A recent story on North Andover Patch reignited the debate about whether public schools should send home letters telling parents their child is overweight:
One day last year, North Andover Selectman Tracy Watson received a school letter about her son Cameron. It wasn't about his grades or his behavior. It was to inform her and her husband that Cameron was classified as "obese."
"Honestly, I laughed," Watson said. The letter -- part of a state initiative to monitor children's Body Mass Index -- explained BMI standards and encouraged her and her husband to contact their pediatrician.
But the letters have many in town crying foul and have ignited a debate over the government's role in children's health.
That debate has now flashed nation-wide, as our story was picked up by Fox News, the New York Daily News, reddit and Fark.com.
Parents, have you received a so-called "fat letter" for your child? Do you see the letters as a good public health measure? Or are they a government overreach?
Maybe you distrust the whole idea of BMI, given that by its standards, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is overweight.
Let's discuss it in the comments section.