|
|
|
Funding Priorities
|
TEEN TOBACCO USE PREVENTION AND CESSATION INITIATIVE - 100% Tobacco-Free School Campaign
Click here to find out if your school district is 100% tobacco free
Summary of 100% Tobacco-Free School Campaign
Background
Promoting the adoption of 100% Tobacco-Free School (TFS) policies is critical to the tobacco prevention control goals recommended by the CDC. A 100% TFS policy prevents exposure to secondhand smoke and ensures that students encounter only positive role models at their school. Preventing students from using and seeing others, especially teachers and others in positions of authority, use tobacco at school has been shown to help lower youth tobacco use prevalence. In fact, 2005 YTS data shows that students attending high schools in districts with an established 100% TFS policy are 40% less likely to be smokers than are students in non-TFS districts.
HWTF offers a number of resources and services - available at no cost - to school districts that are 100% tobacco-free to assure effective communication of the policy, and to support compliance and enforcement. These include:
- Tobacco Free Schools Web site - Our new Web site - www.TobaccoFreeSchoolsNC.com - provides information and resources on topics such as policy communication and enforcement, as well as the latest information on North Carolina's tobacco free school districts.
- Signs - Through the Tobacco Free Schools Signs Project, the NC Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch of the Division of Public Health provides aluminum signs, banners, floor stands, decals and stickers for all school buildings, stadiums and vehicles. Spanish signs are also available.
- Enforcement Toolkits - The Toolkit is filled with ideas for effectively communicating and successfully enforcing a 100% Tobacco Free School policy. It includes samples of ready-to-use letters to parents, announcements, press releases and a survey instrument to monitor enforcement and compliance. We can provide Toolkits for all your principals.
- Training - We offer workshops on policy implementation and enforcement, as well as 2-hour Leadership Forums designed to provide school and community leaders with the information they need to make a decision on the policy.
- Policy Briefing - We will provide your School Board Policy Committee, School Health Advisory Committee or other group involved in the decision with a review of statewide policy trends, implementation and enforcement models used by other school districts, and benefits and challenges of a 100% TFS policy.
- Mini-Grant Awards - HWTF awarded mini-grant awards to 16 organizations on April 26, 2004 to facilitate adoption and enforcement of a 100% TFS policy.
HWTF works in collaboration with the NC TPCB to encourage and support all school districts in North Carolina to advance and effectively enforce a 100% TFS Policy. This policy assures that all school buildings, grounds and school-related events are tobacco-free at all times for students, staff and visitors.
100% Tobacco Free School Mini-Grants: Instructions and Application - Due 03/26/04 CLOSED
