MISSION VIEJO : Smoking Banned at School Sports Events

Saddleback Valley Unified School District trustees has unanimously approved a policy that will prohibit smoking during athletic events and at any outdoor school facilities.

Trustees said the new policy is a step toward their goal of achieving a districtwide smoking ban by 1996. Current district policy allows for smoking by adults in building areas that have been designated for smoking.

Although the policy was passed by the board with little discussion last week, Mike Gallups, an English and journalism teacher at El Toro High School, spoke against it.

“As a teacher and as a parent, I’ve learned that you don’t make rules that you can’t back up,” Gallups said. “What I object to is that smoking is still going to be allowed in the faculty lounge where I eat lunch every day. It bothers me that you can smoke inside, but you can’t smoke outside.”

But Trustee Dore J. Gilbert strongly defended the policy.

“We’re trying to isolate smoking from our students,” Gilbert said. “I found it offensive that I would attend events and find individuals smoking around the kids participating in sports. If we tell students it’s not OK to smoke, why should we allow adults to come on our campuses and smoke in front of students?”

The district will post signs throughout campuses and on playing fields asking employees and visitors to voluntarily comply with the ban.

Announcements will also be made over public address systems, district officials said.