Schools Take Taper-Off Approach on Smoking

Leaders of the Los Angeles Unified School District voted Monday to implement a tobacco-free policy in two phases, which will allow smokers to ease into compliance.

The first phase will begin Nov. 15--Great American Smokeout Day--and establish designated outdoor smoking areas that will be off limits to students. Smoking will be banned in all other areas, including school buildings, grounds and district vehicles.

Student smoking has been prohibited and employee smoking restricted to certain rooms and areas for several years.

The second phase, which will begin on an as-yet-unspecified date next year, will prohibit smoking anywhere in the school system.

Beverly Martin, a school administrator who headed a committee that recommended the two-step process, said the group wanted to avoid a “hard-handed approach.”

“We recognize some people have strong feelings about smoking,” Martin said.

The district will launch a program to educate school employees about the health hazards of tobacco and refer smokers to community programs to help them quit. The district also will sponsor stop-smoking clinics and start support groups.

The regulations will affect students, employees and visitors to any school and those attending any school-sponsored activity, athletic event or meeting.

Board member Rita Walters cast the sole dissenting vote against the designated smoking areas. She also voiced concern about a proposal that would allow school employees to inform anonymously on those who violate the regulations.

“It smacks of totalitarianism . . . it’s a big brother approach,” Walters said.

The ban was initially proposed by a group of teachers and other employees and representatives of the American Heart, Lung and Cancer associations who persuaded board President Jackie Goldberg to sponsor the motion.

Teachers are expected to be hardest hit by the ban, but relatively little protest has been registered either with the board or teachers union, officials said.

Smoking bans have been implemented in school districts across the country with little debate or opposition.