S.L. distribution of energy drinks alarms officials

Energy drinks have Salt Lake School District leaders buzzing.

They are upset about distributors going onto campuses to hand out free samples to students.

"We don't need energy drinks in these kids," said Highland High School assistant principal Chris Jenson.

Red Bull distributors have pulled up to the curb in front of Highland High to hand out freebies at the end of the school day.

"I've asked them to leave two times," Jenson said, adding they also created a traffic hazard.

Red Bull distributors have also shown up in the parking lot during East High School football games, and kept coming back after being kicked off campus, school administrators said.

Salt Lake District Superintendent McKell Withers said the energy drink distribution at schools breaks three district rules: advertising on campus, trespassing and the wellness policy that promotes healthy food choices.

"I don't see anything healthy about (energy drinks)," said East High principal Paul Sagers.

When contacted, a Red Bull spokeswoman in Santa Monica, Calif., said it is against company policy to distribute free samples on school campuses.

Some energy drinks have twice as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. (To view a chart, go to www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database.)

Tobe Holliday, 17, a junior at East High, said a company handed out free mini high-concentration energy drinks in the parking lot near the school.

"My friend was sitting in class just twitching," Holliday said. "They were sick, bouncing off the walls. My friend had a track meet after school and she couldn't even function."

Holliday said he doesn't consume energy drinks but lots of his friends do.

Other students interviewed said they down energy drinks on certain occasions. One teen said he likes one after lunch to keep him from getting sleepy in class. Another said he drinks one after wrestling practice. "I'll drink them if I need them," said Jake Zaugg, 15, an East High sophomore.

Isabell Patterson, 16, a junior at Highland High School, said she and other students consume energy drinks before they head out for a dance or other social event. "They taste good and they give me lots of energy," she said.