 How to Get a NEW School Policy PassedWritten by Brie Engelken Every day 3000 adolescents in the U.S. begin to use tobacco products. Schools have claimed for years that they have the students’ best interest at hand, but how true is this? Administrations say they want to create healthy stable environments for the students but if this were true we would all have tobacco-free school grounds. Kansas Laws prohibit tobacco use in school buildings and anyone under 18 may not possess any kind of tobacco product, yet many school districts allow smoking outside the building on the school property and at school events. This double message ignores the serious health issues concerning tobacco use. So why is it important for schools to be tobacco-free? Because “…Smoking is a matter of grave concern to board members because it seriously endangers the well being of students and others in the school environment...,” stated the National School Board Association. When going about getting a policy change, students, visitors, and all school personnel should be included. The policy should include all tobacco products and be enforced within all school buildings and grounds that are leased, owned, or rented by the school district. The new policy should be enforced at all school activities on or off-campus and within outside groups that are using the school’s property. It should also be enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Take action! Do this by getting the support of the school board, administration, students, staff, and the community. All of these people must be consulted on their opinions. Form a committee to give ideas for an inclusive tobacco policy. Involve people who might be affected by the new policy. After this identify committee tasks and timelines. When working towards this goal make sure that the youth are the ones acting as the educators. Survey the school personnel, write articles for the local newspapers, and interact with the policy makers by presenting reasons for a tobacco-free campus. Students must also gather information on educational, health, and economic benefits of a tobacco-free school policy. After this create the new policy, and plan how it will be implemented and enforced. Then communicate the policy to all those that it will affect. Keep in mind that persistence is key to enforcing a new policy and that the concerns must continue to be heard. After all of this is done evaluate the policy. One final thought is it is also helpful to know which school board members are tobacco users. Good luck on the journey to successful tobacco-free school grounds! |
