To the editor:

The continuing debate among school board members over the banning of pop in the Lawrence public schools is a waste of time. The supporters of the ban cite the fact that 145,900 bottles or cans were sold last year as evidence that students are overindulging in pop consumption. That figure, however is misleading.

The total number of students in the high schools and junior highs in Lawrence is 4,931. If that total is multiplied by the total number of instruction days (175) the number of opportunities for students to purchase pop in school is 862,925. By dividing the units sold into the opportunities for purchase you will find that on average each student in the secondary schools in Lawrence is buying a pop every 5.91 days.

Another factor to consider is that the 145,900 total includes units that were purchased by hundreds of teachers, secretaries, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff, etc. Thus, the actual number of pops consumed by students is far less than some people are presenting and nowhere near the health epidemic that some board members are concerned about.

As a teacher at Free State High School who has five classes and regularly eats in the cafeteria, it’s my experience that the majority of our students are rarely drinking excessive amounts of pop. Perhaps attention to education issues that help teachers teach and students learn would be a better use of the popularly elected board’s time.

Jason Pendleton,

Lawrence