Schools K-12

Secondhand smoke is a danger to children and staff. Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to youth, causing asthma, chronic bronchitis and ear infections. Most smokers become addicted before they are 18

Community members work hard to educate children about the dangerous health effects of smoking. Students should not be allowed to smoke in public schoolsthis works against the extraordinary efforts of those who teach children about the dangers of smoking. Administrators, teachers, and guests need to set a positive example for students by not smoking on school grounds.

Steps for Success:

• Determine who locally makes the decisions to change the school policy at the district level.

• Determine the opinion of the Chair of School Board about policy change.

• Provide the School Board with a copy of the letter from the Governor advocating for 100% smoke-free schools policy change.

• Work with kids at schools to support and encourage their efforts to take the lead in advocating for a policy change.

• Develop a comprehensive plan for using media advocacy to affect a school’s policy change. Activities may include news releases, petitions, letters from youth and television or radio PSAs.

• Have a plan to react to those opposed to a policy change.

• Consider the positive incentives that encourage or reward the policy change.

• Make sure that the school policy is/does the following:
  • Comprehensive in its approach
  • Covers all school property, school buses, school events at all times, school district offices, and school board meetings
  • Consistent for students, teachers and other school officials
  • Compliance achieved through district administrators, principals and teachers and a specified procedure in place to report infractions
  • Collaboration and coordination is part of the school board effort to work with the community to prevent tobacco use
  • Communication of policy to students, staff, parents and the community on a regular basis