Health News
- Clinton County Schools Will Go Tobacco-free In July 2016, Do Media Campaign To Prepare People For The Change
The Clinton County Board of Education has voted to make all of the county's school campuses tobacco free, but decided to not implement this program until the 2016 school year begins to give the public more time to adjust to the new rule, reports the...
- Burgin, In Heart Of Kentucky, Is State's 40th School District To Go Tobacco-free; Ban, Won By Students, Applies To Vapor Products
Burgin Independent Schools, in the heart of Kentucky, will be the latest 100 percent tobacco-free schools in the state, and the first in Mercer County, which has a strong tobacco heritage. The Burgin Board of Education voted April 8 to ban all tobacco...
- Casey Joins Adair And Russell As Longtime Tobacco Counties Where Schools Are Going Tobacco-free; Clinton Defers Action
The schools in another longtime tobacco county in Southern Kentucky are going tobacco-free. With only one member in opposition, the Casey County Board of Education recently enacted a tobacco-free school policy beginning with the 2015-16 academic...
- Carroll County Schools Will Make Campuses Tobacco-free In 2015, Even Including Outdoor Sporting Events
The schools in Carroll County, once one of Kentucky's tobacco strongholds, have begun preparing students, parents, teachers and football fans for smoke-free school campuses starting July 1, 2015. "This ban will apply on district property at all times,...
- Russell County School Board Makes All Campuses Tobacco-free, But Delays Implementation For One Year
The Russell County Board of Education has voted to make all the county's school campuses tobacco-free a year from now, "After some lengthy discussion by the board and visitors," The Times Journal of Russell Springs reports. The vote was 4-0, with...
Health News
Light up at school? Face a $150 fine in Jessamine County
If students at the two Jessamine County high schools are found with cigarettes or any kind of tobacco product while on campus, they can face a fine up to $150.
The idea came from Billy King, a school resource officer at East Jessamine High. "We recognized we had a problem with minors using tobacco," he said. "I felt that it would prevent them from bringing tobacco to school if they knew they could get a fine. But I also knew that they probably didn't think it would happen. Police generally don't cite juveniles for tobacco possession, even though the law has been on the books forever."
East Jessamine High started issuing tickets a few years ago, and West Jessamine joined the effort last month, reports Jim Warren of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Since it was implemented, the number of students caught with the contraband items has gone down at East, with 120 incidents in 2009-09 and 149 in 2009-10. "Last year, we only had 39," Principal Janet Granada said. "Once the word spreads that there's a fine involved, it seems to lessen smoking greatly."
The idea came from Billy King, a school resource officer at East Jessamine High. "We recognized we had a problem with minors using tobacco," he said. "I felt that it would prevent them from bringing tobacco to school if they knew they could get a fine. But I also knew that they probably didn't think it would happen. Police generally don't cite juveniles for tobacco possession, even though the law has been on the books forever."
King posted signs around the school warning students of the possibility of a fine. A few weeks later, he started handing out tickets. "The word got around pretty quickly," he said. School resource officers write up the citations, which are referred to juvenile court. Fines are paid to the court, so the schools have no financial incentive to issue the citations.
Though many school districts in Kentucky have adopted tobacco-free policies on their campuses, Lisa Gross, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education said this is the first she's heard of students being given a fine. (Read more)
- Clinton County Schools Will Go Tobacco-free In July 2016, Do Media Campaign To Prepare People For The Change
The Clinton County Board of Education has voted to make all of the county's school campuses tobacco free, but decided to not implement this program until the 2016 school year begins to give the public more time to adjust to the new rule, reports the...
- Burgin, In Heart Of Kentucky, Is State's 40th School District To Go Tobacco-free; Ban, Won By Students, Applies To Vapor Products
Burgin Independent Schools, in the heart of Kentucky, will be the latest 100 percent tobacco-free schools in the state, and the first in Mercer County, which has a strong tobacco heritage. The Burgin Board of Education voted April 8 to ban all tobacco...
- Casey Joins Adair And Russell As Longtime Tobacco Counties Where Schools Are Going Tobacco-free; Clinton Defers Action
The schools in another longtime tobacco county in Southern Kentucky are going tobacco-free. With only one member in opposition, the Casey County Board of Education recently enacted a tobacco-free school policy beginning with the 2015-16 academic...
- Carroll County Schools Will Make Campuses Tobacco-free In 2015, Even Including Outdoor Sporting Events
The schools in Carroll County, once one of Kentucky's tobacco strongholds, have begun preparing students, parents, teachers and football fans for smoke-free school campuses starting July 1, 2015. "This ban will apply on district property at all times,...
- Russell County School Board Makes All Campuses Tobacco-free, But Delays Implementation For One Year
The Russell County Board of Education has voted to make all the county's school campuses tobacco-free a year from now, "After some lengthy discussion by the board and visitors," The Times Journal of Russell Springs reports. The vote was 4-0, with...