Caffeine is the last thing that students should have according to the following article from the May 24 Atlanta Journal-Constitution:


First-graders shouldn't be allowed to drink caffeinated colas during school because just a few ounces can make them rowdy and inhibit concentration, according to a study released Monday at the American Psychiatric Association's 158th annual meeting in Atlanta.
"Parents should also think about eliminating the caffeine colas at home, not to mention chocolate and other candies," said Dr. Alan R. Hirsch, a psychiatrist and neurologist who runs the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. "Kids can't tell whether sodas have caffeine or not, so you have to wonder why it's in the drinks. It's almost the equivalent of nicotine in cigarettes."
Hirsch and colleagues let 20 Chicago-area first-graders --- 10 children of each gender --- drink either caffeine-free cola or caffeinated cola over three weeks, during which their behavior was rated by teachers who didn't know what they were drinking. The children didn't know either.
But those who quaffed caffeinated cola "manifested behavioral problems . . . suggesting that consumption of this should be minimized in this age group," Hirsch said.
The study found that the children clearly preferred caffeinated cola to cola without caffeine. Average consumption of caffeinated cola was 9.45 ounces on days the children were allowed to drink sodas, compared with 7.55 ounces of caffeine-free cola.
Behavioral problems were rated as 432 percent worse on days when the first-graders consumed caffeinated colas than when they drank caffeine-free soda, Hirsch said.
"Drinking an average of less than one can of caffeinated cola causes significant worsening of behavior amongst first-graders," he said. "Hence psychological and learning enhancement should be added to the list of dental caries [decay], sugar load in promotion of obesity and adverse affect of cola consumption on children."
Kathleen Dezio, vice president of the American Beverage Association, said the three largest soft drink manufacturers --- Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Cadbury Schweppes, which manufactures Dr. Pepper and 7-Up --- have policies prohibiting them from selling carbonated soft drinks to elementary-school-age children during school hours.
Still, Hirsch said, young children do have access to such drinks in many elementary and most middle and high schools, "and this is something parents and school administrators need to think about."
In Georgia, elementary schools aren't allowed to sell such beverages until the end of the final lunch period, spokeswoman Maribeth Brannen said. "The rules leave a lot of room for principals to put machines in hallways outside of the cafeteria. Some could have pop machines, open after lunch."
Nationally, most high schools allow the sale of carbonated beverages, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics has called for restricting the availability of such drinks.
Hundreds of studies will be presented through Thursday at the APA's annual meeting. Hirsch's, like most, has yet to be submitted to a scientific journal for peer review and publication.

All right. Now that you have read the article (if you have read the article), the question remains. Should pop machines be pulled out of schools?