Irvine : Board Bans Smoking at District High Schools

High school students have to kick the habit by Thanksgiving, the school board decided Tuesday night, voting 4 to 1 to ban on-campus smoking.

A bill awaiting Gov. George Deukmejian’s signature would prohibit students from using tobacco products in public schools beginning Jan. 1. If the governor signs the bill, it will repeal an earlier measure allowing high school students to smoke at school in designated areas, trustee Gordon Getchel said.

Getchel said that the school board’s decision had nothing to do with the state legislation and that it was made “because the board has a concern about the health of the kids.”

For the last seven years, high schools in the district have permitted on-campus smoking as long as a student obtains written permission from a parent.

“The majority of the board was concerned about the hypocrisy of letting kids smoke on campus who are not allowed to legally purchase tobacco,” Getchel said.

Board President Helen Cameron voted against the ban. If the bill before the governor is signed, Cameron said, she doubted that a ban by the Irvine Unified School District is necessary.

The board agreed to wait until Nov. 30 to begin the ban to give staff and students a chance to grow accustomed to the new policy.