banned from campuses.
Energy drinks like Red Bull and Full Throttle came under fire Thursday night at an Arlington Independent School District board meeting. Some members and district staff were concerned about the number of kids who depend on the high-caffeine drinks to make it through the day.
Dexter Holmes, who occasionally has an energy drink in class, told CBS 11 News, "Without them I'd feel pretty down and might fall asleep."
According to Denice Taylor, a nutritionist from Arlington Memorial Hospital, sometimes there's three times the amount of caffeine in the energy drinks than a regular soda.
Taylor says students should rely on a good meal before and during school in order to keep their energy levels up. She says the popular energy drinks could pose a health risk. "We don't know the effects yet, but they can disturb heart rhythms, even [cause] heart palpitations. They could start heart problems at a younger age and we don't know the effects of the combination of ingredients of the drinks. We're not sure what young bodies can cope with."
The district's committee on student code of conduct has been asked to explore the possibility of a ban on energy drinks from campus. It's an idea that has some students 'wiped out'.
Most Arlington students we spoke with Friday had no idea the district was considering a ban on energy drinks. All of them said that the move would have a negative impact.
"I'd probably end up sleeping in class. I'd end up failing the class because it keeps me awake," said student Austin Pummill.
"If that were to happen," said student David Macias about the potential energy drink ban, "you'd have a lot of people, a lot of kids, sleeping in class. And that would bring down a lot of kids' GPAs and stuff like that because energy drinks are what help kids concentrate."
School district representatives admit it may take months for the committee to come up with a recommendation about what to do with the drinks.
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