BACK TO SCHOOL : FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Schools Awarded Anti-Smoking Grant

An innovative program designed to prevent children from smoking has resulted in a $150,000 state grant being awarded to the Fountain Valley School District, the only school system in Orange County to receive such funding.

The program will incorporate tobacco-related studies into health, science, language and social studies classes, said Fern Zahlen Williams, district director of student services. It will be extended to all kindergarten through sixth-grade classrooms.

While some elementary schoolchildren have already experimented with smoking, the goal is to keep youngsters from lighting that first cigarette, Williams said.

“This is the best time. They really are receptive. They want to get as much knowledge as possible,” Williams said. “Once a person has chosen to use tobacco, it’s very difficult to stop.”

In what Williams describes as a “Just Say No” program targeting tobacco use, schools will offer evening workshops to involve parents and will emphasize the development of self-esteem in children. Pupils will study social factors that lead people to smoke and the economics of tobacco. The first step will be to provide special training for teachers on the risks of smoking, Williams said.