Last week, the State Board of Education unanimously passed a rule to require healthy beverages in school, as directed by a new state law. While the rule was recently trivialized in a piece in this publication by Ben DeGrow, state health and education advocates have widely hailed this rule for what I agree it is – an excellent first step in improving child health, learning and behavior outcomes, with long-term, positive fiscal implications.

Fortunately, state policymakers and the beverage industry get it as well. The legislature wisely set minimum standards agreed to by the beverage companies themselves, recognizing that by avoiding sugar, caffeine, and phosphoric acid in their drinks, students will be healthier, more alert, and thus have a greater ability to succeed in school. And because school is where students eat one or two meals on a daily basis, buy snacks and drinks, and have opportunities for physical activity, it is imperative that state and local policies foster student wellness.

Although school districts have made some strides in this area, few of them have established requirements for school drinks as the new law and rule have done. In this context, the state in its public role legitimately took responsibility to provide for student health.

About a quarter of kids in Colorado are overweight or obese, which leads to serious negative health outcomes, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and low self-esteem. Good child health is a right, as well as a cost-effective strategy for our future, clearly and directly serving the needs of the public.

Instead of mocking the issue of child wellness and nutrition, thoughtful advocates are constructively focusing on strengthening student health, such as better nutrition and physical activity in public schools. With increasing recognition that child health affects key long-term outcomes for our economy, education and the well being of our children and state, school nutrition policies are beginning to gain the seriousness they deserve.

The State Board of Education’s enhanced rule is a great first step in this movement.