Grady schools adopts new tobacco policy

GRADY — The Grady Municipal Schools formally adopted a new tobacco policy during Monday night’s school board meeting, joining seven other school districts around the state to meet the Department of Health’s “24/7 tobacco free” standards.

Superintendent Elnabeth Grau told The News prior to Monday’s meeting that the district saw a need to update its policy based on the rise of vaping and e-cigarettes use this school year.

“Of course we’ve had a smoke-free campus for quite some time but we just needed to make some revisions that included the changes because we’ve dealt with it off and on this year with students who are involved in the vaping and ‘Juuling,’” Grau said.

Grau said the new policy goes further than what was previously adopted by including counseling for students found to violate the policy and establish strict guidelines for visitors to campus for sports and other events as well.

“We just needed to go through and update the policy,” Grau said. “It was time, it was really past time.”

Shelly Mann-Lev, a campaign associate with the Department of Health’s 24/7 campaign, said Grady will be the first local district to adopt its expanded standards, joining Las Cruces, Pecos, Roswell, Bernalillo, Moriarty-Edgewood, Los Alamos and Central Consolidated.

“In December 2015, districts were required to make changes based on changes in the state Legislature. Many districts made those changes to meet state statues so they’re hesitant to expand,” Mann-Lev said.

Mann-Lev said Grady will now receive updated tobacco-free signage for its campus, as well as training for staff and students and consultation from the 24/7 campaign.

She said the benefit to Grady and other school districts who have adopted the more comprehensive tobacco policy is, “that fewer of their kids will graduate with an addiction to tobacco.”

“It’s pretty expensive to have a tobacco habit so immediately it’s a wise economic decision and then of course well-being and health. And I think the other thing is, that when you have a stronger tobacco policy it’s the whole community supporting the students so it’s not just on the students to try to model a positive life; it means the adults around them are really committed,” Mann-Lev said.