In Palm Beach County, the smart kids better watch out.

The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post reports that Krispy Kreme plans to reward students in kindergarten through sixth grade with a free doughnut for every A on their report card. One other program has children decorate posters of doughnuts with “success sprinkles” when they meet their goals, which can be turned in for free doughnuts.

It’s a splendid idea to reward children for meeting goals and scoring high marks on report cards, but with doughnuts? Rewards have never been so fattening.

An original glazed doughnut from Krispy Kreme has 12 grams of fat, 200 calories and 22 grams of carbohydrates. Children can receive up to a half-dozen doughnuts per grading period, so what happens when the child gets six A’s on their report cards? Are they going to share their hard-earned doughnuts? Perhaps. If not, their reward package will come to a whopping total of 72 grams of fat, 1,200 calories and 132 grams of carbs. Mmm.

Like other school districts around the country, the Palm Beach County school district is currently reshaping its school menus to be healthier, including eliminating french fries from the menus and removing soda and junk from vending machines.

By implementing this free-doughnut program, they are counteracting all of the positive steps they have taken to promote healthier eating in children.

The National Institutes of Health has declared child obesity an epidemic, but Krispy Kreme spokeswoman Jackie Zepeda told the Post she was unaware of any concern in terms of child obesity.

Yes, we suppose it is puzzling to think that giving away free Krispy Kremes might contribute in any way to weight problems in children.

One Palm Beach County school board member told the board she was a “victim of food as a reward,” but the district shouldn’t continue to do that. “Then you end up fat,” she said.

That’s right … if this program continues, years down the line not only will students be holding Krispy Kreme doughnuts in their hands, but there will be one around their waists, too.