Tobacco Documents Online

7UN-1`_+-' °0 TUE 15 s 50, 1 D-t' TSBw - TREhFTOSit TEL 33?t '3 'rG° Mt Nat4y Ney J&r ~SY Schoola_ E7[tat'ld NeM SenOKZn¢ San t0 a1 A survey of all NeN J.rsey public schools shows thatArithin 10 weeka-of -ths effeative data of a law banning all smoking inside schools, many schools have included school property outside school buildings in their ner no-smoking poli- aies. A survey of 606 school districts in the state (with 423 reporting) reveals that almost one-third (31.6%) of districts have banned smoking outdoors during school hours only. Kore than one-quarter (26.6%) of school districts have made their grounda non-smoking 24 hours a day, seven daya a week. All board of education buildings were required to be entirely smoke free beginning December 14, 1989 (Chaptar 96, Public Law 1989)_ Many districts have mhda ameudments to existing district policies since the passage of this new law. In addition, districts ara now required to have no-smoking regula- tions in place. School distriets that extand their smoke free areas to outdoora were asked to daseribe their policies. The queations and r.he results wera: ~ Have you banned sntoking outdoors during school hours only? Elementary districts Yes 26.3• K-12/secondary districts Yes 40.1% No No 73.7% 59.9% Vocational districts Yes No 100a Have you banned smoking outdoors during school hours and extraeuizieular events (including sporting evants)? Elementary districts Yea K-12/aecondary districts yes Vocational districts yes 23.8% No 76.34 14.0% No 86.0% 10.0% No 90.0% Have you banned smokins outside on all grounds 24 hours a day seven days a week? Elementary aistricta yes 22.2% No 77.8% ~ K-12/s.coAdary districts yes 32.2% No 67.8t Vocational districts Yes 35.7% No 64,3• A ~ ~ The survey was conducted by the New Jersey School Soards Association, in cooperation with the Nea Jersey Commission on Smoking OR Health and the N.w Jersey Department of Health. t~'t 3/90 3S33a (over)

aluni-e5-, go ,jE 15:5i, 1D•N "~Br~1~ - TRENTON TEL NO: l-tfl°-oQ~-~ab3• U'?P3 FOiS Oh.- -2- School diserict respons, to the survey was overGtheLming. NJSBA tabulated returns froat 423 districta and reported that district responses continued to eoste in even after tabulations were completed. Among school di.tricts extending their no-smokin` rule to outdoor areas, 63.1% include areaa thaat are uaed by people other than students, includinS visitors, and 48.76 iriclude a ban on smoking in motor vehiclss. Schools were askad vhether their regulations included a ban on ths uss of sll tobaoco products, including chewing tobacco and snuff. Almost two-thirds (64%) of districts reported they included all tobacco products in their rsgula- tions. Survey results sho.r that 47.5; of the schools incorporated their usval discipline procedures in their new smoking regulations for staff and 55.6% incorporated diseipline procedurea for their new smoking retttlatioas for studentx. Effective implsaentation of the law and local school policies is helped when districts include the snoking regulations in their progressive discipline procedures for employees and students. Another aid to implsmertation of non-smoking policies is the provision of smoking cessation programs for treatment of nicotins addiction, to assiat students and teachsra who smoke. Survey results show that 21.7% of dis- tricts reported offering eessation servicss for employees during the imreadiats implementation period; 6.84 of districts offered eessation pro- grams for atudents. . W