Florida school stops giving students caffeinated soda before standardized tests

A Florida school has discontinued the practice of giving students caffeinated soda before standardized testing after a grandmother raised health concerns.

For the past decade, Creel Elementary School in Melbourne. Fla., has been serving about 3 tablespoons of Mountain Dew in small cups and trail mix to students before they took their Florida Comprehensive Assessment test (FCAT).

Martha Thorp, whose granddaughter attends Creel, was surprised to learn that the students were given the sugary drinks.

"She said every morning, they had Mountain Dew," Thorp told Fla. TV station News 13.

"When we found out, we thought it was best to provide water instead," said Brevard Public Schools Spokeswoman Michelle Irwin.

School officials said that the soda was not served instead of the normal breakfast offered the school. It was also not mandatory that students drink the soda.

According to school administrators, the practice began when Creel Elementary Principal Kathryn Eward about the positive impact of Mountain Dew in keeping student energy levels consistent in an education journal.

And the soda was part of larger plan to prepare students for the test which included encouraging eating good breakfast and getting enough sleep, administrators said.

Next week, administrators said the students will be getting water instead of Mountain Dew.