It's shameful that McDonald's is using the tragic underfunding of our public schools as a marketing opportunity. Teachers should never have to sacrifice their students' health in order to earn a few extra resources for their classrooms.

Recently, PAA joined with the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and many other groups and individuals across the U.S. to call for an end to this insulting and misguided program.

You can add your name and/or the name of your organization to the letter below, telling McDonald's CEO Easterbrook: No More McTeacher's Nights!

Please also share the event on Facebook and join this week's Twitter campaign:

• Tell @McDonalds: Stop using teachers to lure kids to fast food restaurants. #StopMcTeachersNights commercialfreechildhood.org/stopmcteachersnights
• Tell @McDonalds: Stop exploiting teachers to sell our children junk food! #StopMcTeachersNights commercialfreechildhood.org/stopmcteachersnights 
• Join me & tell @McDonalds: Don't use teachers to market fast food to kids. #StopMcTeachersNights commercialfreechildhood.org/stopmcteachersnights
  

Dear Mr. Easterbrook,

I urge you to end the exploitative practice of McTeacher's Nights.

As you know, on McTeacher's Nights, teachers "work" at a local McDonald's in hopes of raising much-needed funds for their schools. Parents and children are encouraged to eat at McDonald's so they can see "their very own educators serve up hamburgers, fries and shakes."

It is wrong to exploit teachers' authority and popularity to lure kids to McDonald's, where the core products are burgers, fries, and soda. McTeacher's Nights negate the good work of educators to create healthy food habits and environments in schools. Parents and students trust teachers to make decisions based on what's best for children. Using teachers to market anything to a captive audience of schoolchildren undermines that trust. But given the dire health consequences, promoting a fast food brand is especially unconscionable. Educators should not have to choose between school resources today and the health of their students tomorrow.

This is the moment for action. In your first year as CEO, it is finally time to end the abusive practice of using teachers and educational institutions to promote McDonald's to schoolchildren.

The health of current and future generations of children will benefit from your leadership on this issue.

Sincerely,

Parents Across America and others