Here are three sample letters. Please use these letters as templates and customize them with your own thoughts on stories. Do not send the same letter to more than one paper.

Dear Editor:

With obesity at an all time high, both in adults and children, I find it wrong that there are those who would choose to exacerbate this problem by cutting health and physical education programs in our schools. In the face of this gigantic health crisis, our public officials should not sanction a curriculum that allows for even more sedentary behavior among our children. Health and physical education as part of a school curriculum helps our children to recognize physical activity and good nutrition as a normal part of everyday life, and even though it wouldn’t be a panacea to all of our problems with obesity and heart disease, it would be a positive step in the right direction for the health of our children. Did you know that the Minnesota Legislature eliminated the requirement for health and physical education last session? With obesity on the rise, we must educate our children in a way that reinforces healthy lifestyles by teaching kids that a normal day should involve physical activity and good nutrition. It is very difficult for a person to change their lifestyle outside of the formative years of childhood, and if we don’t ensure that our children are learning habits that encourage exercise, then I fear the future of Minnesota’s health. We need the support of our legislators in helping to reinstate the requirement for health and physical education.

The Minnesota Legislature eliminated the requirement for health and physical education in 2003 when it established a new high school graduation requirement system. With childhood obesity reaching epidemic proportions, how can our public officials consider cutting the one activity in school children learn to keep themselves healthy? I do my part by making sure that my children get enough physical activity, but what kind of message are our schools sending to all children by telling them that a healthy lifestyle isn’t important enough to learn in school? This is a dangerous trend for the health of our children, and it needs to change. We need the support of our legislators in helping to reinstate the requirement for health and physical education.
Now is the time for us to be utilizing the media to tell our story about the importance of health and physical education.

A letter-to-the-editor of your local newspaper gives you a chance to inform thousands of people about a critical local issue or piece of legislation. Many politically minded people read this section of the newspaper, including elected officials and other community decision-makers. Even if it’s not published, your letter may inspire an editorial on the subject.
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