Rationale
La Printaniere Montessori School recognizes that the use of tobacco products is a health, safety, and environmental hazard for students, employees, visitors, and school facilities. The school believes that the use of tobacco products on school grounds, in school buildings and facilities, on school property or at school-related or school-sponsored events is detrimental to the health and safety of students, staff and visitors. The school acknowledges that adult employees and visitors serve as role models for students. The school recognizes that it has an obligation to promote positive role models in schools and promote a healthy learning and working environment, free from unwanted smoke and tobacco use for the students, employees, and visitors on the school campus.
Policy
Smoking and use of any tobacco product is prohibited.
No student, staff member or school visitor is permitted to use any tobacco product at any time:
in any building, facility, or vehicle owned, leased, rented or chartered by La Printaniere Montessori School;
on any school grounds and property – including playgrounds and parking lots – owned, leased, rented, or chartered by La Printaniere Montessori School; or
at any school-sponsored or school-related event on-campus or off-campus.
In addition, school employees, volunteers, contractors or other persons performing services on behalf of the school also are prohibited from smoking and using tobacco products at any time while on duty and in the presence of students, either on or off school grounds. Further, no student is permitted to possess a tobacco product while in any school building, while on school grounds or property, or at any school-sponsored or school-related event or at any other time that students are under the authority of school personnel.
This policy shall not apply to any school property that is rented, leased, or otherwise made available for the use of non-educational purposes.
Definitions
Property is defined as any building, facility, or vehicle owned, leased, rented or chartered by the La Printaniere Montessori School; any school grounds and property – including playgrounds and parking lots – owned, leased, rented or chartered by La Printaniere Montessori School.
Educational purposes are defined as performing services on behalf of the school and at any time while on duty and in the presence of students, either on or off school grounds.
School-sponsored events are defined as events on and off campus that are sponsored by the school; this includes but not limited conferences, lectures, meetings and social/cultural events.
Tobacco is defined as: cigarettes, cigars, pipe, pipes or rolling tobacco, tobacco substitutes (e.g. clove cigarettes), chewing or spit tobacco, or any type of electronic smoking device.
Smoking is defined as: inhaling, exhaling, burning, carrying or possessing any lighted or heated tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah, and other lighted or heated combustible plant material. *Smoking also includes the use of electronic smoking devices.
*Please note: this definition goes beyond state law L.A. R.S. 40:1291.1 et seq; “Louisiana Smoke-free Air Act”
Electronic Smoking Device is defined as any product containing or delivering nicotine or any other substance intended for human consumption that can be used by a person to simulate smoking through inhalation of vapor or aerosol from the produce the product. The term includes any such device, whether manufactured, distributed, marketed, or sold as an e- cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, e-hookah, vape pen, nicotine inhaler, or under any other product name or descriptor.
Implementation
The school will communicate its tobacco policy through information in student and employee handbooks, on its website, and appropriate signage in buildings and around campus. Age-appropriate tobacco prevention education will be implemented.
Opportunities for Cessation
The administration will consult with the health department and other appropriate health organizations to provide students and employees with information and access to support systems, programs and services to encourage them to abstain from the use of tobacco products. Students who violate the tobacco-free policy may be referred to the Louisiana Quit-Line (1-800-QuitNow; www.quitwithusla.org), which is a free counseling service for tobacco cessation.
Prevention Education
The administration will consult with appropriate health organizations to identify and provide programs or opportunities for students to gain a greater understanding of the health hazards of tobacco use and the impact of tobacco use as it relates to providing a safe, orderly, clean and inviting school environment.