HUNTINGTON BEACH : District Seeks to Restrict Smoking

The trustees of the Huntington Beach City School District this week introduced an ordinance that would prohibit smoking and tobacco chewing in most areas on district properties.

The proposed policy would forbid any form of tobacco use during working hours in district buildings or vehicles and at school-sponsored events. Employees would be allowed to use tobacco on district properties only if they are outside buildings and out of students’ view.

The policy is based on school smoking bans by the Fountain Valley and Ocean View districts, among others.

If the board enacts the proposal at its Aug. 20 meeting, the restrictions would overturn an existing policy that allows schools to provide smoking lounges for teachers and other employees.

District staff members during the next few weeks will fine-tune the tobacco-free policy after discussing its details with employee unions.

Some non-teaching employees, although not opposing the restrictions, wish to make sure that the policy does not effectively forbid them from smoking altogether during breaks. Teachers union representatives said they are not concerned about the new policy.

Although district officials said they do not know of any employees who chew tobacco, board members agreed to extend the ban to all tobacco products to comply with an upcoming state requirement. To continue receiving state grant money for drug and tobacco education, school districts by 1996 must enact a policy that restricts tobacco use, officials said.

Trustees, in discussing the policy, said this week that they also support the stricter regulations because they would protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and send a strong anti-smoking message to students.

“I’m interested in the role-model aspect of this, and because nonsmokers have been tolerant long enough of secondhand smoke,” said Trustee Brian Garland, a former smoker.

“We need to say that we need to protect the rights of the nonsmoker, and I think we’re doing that here, and that we’re doing something that’s very fair” for all employees.

Garland noted that airports, restaurants and many businesses have long restricted smoking and said the restrictions are “something I think that’s long overdue.”