Developing School Policies

The School Policy Initiative helps Maine schools create and maintain 100% tobacco-free campuses. This Initiative takes an important step toward raising awareness about secondhand smoke and helps to provide tobacco-free model environments for school districts and communities.

When schools meet PTM criteria for being tobacco free, they become “Star Schools.” Being a Star School means your school has developed a policy that prohibits tobacco and tobacco advertising at schools and school events, and enforces those policies. Most importantly, it means your school is protecting children from the dangers of secondhand smoke and reinforcing messages of tobacco prevention.

How Does My School Become a Star School?

To become a PTM Star School and receive your free signs, your school must meet the following PTM Tobacco-Free School Policy criteria:

• Prohibition against tobacco use at all times by students, all school staff, parents, and visitors on school property, in school vehicles, and at school sponsored functions on or away from school property.
• Prohibition against tobacco advertising in school buildings, at school functions, and in school publications. This includes clothing worn to school or at sponsored activities.
• Procedure for enforcing policy. There must be a written procedure for the steps to be taken when policy violations occur. Procedure should outline steps to be followed for students, staff, and visitors, along with the procedure for first-time offense, second-time offense, and multiple offenses.
• Written procedure for communicating the policy to students, all school staff, parents and families, visitors, and the community (A good communication plan that is widely disseminated supports compliance to the policy.)

PTM also provides a manual, Creating and Maintaining a Tobacco-Free School Policy, for school administrators interested in developing tobacco-free policies. Download Creating and Maintaining a Tobacco-Free School Policy.

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