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Kids can't buy world a Coke till after 3

The school district makes it official by notifying the soft drink maker that its products will be available for only limited hours on all high school campuses.

By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published December 1, 2005

INVERNESS - Saying the school system should practice what its health classes teach, the School Board agreed in September to stop selling soda to high school students during school hours.

But more than two months later, the vending machines at all three high schools continue gobbling change and spitting out sodas to willing students. Students are guzzling down the carbonated, sugared drinks before school, between classes and at lunch.

"In my mind, it was a done deal," said board member Pat Deutschman, who supported the partial ban.

As it turns out, the school district never told Coca-Cola about its plan to restrict soda sales to after-school hours - never told the company officially, anyway.

Coca-Cola representative Peggy Allen attended the Sept. 13 meeting when board members agreed to a partial soda ban, but she said the district never followed up with an official notice. Allen said the company was waiting to hear about the specific times that soda would be off limits to students.

"That was still in question," Allen said Wednesday.

Last week, the company was put on notice.

Superintendent Sandra "Sam" Himmel fired off a sharply written letter giving the company until Friday to comply with the new contract terms.

"Please consider this letter official notification that no carbonated drinks to be available on any Citrus County high school campus from 1 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily," Himmel wrote. "I am very disappointed that it has taken over two months to resolve this issue."

Allen said the company will be able to meet the deadline. Coca-Cola workers were installing timers Wednesday on vending machines at all three high schools, she said.

By Monday, only sports drinks, 100 percent fruit juice and bottled water will be available to students throughout the day. Sodas will be available in no more than four vending machines on each campus, and only after 3 p.m.

It was less clear Wednesday how the new agreement will affect the district's relationship with Coca-Cola, which has helped schools pay for field trips and donated more than $75,000 in scoreboards.

Last year, Hernando County schools banned soda from vending machines, prompting Coca-Cola to issue a warning saying that if sales dropped by more than 10 percent, the company would seek relief from the board. The Hernando board later voted to rescind the ban, allowing sodas back into the machines.

Deutschman said she would not back off from the partial ban.

"If that's what happens, that's what happens," she said, referring to the possibility that Coke amends its contract with Citrus. "I'm not going to jeopardize the health of the kids to buy that stuff. I just can't do it. It would be wrong."

--Eddy Ramirez can be reached at eramirez@sptimes.com or 860-7305.

[Last modified December 1, 2005, 01:07:16]