Yes, you read that headline right. This story is crazy. Check out the details inside.
11 year old Lilly Grasso, who is 5’5 and 124 pounds was sent home from her Naples, Florida middle school because they said she was fat.
The school sent a letter to her home warning her mother, Kristen Grasso, of the dangers of obesity.
‘Lily is tall, athletic, solid muscle — by no means is she overweight,’ the concerned mother told WFTX before showing a refrigerator stocked with healthy foods.
The letter was sent after a health screening by the Collier County Health Department which said her Body Mass Index (BMI) was the reason she was considered obese. These “letters” are not uncommon and have been referred to as “fat letters”.
Lilly is a volleyball player and has a BMI of 22 which resulted in her being labeled as overweight by the county health department.
Her mother said that another girl her age and size has a BMI of 20.8 and was labeled a “healthy“.
“My concern is kids that see the results of this test that may be classified as overweight that aren’t, and the self-esteem issues that they may get,’ she explained.
The letter also lists the girl as being two inches shorter than she currently is, according to the Orlando Sentinel, which makes the BMI calculation performed by the school completely inaccurate.
These letters are being used to combat childhood obesity and the fat letters that are being sent across America are credited for a major turnaround in the childhood obesity numbers. At least 20 states have started sending home letters addressed to parents of children deemed overweight and at risk of future health problems.
After several years of rising childhood obesity rates, the ranks of the young and overweight have begun to drop in at least 17 states, according to the CDC. Florida is one of them.
Thoughts?
HERE IS VIDEO OF THE STORY ——-> NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral