Education Law

Hurray for comprehensive tobacco-free schools!

This just in: Nearly half of all Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke, which, like other tobacco smoke, is harmful at any level. That?s one reason BoardBuzz was so pleased to learn that the Loudon County, Virginia, school board has voted that all of their public schools be completely smoke free starting January 1. This is great news, especially in light of the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently released data indicating that the decline in teen smoking rates has stalled.

While some were opposed to the Loudon county decision, the fact is that students tend to know which adults smoke even when they are smoking in designated areas, and, regardless of their intentions, all adults at a school are role models for kids.

Comprehensive tobacco-free schools send a consistent, healthy message to young people. After all, as we've mentioned before, tobacco use is still the leading preventable cause of death in the US.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on July 22, 2008 (boomark / email).