Beginning Friday of this week, the bottom sign on the larger Tobacco Free School signs posted at each school in the district will come down, but the main signs will remain up and “go into effect” as Friday, July 1 is the start date in which all campuses, property and facilities owned by the Clinton County School District will ban tobacco products and their use.

About a year ago, through the urging of the Lake Cumberland District Health Department, Clinton County opted to join several other school districts in the state and a few others in the region to become tobacco free districts.

This new measure not only pertains to school hours, or direct school activities, but sporting and all other extracurricular activities that take place in school facilities and/or on school property.

The ban pertains to “all” tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes and the use of any type of smokeless tobacco products such as chewing tobacco.

Recently, the Clinton County Board of Education approved some school policy amendments directly related to the new tobacco free school policy and those new policies are also contained in the annual Code of Pupil Conduct which will be distributed to all students in the district at the start of the 2016-17 school year.

The tobacco free ban includes all visitors, teachers, students and vendor suppliers who have occasion to be on a school campus.

The Clinton County Board of Education, during a meeting held July 20, 2015, voted unanimously to make the district “tobacco free,” effective July 1 of this year.

The delay from the time the issue was passed until it took effect was in order to educate the public of the impending change and give everyone time to make adjustments and prepare for the new rule.

There wasn’t a lot of discussion by the board during it’s vote last year, but all members were aware that the move will not make everyone happy.

Superintendent Charlotte Bernard said at that meeting she felt the move would be a “positive role model” for all school children.

In a related vote last year, the board approved a motion to collaborate with the Lake Cumberland District Health Department for a tobacco free campus grant.

The board had been addressed and had discussed the issue for several months prior to actually taking action to become tobacco free.

According to Ashley Bridgman, Health Educator for Clinton, Cumberland and Wayne counties with the health department, the grant would total $14,561. Since that time, over a 12 month period, the grant has funded a public awareness media campaign and public awareness program that included school district billboards, radio and newspaper advertisements and more.

In past years, smoking was allowed in some school related buildings and on school property, including schools themselves that had designated smoking areas…these areas were especially used at sporting events such as basketball and football games.

Effective Friday and with the new school year, smokers will not be able to “light up” anywhere on school property–indoors or out, including at sporting or other extracurricular events.