Smoke-Free System

School Administrator, June, 1994

Smoking and use of tobacco products now are taboo in all Fairfax County, Va., public schools, administrative offices, facilities, and buses.

This is the result of a petition to the school board by building principals to broaden its smoking ban, saying staff members should model positive life styles. Predictably, some staff members, including a few non-smokers, have criticized the initiative. One labels the move "puritanism," saying, "Teachers shouldn't be forced underground to do something legal."

Superintendent Robert Spillane has asked the school district's wellness program staff to help employees adjust to the new policy. The American Lung Association has begun workshops on "Coping without Smoking."