LBJ Middle School and Flamin' Hot Cheetos - Warranted, or Unwarranted?

New Mexico.

The state that gave us Gary Johnson, Libertarian candidate for President.

The state where a middle school is trying its best to emulate New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Actually, the school hasn't gone that far just yet. The school has NOT banned students from bringing their own Flamin' Hot Cheetos to school. Yes, I know that some of the news reports say that the school has banned the snack, but it hasn't.

What Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School has done, according to New Mexico television station KOAT, is to send a letter home to parents that they had to return and sign. In effect, the parents are acknowledging that they have read the contents of the letter, penned by a health teacher (not named to KOAT - and no, Medical Daily, the teacher is not named Lyndon B. Johnson). The letter names four issues with Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and urges parents not to send them in their kids' school lunches.

The four issues include the poor nutritional value of the snack itself, the fact that some people are eating the snack instead of eating a full lunch, the fact that students are sharing the snack (which is not recommended during the cold/flu season), and the red powder from the snack that causes messy problems for janitorial staff.

One could argue that the letter was merely informational. But others could argue that the letter, and the requirement to sign and return the letter, was unwarranted coercion.

What do you think?